D.C. Tops LEED List

The District of Columbia leads the nation in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified commercial real estate projects per capita, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, which recently released its 2011 list of top LEED states. D.C. saw more than 31.50 square feet of space per person receive LEED certification in 2011, followed by Colorado, which added 2.74 sf per person. Illinois, Virginia, and Washington also made notable gains, with 2.69 sf, 2.42 sf, and 2.18 sf of LEED-certified space per person, respectively.

Top projects in 2011 included the Treasury Building in Washington, D.C., which is the oldest LEED-certified property in the world; the LEED-Platinum Casey Middle School in Boulder, Colo.; Chicago’s Wrigley Building; and Frito-Lay in Lynchburg, Va., which earned a LEED Gold certification for the operations and maintenance of an existing building.

In December 2011, USGBC announced that LEED-certified existing buildings outpaced new construction by 15 million sf on a cumulative basis.

Top 10 LEED States in 2011

by sf per capita certified

1. District of Columbia: 31.50
2. Colorado: 2.74
3. Illinois: 2.69
4. Virginia: 2.42
5. Washington: 2.18
6. Maryland: 2.07
7. Massachusetts: 2.00
8. Texas: 1.99
9. California: 1.92
10. New York: 1.89

Source: U.S. Green Building Council