- Announcement is focused on existing buildings and streamlines the building certification process in Europe A pivotal LEED International Roundtable meeting of European roundtable members ended in Paris today. The meeting convened leaders from across Europe to address regional issues in LEED for existing and historic structures in the E.U. At the meeting it was announced that the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED green building program will now recognize credits from BREEAM, the U.K.'s widely used green rating program. "Europe faces unique challenges with its buildings, not only existing buildings, but also the wealth of historic structures that can realize significant resource savings and protection of occupants," said Scot Horst, Senior Vice President, LEED + Global Strategic Innovation, USGBC. "The announcements today show USGBC's dedication in making the LEED program more flexible, starting with the specific challenges faced by project teams in Europe." Many international green building projects pursue dual certification with both LEED and BREEAM. Dual certification provides expanded opportunities to recognize and reward green building practices, but it also imposes additional costs and burdens. At this week's meeting, European members of the LEED Roundtable shared their technical expertise and experience and rolled out this announcement that sets new precedents and brings sophistication and best practice to the global building industry. LEED always has recognized market leadership, and establishing levels of equivalency with BREEAM continues this mission.
