Massachusetts leads way in certified green buildings

Massachusetts has ranked first among US states for LEED green building certified space per capita in 2020.

The US Green Building Council’s annual top 10 of LEED buildings by state reported 76 new certifications in Massachusetts, totalling 19m sq ft, or 2.91 sq ft per capita.

California had the most certifications (417), totalling just under 79m sq ft, or 2.12 sq ft per capita. The west coast state accounted for almost 36% of all certifications within the top 10.

Almost half of all projects were certified Gold, suggesting that landlords are making an effort to achieve more than the minimum in green building standards.

Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of USGBC, said: “If we are to rebuild an economy that supports our health and our planet, we must lead with changing the way we design and build. Last year was a stark reminder that the quality of our buildings impacts the quality of our life.

“Looking ahead, people want to trust that the spaces they occupy are good for them and their communities, and LEED has always been a tool to support those goals. Now is the time to ensure that every building is LEED certified as that is the only way we accomplish our goals of access to healthy, green buildings, homes and spaces.”

LEED-certified buildings play an important role in cutting greenhouse gases in the built environment since LEED projects deliver significant reductions in emissions.

USBGC said it is tracking 56m metric tonnes of GHG emissions associated with energy and transportation. Reducing that will require more landlords to aspire to certification, ideally higher level certification, which yields bigger reductions.

So far, more than 25 projects globally have attained the highest level of certification – LEED Zero, which recognises net zero performance in buildings and spaces. Although still a low figure, the number of buildings reaching net-zero is growing and

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