The trend of building structures that are environmentally friendly is steadily becoming more of a permanent state of mind. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations, and maintenance solutions. Headed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is responsible for creating the standards for a more ecologically-friendly environment.

As we begin to settle into 2012, the USGBC has proposed new changes for the LEED program. These proposed changes will focus on increasing the technical standards of the current rating system and will expand the market sectors that are able to utilize LEED. Developed based upon market data, stakeholder ideas, expert engagements, and advances in technology, these changes intend to create more transparency in which information can be gathered, shared, and used to inform project teams.

Recent advances in technology have allowed the LEED program to utilize the Internet as an extremely powerful tool. LEED Online v3 is an interactive tool that allows teams of professionals to sync data and information from energy simulation software.

The trend toward increased efficiency in buildings and homes continues to gain momentum, and the tools to enable this trend continue to advance as well. In 2012, we can expect to see an increased utilization of Internet sources to share information among project teams. At Perfection Architectural Systems, we stay on top of current LEED standards and trends. We have made energy conservation our top priority and are extremely proud to say that we are an industry leader in green building initiatives. If you are interested in aluminum solutions that integrate green construction methods, please give us a call today at (800)238-7207.