LEED-igation101Brian P. McCormick, Bart Reed
Green building practices pose unique legal issues, risks and
challenges for unsuspecting roofing contractors. Although many have
argued such risks are nothing more than "old wine in a new bottle,"
the platform for designing and constructing projects that promote
environmental sustainability while reducing negative effects caused
by the built environment has changed and undoubtedly will foster
new challenges for those involved with such projects.
The system by which many green projects are being constructed
and evaluated for environmental sustainability is the relatively
new but ever-expanding consensus-based and nationally recognized
LEED® Green Building Rating System,™ which is funded,
developed and maintained by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
and administered by the Green Building Certification Institute
(GBCI).
USGBC created the LEED Green Building Rating System as a means
to define and measure a building's "greenness." The LEED system
fosters and encourages an integrated whole-building approach to
environmental sustainability by identifying and rewarding
performance in five key areas relative to designing, constructing
and maintaining a building: sustainable site development; water use
and savings; energy consumption and savings; materials and
resources selection, reuse and disposal; and indoor environmental
air quality.
As of April, there were almost 4,500 LEED-certified projects
worldwide located in all 50 states and 36 countries. Booz Allen
Hamilton Inc., McLean, Va., has estimated that $12.5 billion in
LEED-certification-related spending will occur during the next five
years. During this same period, energy savings directly
attributable to LEED certification are estimated...
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