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USGBC Announces “LEED Automation” to Streamline and Create Capacity for LEED Green Building Projects

New program open to multiple technology companies and organizations will improve data tracking, information and content integration for green building projects under way

Washington, DC — The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), developers of the LEED green building program has announced LEED Automation, a new program in collaboration with leading technology companies that is designed to streamline and create capacity for the LEED building certification process. LEED Automation enables LEED Online, the online tool projects use to submit documentation and certify LEED projects, to interact with third party technology platforms.

“LEED Automation takes the green building process to a new level,” said Chris Smith, Chief Operating Officer, USGBC. “We recognized several years ago that we cannot focus only on the evolution of LEED and its continuous improvement. The technology used to administer the LEED certification process is also evolving to increase customers’ business agility through improved data, information and content integration.”

LEED Automation works similarly to an app. It will perform three key functions for LEED project teams and users of LEED Online by seamlessly integrating third-party applications with LEED Online:

  • Provide automation of various LEED documentation processes
  • Deliver customers a unified view of their LEED projects
  • Standardize LEED content and distribute it consistently across multiple technology platforms

This marks the first time USGBC has opened LEED Online to the software application market and third party software developers. It represents the initial step in what USGBC expects will be the addition of many technology partners in the future. “LEED Automation allows USGBC and the technology companies to create multi-party interactions versus point-to-point communications between various software applications and IT systems,” said Scot Horst,
Senior Vice President of LEED, USGBC. “This will make the LEED documentation and certification process much more intuitive.”

The technology agreement also allows communities of independent system, software and service owners to collaborate dynamically to deliver a richer customer experience. “It is built in accordance with Service Oriented Architecture using Internet standards like HTTP, XML and Simple Object Access Protocol. This makes for a common online language so that in the future, we can further enhance and build upon this work,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, Senior Vice President of Business Technology Transformation, USGBC.

U.S. Green Building Council
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Council is the driving force of the green building industry, which is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product by 2013. Over 36,000 commercial projects are currently participating in LEED rating systems for the design, construction and operation of green buildings, comprising over 7.1 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 114 countries. USGBC was co-founded by current President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi.

Related articles from InPark Magazine:
California Academy of Sciences’ sustainable model, by Martin Palicki
Green technologies, by Falcon’s Treehouse
Green gear, by Jan Shaw
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Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin ([email protected]) is a leading journalist, content marketing specialist and connector in the international attractions industry. She reports on design and technical design, production and project management, industry trends and company culture. From 2005-2020 she ran communications and publications for the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). In 2013, she was honored with the TEA Service Award. She was development director of IMERSA and publicist for the Large Format Cinema Association, and has contributed to the publications of PLASA, IAAPA and the International Planetarium Society. Judith joined World’s Fair magazine in 1987, which introduced her to the attractions industry. She joined InPark in 2010. Judith earned a BFA from Pratt Institute. She has lived in Detroit, New York, Oakland, and now Saint Louis, where she is active in the local arts community.

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