LEED Interest Slips Amid Green Support

The commercial real estate and construction industries continue to overwhelmingly support green buildings, but support for official LEED certification has slipped, according to the third annual Allen Matkins/CTG/Green Building Insider Green Building Survey. According to the study, 93.4 percent of those surveyed agreed that it is worth the time and effort to build green, but only 66.2 percent believe that obtaining LEED certification is worth the effort.

Among other findings in the survey were that designers, owners and contractors have differing views on the risks involved in green construction and different ideas on whether green construction adds to the cost of projects. The annual survey included responses from 900 design professionals, contractors, subcontractors, construction planners, building owners and others in the industry.

The survey’s authors says that they were surprised to find that willingness to obtain LEED certification had slipped from 76 percent in the previous year’s survey, although he adds that this year’s 66.2 percent is still a very high percentage in favor of certification.

Surveyors also point out that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is already ahead of the curve in trying to recapture that 10 percent drop. According to research, the primary reasons for the decline in willingness to obtain LEED certification have to do with competition from other certification agencies, newly enacted green building regulations and concerns over carbon footprints. Results of the survey show that while some of these regulations require LEED certification, the majority do not favor a specific rating system. In addition, many of the new regulations focus on greenhouse gasses and carbon impacts that LEED has only indirectly addressed.

Source: GlobeSt.com