The U.S. Green Building Council announced that it will allow LEED users to register projects under the LEED 2009 rating system until Oct. 31, 2016. The original date for LEED 2009 registration to close was June 15, 2015. Extending to October 2016 gives LEED users and members of the green building industry additional time to prepare for LEED v4, the latest version of LEED, which features increased rigor and multiple updates.

“When USGBC launched LEED v4 last year, we set out with one goal in mind – to raise the bar in a way that challenges the building industry to reach higher than ever before. This is our nature and USGBC and its members’ collective mission,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO & founding chair, USGBC. “However, the market has requested additional time to prepare for LEED v4, so we are responding.”

In a survey conducted at last week’s Greenbuild conference, 61 percent of respondents said they are “not ready” or “unsure” if they are ready to pursue LEED v4 and require additional time to prepare. Extending LEED 2009’s availability enables USGBC to work with the broader industry within a longer time frame to drive meaningful and comprehensive change.

“Our international LEED users, which account for some 50 percent of new LEED registrations, have also indicated they would like to have more time to move onto the new rating system,” Fedrizzi noted.  “This extension will be especially helpful to them.”

LEED v4 has been in the market for nearly one year and will remain available for those market leaders who are ready.

“LEED v4 wasn’t designed to be easy. It is the next generation of green building, and we are confident the market will meet us there as they have in years past,” added Fedrizzi. “When USGBC first pilot tested LEED in 1998, there weren’t many buildings that could qualify for LEED certification at the Platinum level. Now, more than 1,000 buildings have achieved it. With LEED, we have a responsibility to set a high bar and we know that many leaders are capable of reaching it, presently or in the very near future. We want to support our LEED users as they move the market forward with us, and allowing them to utilize the LEED 2009 rating system for a little longer will help facilitate that.”

“USGBC continues to develop new resources that support the market’s adoption of LEED,” added Fedrizzi. “The LEED Dynamic Plaque provides a vivid, real-time visualization of building performance data spanning water, energy, occupant satisfaction and more, giving building owners critical insight into how their building is performing. Every day, LEED is contributing to scores of new, innovative building technologies in the design, manufacturing and construction process, and has brought new, healthier building materials to market."

LEED has facilitated spectacular advances in building technologies, integrated design and operating practices. LEED is also largely responsible for the explosive growth of the green building sector, which supports or creates 7.9 million jobs across all 50 states and contributes $554 billion to the U.S. economy annually.