In September 2023, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its highly anticipated draft of LEED version 5, the latest iteration of the world-renowned green building certification. This first update focuses specifically on the operations and maintenance (O&M) of existing buildings.
To help us learn more about the update and what it means for facilities managers, we spoke with Kat Wagenschutz, the USGBC’s director of existing buildings. Please watch the FMA Insights video interview below. In it, Wagenschutz answers the following questions:
- What is LEED, in general, and why is it so important? (1:00)
- Why update LEED now? What are some new core components of the draft LEED v5? (2:50)
- What are some key steps facilities managers can take to help their organization meet these higher standards? (5:25)
- Is there a business case facilities managers can make to help encourage their organization to invest in green buildings and obtain this new LEED certification? (10:40)
- What if a facility already has a LEED certification under a previous version? Should the facilities manager start preparing for recertification under this new standard? (13:30)
- What’s next in the process? When does the USGBC expect to finalize this version 5? (14:45)