LEED Implementation Guide for Construction Practitioners

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a certification program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council for designing, constructing, and certifying green buildings. This paper presents a LEED implementation guide for construction practitioners to assist them in the certification process. The guide was formulated primarily through input, suggestions, and recommendations received from LEED accredited professionals including architects, engineers, commissioning authorities, general contractors, construction managers, and facility managers. Data were collected through four questionnaire surveys where two of which were used for guide development and the other two for modification and validation. General contractors, construction managers, and engineers can use the LEED implementation guide as a reference for managing their LEED certification process. The proposed guide can also assist owners interested in building a LEED certified facility.