Looking Ahead to LEED 2009

Summer of 2009 has been very interesting for LEED. Right now, many, many last minute LEED for New Construction examinees are scrambling to cram in the last bit of studying for their LEED Exam. Some have been preparing all along while others have resigned themselves to the fact that there’s probably not enough time to fully prepare for the exam. So what to do? My thought is study as much as you can and take the exam anyway. I don’t believe that the USGBC or the GBCI will refund your exam fees and with luck you might pass.

Also, right now, we have LEED 2009 just getting up and running. The LEED Green Associate is available as are two of the five LEED AP Plus Exams. LEED Homes and LEED Green Building Operations and Maintenance are new so people are still trying to figure out exactly what they mean. What will LEED Green Associate be worth? Will people proudly bear the credential the way others have borne the LEED AP? Will LEED AP Plus be the only standard that matters? My thoughts are that the LEED Green Associate is actually slightly easier than the old LEED NC 2.2 while the LEED AP Plus exams are significantly harder. Both require thorough preparation to pass but will people be happy to just attain the LEED Green Associate or will everyone be peer pressured into attempting the LEED AP Plus exams?

Lastly, we are just starting to see the stimulus money hit the Federal construction world with its LEED mandates. That money is bound to increase the demand for people who know and understand LEED and how to apply it. If you have any thoughts or experiences on the changes happening to LEED or with LEED 2009, please leave a comment and let us know.