Page 105 - Green Building Through Integrated Design

82 BARRIERS TO HIGH-PERFORMANCE BUILDINGS

TABLE 5.1 LEED-NC REGISTERED VS. CERTIFIED PROJECTS, MARCH 2008
DATA*
LEED-NC VERSION † REGISTERED ‡ CERTIFIED § PERCENTAGE ¶
2.0 (ended 2002) 624 238 38%
2.1 (ended 2005) 2134 352 17
2.2 (began end 2005) 3684 467 13
Totals 6442 980 15%

*Data furnished by USGBC staff to the author; the author assumes these are generally accurate.
† LEED version 2.0 generally applied to projects registered before the end of 2002; LEED version
2.1 applies to projects registered generally between 2003 and the end of 2005; LEED version 2.2
has been in effect for all project registrations since January 1, 2006.
‡ Registrations through the end of 2002 approximate the number of LEED-NC version 2.0 projects
registered. New project registrations through the end of 2005 approximate the number of LEED-NC
version 2.1 projects registered. About 16 months have passed since projects were able to register
under version 2.1 (that is, since the end of 2005). LEED-NC version 2.2 registered projects are
generally those registered since the beginning of 2006.
§ Most LEED-NC version 2.0 projects that are going to certify have done so. Many of the LEED-NC
version 2.1 registered projects are still working on certification documentation. Some may still be in
design or construction, owing to various delays, or their large size.
¶ Percentage certified through the end of March 2008. Not meaningful for LEED-NC version 2.2
projects, since projects that registered in 2006 and 2007 are mostly still in progress.

This problem is akin to breaking off an engagement before marriage; there’s embar-
rassment, but life goes on. In the case of LEED, if we’re aiming to produce better build-
ings because the future of the planet depends on your efforts, it makes sense to find out
why projects that start out with the best intentions don’t wind up with a certification
package.
Without close attention to the numbers, any company will tell you, real change is
impossible to achieve and deviations from desired performance are impossible to cor-
rect. LEED’s success as a catalyst to institutionalize innovations in the building indus-
try depends critically on a realistic assessment of progress.* To date, one must judge
the progress as mixed, based on the numbers in Table 5.1.
Let’s look more closely at the results: With LEED-NC comprising more than
66 percent of all project registrations and 74 percent of all certifications to date (and
likely to continue that dominant role), it’s the most important system to analyze. Why
is it that some projects do not complete the journey from registration to certification?
It cannot be cost, or cost alone. In the 2006 study, Greening America’s Schools, Greg
Kats studied 30 LEED certified school projects and came up with an extra capital cost
†
of 2% ($3.00 on an average base cost of $150 per square foot). With most projects
*See for example, Matthew May’s 2007 book, The Elegant Solution: Toyota’s Formula for Mastering Innovation
(New York: Free Press).
† Greg Katz, Greening America’s Schools, 2006, available at www.cap-e.com (complete citation).