New organization will certify LEED professionals in U.S.

In the U.S., designers seeking LEED accreditation will be applying to a new institute beginning in January. The U.S. Green Building Council has incorporated a special institute to oversee the professional accreditation process. The new institute is called the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). It will manage all aspects of the LEED AP program, including developing and holding examinations, and keeping track of registrations. It will also oversee the records for those who have already acquired LEED AP.
The US Green Building Council will continue to manage the LEED Green Building Rating System itself.
To verify its value as an accreditation program, the Green Building Certification Institute will undergo the ANSI accreditation process for personnel certification agencies, thus complying with ISO Standard 17024. The new institute’s website has already been launched at www.gbci.org.
In Vancouver, Nancy Grenier of the Canada Green Building Council says that Canadian designers who apply for LEED AP professional accreditation here aren’t affected, but that CaGBC is looking at the new U.S. model of operation as a possibility. Canada has approximately 3,000 LEED Accredited Professionals to date.