New LEED Version Focuses on Decarbonization, Resilience

4/30/2025

The year 2000 was a much different time for institutional and commercial facilities. Sustainability and climate change had only recently entered the vocabulary of the facility executives and managers, who were still trying to understand the way the green movement was going to affect the way they bought products, implemented technology and revisited almost everything they knew about owning and operating buildings. That year, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched its flagship Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program and rating system, and facilities would never be the same. 

On April 28 of this year, the USGBC released LEED v5, the latest version of its program and rating system. The latest version builds on the 25-year legacy of LEED, updating and strengthening the widely recognized standard for the building industry by providing user-friendly tools for building owners and teams to pursue certification. The newest version of the LEED standard focuses on:  

Decarbonization. This issue accounts for one-half of all points for LEED v5 certification to confront current climate needs. The new rating system provides actionable steps to deliver ultra-low-carbon buildings by targeting emissions reductions in operations, embodied carbon, refrigerants and transportation.  

Human and ecological health. Quality of life credits focus on human-centric strategies that address the health and well-being of occupants and the communities in which buildings are located. Global demand for healthier and greener spaces has grown in recent years, with occupants increasingly demanding more transparency and accountability around sustainability and health in the built environment. 

Resilience. The rating system addresses human and natural systems to strengthen communities. All LEED v5 projects will complete climate resilience assessments to enhance awareness of hazards, increase transparency of risks, reduce vulnerabilities and ensure long-term safety and sustainability. 

Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.