Northeastern University recently has been boasting and raving about its new resident hall complex, International Village. A soon-to-be home to 1200 students, International Village is Northeastern’s newest source of pride. It will contain a dining hall (complete with a sushi bar), a cardiovascular gym, artwork from students, screens displaying Northeastern University students who are working and studying from all over the world, gender neutral housing on a few specific floors, and best of all, it is green certified.

Also known as having a LEED certification, International Village is one of many buildings in the world that has been certified. LEED is a third-party certification program. It is also the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, operation, and construction of green buildings. You may be asking yourself, why be green certified?

Well, for starters, green buildings have lower operating costs and increase asset value. It may cost more to set up your building to be green, but it is worth it in the end. For instance, you can even qualify for tax rebates with your building! Green buildings reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water, are healthier and safer, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and more.

If you are building a new building, it may be worth your time to look for ways to make your building green certified. You also can turn existing buildings into LEED certified ones, but that may take a little bit more effort. There are many criteria that your building has to satisfy to qualify for this certification. There are different rules for the different types of buildings.

There are certification processes for homes, commercial interiors, new construction, schools, healthcare offices, retail offices, neighborhood development, and more. If you are looking into what criteria goes with your desired building plans, check out this site for the ranking system.

I think it is safe to say that the development of green buildings is going to continue to increase. Will you be one to join the crowd?

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