There is no denying that the US Green Building Council, LEED protocol is getting to be more and more popular in large building constructions around the country. As it is the case with any new approach that challenges the status quo, the actual degree of acceptance of this conceptual design greatly varies from State to State but an ever growing number of engineering firms are displaying the USGBC plaque in their offices and the request for LEED consultants is on the rise; some of the larger firms have their own, in-house, LEED consultant.

The protocol, often seen as having an environmental only focus, actually addresses a variety of economic issues as well. Such issues vary from supporting local businesses to reducing maintenance, up-keep and running costs of the buildings. This in turn, can even have an affect on things like loans and insurance as well as make the building more attractive for occupancy.

As to be expected in any relatively new things, time and a closer inspection/analysis usually reveals more opportunities then those identified at earlier stages. This is certainly the case when the venting system of large buildings is looked at from a LEED prospective.

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