D.C., Colorado top LEED list
Using a per-capita basis, the District of Columbia, Colorado and Illinois lead the nation in LEED-certified buildings, according to a report released by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The 2011 list of top 10 states for LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings was based on the U.S. 2010 census information.
Sq. ft. of space to earn LEED certification in 2011 | Per capita | |
District of Columbia | 18,954,022 | 31.50 |
Colorado | 13,803,113 | 2.74 |
Illinois | 34,567,585 | 2.69 |
Virginia | 19,358,193 | 2.42 |
Washington | 14,667,558 | 2.18 |
Maryland | 11,970,869 | 2.07 |
Massachusetts | 13,087,625 | 2.00 |
Texas | 50,001,476 | 1.99 |
California | 71,551,296 | 1.92 |
New York | 36,538,981 | 1.89 |
Minnesota | 9,591,445 | 1.81 |
LEED is the internationally recognized mark of green building excellence, with more than 44,000 projects commercial projects bearing one of the organization’s gold, silver or platinum designations. In addition, more than 16,000 homes have been certified under the LEED for Homes rating system, with more than 67,000 more homes registered. The U.S. Green Building Council administers the LEED green building certification system.
Notable newly certified projects in 2011 include the Treasury Building in Washington, D.C., which is distinguished as the oldest LEED-certified project in the world; the LEED-Platinum Casey Middle School in Boulder, Colo.; the iconic Wrigley Building in Chicago; Frito-Lay in Lynchburg, Va., which earned LEED Gold for the operations and maintenance of an existing building; the LEED Silver Hard Rock Café in Seattle; Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Md.; Yawkey Distribution Center of The Greater Boston Food Bank in Massachusetts; the LEED Gold Austin Convention Center in Texas; SFO's LEED Gold Terminal 2 in San Francisco; the LEED-Platinum Hotel Skylar in Syracuse, N.Y.; and the LEED Platinum Marquette Plaza in Minneapolis, Minn.