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FROM THE EDITOR
Illinois is the top LEED state for 2014 for the second year in a row, according to the U.S. Green Building’s Council’s annual list Top 10 LEED States report. The rankings are based on LEED square footage certified per capita, and Illinois actually increased its per capita square footage from 2.29 to 3.31! And while all that’s exciting for those of us here in the Land of Lincoln, this year’s list is notable for several other reasons as well.
Overall, the 2014 list had the highest average (2.34) of per capita space since the rankings were first published in 2010. That seems to be a sure sign LEED is still exhibiting healthy growth. What’s more, LEED also is experiencing healthy growth in red states — Georgia (1.83 per capita square footage) and Arizona (1.74 per capita square footage) both made their debuts on the list. Perhaps one conclusion that can be drawn from this is that facility managers and building owners are increasingly understanding that LEED makes good financial sense, in addition to its noted environmental benefits. (USGBC also has just released its annual Business Case for Green Building report.)
In terms of most projects overall, California, with 517 was far and away the victor. New York was next with 250 and Illinois third with 174.
Another very interesting fact from USGBC release about the report is that LEED for Building Operation and Maintenance represented 48 percent of the square footage certified, making it the most dominant rating system. This is a sure sign that existing buildings continue to get their due in terms of efficiency — it’s a statistic from which facility managers can take heart (and possibly to their CFOs) when working on their own LEED O+M initiatives.
In total, what’s clear from this year’s list is that, despite the many recent claims that LEED doesn’t result in better or more efficient buildings, (and even an attempt to make LEED illegal), the market clearly still thinks LEED is the green building rating system of choice. Nobody would say that LEED is perfect, but much effort is being made to improve continuously, and it appears that effort is paying off.
As always, I’m interested to hear from you. What do you make of this year’s Top 10 LEED States list?
Cheers,
Greg Zimmerman, editor
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