What is the LEED certification?

It is necessary at first to specify what LEED means, it is about an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is a set of standards of construction which applies to new or renovated buildings and which aims at a rational and efficient use of energy, materials and water. Compliance with these standards leads to the attribution of the LEED certification.

LEED certification originated in the United States in 1998, it made its entrance in Canada in the early 2000s and in Quebec in 2003. The LEED certification is today an international certification (the United States, Canada, France, Italy, India, Republic of China, etc.) used in more than 30 countries. LEED criteria take an interest in the sustainable development, the energy efficiency (as much about the heating and as about the lighting), the water consumption, the type and source of materials used in construction, the quality of interior arrangements as well as the re-use or recovery of construction waste.

LEED evaluation grids in Canada have been specifically developed depending upon the climates, the construction practices and the regulations applicable in Canada. They are adapted to the Canadian market through a process which involves the stakeholders and experts representing the various sectors of the Canadian industry. With its four certification levels (certified, silver, gold, and platinum), LEED is flexible enough to take into account a vast range of strategies adapted to the constraints and objectives of the projects of sustainable buildings.

In Canada, it is the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) who certifies the projects according to a grid based on the attribution of points within the framework of an independent examination of the documentation submitted by the design and construction teams. The Quebec section of the CaGBC regroups professionals and individuals active in the field of construction. Architects, engineers and building technologists combine their efforts with manufacturers registered individually within this Quebec section.