New USGBC Initiative Targets Building Performance

In an expanded effort to ensure continual performance of LEED projects, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently launched its Building Performance Initiative, which will work in conjunction with the Council’s decision to revoke certification under the 2009 rating system—and beyond—if a building’s performance is inconsistent (see

EBN Aug. 2009).

USGBC hopes to establish a systematic process for optimizing building performance by compiling comprehensive data from thousands of LEED-certified buildings, analyzing it, and supplying building owners and developers with evidence of how buildings are actually used on a daily basis so that they may address performance gaps.

Summits will be held throughout September and October 2009 to encourage feedback and engage practitioners, who will have access to USGBC’s data collection schedule and proposed methodology. Results from these gatherings will be released during the first annual Building Performance Summit at the Greenbuild conference this November in Phoenix. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.