New opportunities to take extra credit for embodied carbon and other material improvements in LEED v5

LEED v5 Building Design and Construction (BD+C) and Interior Design and Construction (ID+C) redirects industry attention on decarbonization with a strong emphasis on embodied carbon (aka GHG emissions), as well as stronger considerations on material attributes. LEED users may already be well familiar with the Materials & Resources (MR) prerequisite Quantify and Assess Embodied Carbon, which requires all LEED v5 BD+C project to assess the embodied carbon of their structure, enclosure, and hardscape.

Teams may also be aware that their projects can achieve up to six points (New Construction) or eight points (Core and Shell) for further addressing embodied carbon through MR credit Reduce Embodied Carbon. Additionally, there are opportunities to address carbon and other material attributes on non-structural material through MR credit Building Product Selection and Procurement. Similar credits are available for LEED v5 ID+C. These credits and others were featured in CAGBC’s LEED v5 Engagement series: LEED v5 BD+C: the Approach for Materials (an on-demand webinar is available free for members).

However, project teams may not be aware of four other opportunities to achieve additional points with reductions in embodied carbon and other material attributes through the Project Priority Library, under Pilot Credits. These points can be achieved through the nine possible points under the Project Priorities credit. The LEED v5 BD+C: NC versions are as follows:

MRpc 181 – Multi-Attribute Structure, Enclosure, Hardscape, and Other Building Materials

This extends MRc4 Building Product Selection and Procurement, currently focused on non-structural materials, to structural, enclosures and hardscape materials, for two possible points.

MRpc 182 – Procurement of Innovative Low-Embodied Carbon Concrete

This offers one point to incentivize the use of “pilot-ready, next-generation, lower-carbon concrete products”.

MRpc183 – Design for Circularity

This offers two possible points. The first is for applying circular design strategies and creating an implementation plan, and the second additional point is facilitating future circularity.

MRpc185 – Multi-Attribute Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) Products

Two points are possible with applying similar requirements under MRc4: Building Product Selection and Procurement, to eligible MEP products that demonstrate multi-attribute criteria.

The last three pilot credits are also available for LEED v5 ID+C projects.

With these pilot credits, LEED is once again leading the industry to consider the next generation of material design and selection.