ASHRAE Journal - January 2009 - (Page 6) Greenbuild 2008 LEED Reweighted; Certification ‘Tiered’ BOSTON—LEED® 2009’s credits have been reweighted by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to more accurately reflect a credit point’s impact on energy efficiency, climate change and health. The new version of LEED was introduced at the 2008 Greenbuild Conference and Expo, Nov. 19 – 21. It was approved earlier by member ballot. In addition to reweighting credits, the new version adds regional credits so project teams can select bonus points from a list of eligible credits. The idea is to add value to those credits considered most important for defined regions. LEED 2009 incorporates New Construction, Core and Shell, Commercial Interiors, Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, and Schools. The LEED Accredited Professional (AP) Exam is being updated this year to reflect the changes to LEED 2009. The LEED AP credentialing system is also changing. “This industry changes rapidly,” according to Beth Holst, vice president of credentialing for Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). “We need to do credentialing maintenance so that LEED APs won’t have to constantly retest.” Starting in 2009, three tiers of credentials will be offered: LEED Green Associate, LEED AP+ and LEED Fellow. Candidates for LEED Green Associate and LEED AP+ must pass an application process, plus a multiple choice assessment. To become a LEED AP+, candidates need to take the same core exam that Green Associates take and a specialty exam in one of five tracks: Operations & Maintenance (old EB); Residential Design and Construction; Building Design and Construction (old NC); Interior Design and Construction (old CI); and Neighborhood Development. Nearly 30,000 ar chitects, engineers, developers, facility managers and others packed the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The changes will be phased in throughout 2009 starting in February with beta testing for the LEED Green Associate exam and the LEED AP Operations & Maintenance exams. The LEED Fellow program is under development. Details will be provided sometime this year. It’s possible that peer review of a candidate’s portfolio could be part of the process. Beginning in June 2009, current LEED APs have two years to enroll in a credential maintenance program without being required to retake the exam. Those who currently hold a LEED AP credential may continue to bear the credential and will be listed in the registry as a LEED AP. Response from LEED APs to the new program has been positive, says Holst. “There are currently more than 70,000 LEED APs, and we’ve talked with many of them as part of this process. The changes we’ve made are a direct reflection of that feedback and the continued transformation that we’re seeing in the green-building industry.” than 70 exhibitors of HVAC products and services participating, which was nearly double the number from 2007. The number of total exhibitors was 845, a 76% increase from 2007. Major USGBC announcements included LEED 2009 passing member ballot (see main story), and LEED for Neighborhood Development opened for public review and will run until January 5. Also, LEED Retail had its third public review. The next Greenbuild will be in Phoenix on Nov. 9 – 11. January 2009 It Just Keeps Growing BOSTON—Fifteen years ago, 85 people attended an event that would evolve into today’s Greenbuild Conference and Expo. Nearly 30,000 architects, engineers, developers, facility managers and others packed the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on Nov. 19 – 21, a 25% increase over 2007. Even as recently as three years ago, less than 10,000 people attended the conference. Greenbuild has matured in other 6 ASHRAE Journal Attendees learn about software at Autodesk. ways. Attendees were from 85 countries with 200 elected officials among the group. More than 100 green schools advocates attended. And, energy efficiency moved to center stage with more ashrae.org http://www.ashrae.org
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