The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced it will allow LEED users to register projects under the LEED 2009 rating system until Oct. 31, 2016. The original date for LEED 2009 registration to close was June 15, 2015. Extending to October 2016 gives LEED users and members of the green building industry additional time to prepare for LEED v4, the latest version of LEED, the group said.
“When USGBC launched LEED v4 last year, we set out with one goal in mind—to raise the bar in a way that challenges the building industry to reach higher than ever before. However, the market has requested additional time to prepare for LEED v4, so we are responding,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair, USGBC.
In a survey conducted at last week’s Greenbuild conference, 61% of respondents said they are “not ready” or “unsure” if they are ready to pursue LEED v4 and require additional time to prepare. Extending LEED 2009’s availability enables USGBC to work with the broader industry within a longer time frame to drive meaningful and comprehensive change, according to the organization.
“Our international LEED users, which account for some 50% of new LEED registrations, have also indicated they would like to have more time to move onto the new rating system,” Fedrizzi noted. “This extension will be especially helpful to them.”
LEED v4 has been in the market for nearly one year and will remain available for those who are ready.