Resilience-Focused Changes Are Coming to LEED v5

Carolyn Zern, Sustainable Real Estate Development Executive

The newest version of LEED (LEED v5) is coming – likely sometime before the end of 2024 or early into 2025 – and with it will come a focus on resilience and social equity within LEED projects. A number of other subject matter experts have been working with the USGBC on these proposed revisions and we are excited about the changes and happy to help if anyone has any questions or concerns, though as a reminder, the changes are all still in draft form and going through a public review and comment process now. 

Assuming that resilience changes are more relevant to this group, I outline below some of the details of what USGBC, the group behind LEED certifications, has drafted for public comment as it relates to incorporating resilient design into projects based on the New Construction scorecards. It is worth noting, however, that the changes made to the LEED scorecard are broadly intended to focus around three areas: decarbonization, quality of life (however tricky to define that may be), and ecological conservation and restoration.

The first new prerequisite related to resilience is drafted as a Climate Resilience Assessment and is intended to compel the design team to reduce vulnerability to climate hazards and risk including flooding, sea level rise, storms, and high winds. It is largely based on existing resilience focused pilot credits and the Integrative Design Process credit from v4. Another new proposed prerequisite is the Minimized Site Disturbance requirement which combines the prior existing requirement for erosion and sediment control of the Construction Activity Pollution Prevention credit with invasive species control and protection for “special-status vegetation” and “healthy habitat” plantings designed to protect native vegetation, healthy soils, and wildlife habitats. 

The Resilient Site Design prerequisite proposes to require that critical utilities be designed and built to withstand 500-year floods along with one of three additional measures: raise critical utilities above the 500-year flood plain, incorporate critical utilities within protective flood-proofed enclosures designed to withstand 500-year floods, or implementing best management techniques to minimize damage from floods. The Enhanced Resilient Site Design credit, on the other hand, aims to further reduce the project’s vulnerability to catastrophic natural events and asks design teams to design, construct and site structures based on best practices and strategies to support resilience for the project site and adjacent landscapes. 

There are a number of credits in the Location and Transportation and Sustainable Sites categories that aim to address increased climate resiliency. Sensitive Land Protection is very similar to the v4.1 credit and earns a point for not developing on prime farmland, on areas within the 100-year floodplain, endangered species habitats, wetlands, and along unstable undeveloped slopes between 15% and 25% but increases the requirement for land protected from development and construction activity to 40%. The Accessible Open Space credit is very similar to the Open Space credit from v4 with the addition of accessibility and inclusivity, as well as health and wellness requirements.

The Heat Island Reduction credit is similar to the v4 credit but adds an American Forests Tree Equity score to inform tree coverage in addition to the existing credit’s requirements for high surface reflexivity, a green roof, and / or parking under cover. The parking under cover option now requires 100% of parking spaces under cover instead of 75%.

Another existing credit tweaked to focus on resilience is the Protect and Restore Biodiverse Habitat credit – this credit has increased the percentages of the previous Protect and Restore Habitat credit and has added a financial requirement for zero lot line projects if they want to achieve this credit.

The Rainwater Management credit – perhaps one of the more relevant credits for this group – maintains the option for retaining on site the runoff from local rainfall events, and adds an option for retaining the increase in runoff volume between proposed design conditions and the runoff volume under natural land cover conditions that existed prior to any disturbance per the v4.1 version but with higher percentile retained requirements. Zero lot line requirements include the allowance of off-site strategies.

The Minimum Water Efficiency prerequisite combines the previous Indoor and Outdoor Water Use reduction prerequisites from v4 and includes a requirement for a landscape management plan that offers co-benefits for human and ecosystem health. Similarly, the Indoor and Outdoor Water Use Reduction credits are combined into the new Enhanced Water Efficiency credit but with fewer points at play.

The Water Reuse credit is drafted to incentivize a reuse-ready system feeding reclaimed water to all urinals and water closets or to makeup water systems or alternative water sources such as on-site water reuse or municipality-supplied reclaimed water. And there is a new Resilient Spaces credit included in the IEQ category that builds on previous pilot credits to support healthy indoor air quality during poor outdoor air quality episodes and power outages, and incentivizes passive resilience strategies including operable windows and building safety systems during extreme weather events.

We look forward to seeing civil engineers and others bring these credits to life in the next version of LEED.