LEED for existing buildings?

LEED for existing buildings?

In many ways LEED certification has become a very trendy process for new construction projects, which in many ways is a very positive move for the construction and design industry. What about all of the millions of buildings that were built before the development of LEED or the buildings that were built with disregard for the LEED certification. In 2002 the LEED-EB (LEED- Existing Build) pilot program was developed. The program had little momentum in the beginning of the program but a recent article stated that the USGBC has reorganized the criteria for the LEED-EB program to make it more intuitive and this makes the LEED-EB program more accessible. I think this is a very positive change because now that we have been looking to the future with LEED it is also important to start looking to the past with LEED-EB. The ratio between LEED buildings and non-LEED is astronomical and the only way of bridging the gap between LEED and non-LEED buildings in the near future is through the LEED-EB program. I can only hope that that LEED-EB becomes as trendy as LEED.