GBCI drives implementation of the LEED green building program. For more than a decade, with a trusted, quality commitment, rigorous third-party certification and customer centric focus, GBCI has proved instrumental in ensuring LEED remains the world’s most widely used green building program.
With the emergence of COVID-19, GBCI has adapted our certification review process to provide project teams flexibility, help them update their certification work plans and extend timelines. Our goal is to steady the ship for our customers and focus on the health and safety of all people involved in certification and verification activities.
GBCI has delivered access to the environmental, social and human health benefits of LEED to projects of all sizes, covering nearly every space type. From hotels to hospitals, offices, schools, convention centers, homes and more to even entire neighborhoods, communities and cities in 181 countries and territories, GBCI is furthering LEED’s global impact.
With GBCI’s stewardship, there are now over 104,000 registered and certified LEED commercial projects, nearly 2 million registered and certified residential units and more than 205,000 professionals transforming buildings and implementing LEED around the world.
While LEED is GBCI’s most well-known program, over the last several years, GBCI has also been expanding on the extraordinary legacy and unparalleled pedigree of LEED. By administering additional complementary rating systems that cover nearly every facet of the sustainability industry, GBCI has grown to include a suite of nearly 10 certification programs and 15 professional credentials and certificates.
From sustainable landscapes, to resilient design, to reliable and resilient power systems, to the people in buildings – together these programs complement the impact of LEED and ensure GBCI is addressing the vast spectrum of sustainability challenges that today’s communities face as it works toward a common goal of ensuring a sustainable, healthy, resilient and equitable future for all.
LEED is an international symbol of sustainability excellence that signifies a building is lowering carbon emissions, conserving resources, reducing operating costs, prioritizing sustainable practices and creating a healthier environment.
Performance is the future of green building and the Arc performance platform was established to help create better buildings and places for people and the environment. Arc helps its platform users measure and benchmark sustainability performance, achieve green building certification and manage complex portfolios. The Arc performance platform powers LEED certification.
The SITES Rating System promotes sustainable and resilient landscape development and can be used for development projects located on sites with or without buildings to enhance their sustainability, implement green infrastructure strategies and improve resilience.
The TRUE certification program measures, improves and recognizes zero waste performance by encouraging the adoption of sustainable resource management and waste reduction practices that contribute to positive environmental, health and economic outcomes. A TRUE-certified project’s goal is to divert all solid waste from the landfill, incineration (waste-to-energy) and the environment.
The PEER Rating System measures and improves power system performance and electricity infrastructure. It encourages the adoption of reliable, resilient and sustainable practices and helps utilities solve aging infrastructure, find cost savings, share best practices, build for resiliency and enhance tracking to prevent failures.
GBCI administers the Investor Confidence Project (ICP), and its Investor Ready Energy Efficiency Certification (IREE). ICP is a global underwriting standard for developing and measuring energy efficiency retrofits for commercial and multifamily residential buildings. Through its IREE certification, ICP aims to standardize energy efficiency upgrades.
The RELi rating system takes a holistic approach to resilient design. It is used to assess and plan for the acute hazards that buildings and communities face during unplanned events, prepare to mitigate against these and design and construct buildings to maintain critical life-saving services in the event of extended loss of power, heating fuel or water.
An innovation of IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, EDGE is a green building certification system focused on making buildings more resource-efficient. EDGE empowers developers and builders to quickly identify the most cost-effective ways to reduce energy use, water use and embodied energy in materials. GBCI administers EDGE certification in over 160 countries around the world.
GBCI administers IWBI’s WELL Building Standard, an evidence-based standard, which sets performance requirements in seven categories: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind.
GBCI offers federal agencies and the Department of Defense a robust analysis of their work and dedicated technical support to meet the Guiding Principles for Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings. The Guiding Principles was established by an executive order and is a set of policies for building, renovating and operating optimal, efficient buildings.
GBCI’s credentials demonstrate proficiency in green building and sustainability, and are a way for professionals to showcase their knowledge, experience and credibility in the green building and sustainability marketplace. Whether you are a student, emerging professional or industry expert, a GBCI credential strengthens your resume, helps you stand out from the crowd and showcases your knowledge and expertise to the industry and potential employers.
In response to COVID-19, we now offer online testing for all of our programs including the LEED Green Associate, LEED AP with specialty, WELL AP, SITES AP and Urban Greenhouse Gas Inventory Specialist exams.
GBCI credentials consist of competency exams and certificate programs. The GBCI credentialing team consists of program managers, test developers and psychometricians who design, develop and maintain the credentialing exams.
The exams are constructed using rigorous test development best practices to assess whether working professionals have the minimum competencies to perform their jobs. GBCI credentials require ongoing maintenance to encourage credentialed professionals to participate in learning experiences that demonstrate continued competency and up-to-date industry knowledge.
GBCI has received and maintained Personnel Certification accreditation from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) since 2011. Accreditation ensures that a certification agency meets a recognized standard for the programs and services it employs, and that the certification agency is engaged in continuous review and quality improvement.
A LEED credential denotes proficiency in today’s sustainable design, construction and operations standards. More than 205,000 professionals have earned a LEED credential to help advance their careers. The LEED Green Associate is a foundational credential signifying core competency in green building principles and the LEED AP with specialty is an advanced credential signifying expertise in green building and a LEED rating system.
The WELL AP provides professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate advanced knowledge in human health and wellness in buildings. WELL APs have a documented, full understanding of the industry’s latest principles and practices, along with a specialization in the WELL Building Standard program.
The SITES AP is the first credential specifically targeted to those who work and care for land and its resources and communities. The credential establishes a common framework to define the profession of sustainable landscape design and development, and also provides landscape professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, expertise and commitment to the profession. The exam was built on the expertise of leading practitioners and is intended to test a candidate’s competency to perform the job functions of a SITES AP.
The City Climate Planner program helps city staff and their partners develop the skills needed to advance local climate action in cities worldwide. The Urban Greenhouse Gas Inventory Specialist credential focuses on community-level greenhouse gas emissions inventory accounting, which is a key building block in developing quality climate action plans. It is geared toward practitioners developing city and community-scale greenhouse gas inventories and is based on the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC), the most comprehensive global protocol for calculating and reporting GHG inventories.
The Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA) and Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP) credentials recognize individuals dedicated to making the world a more sustainable place – economically, socially and environmentally. Credential holders help organizations and communities of all types integrate sustainability best practice throughout business operations.
The Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA) demonstrates an understanding of core sustainability concepts and is designed for those who are new to or interested in entering the sustainability field, including students, recent graduates or early career professionals..
The Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP) demonstrates advanced knowledge and extensive experience in the sustainability field and recognizes leaders and experts who are at the forefront of the transition to a more sustainable world. In order to earn an SEP, candidates must demonstrate professional excellence in and mastery of several key fields, including core sustainability concepts as well as stakeholder engagement, planning and implementing sustainability strategies, evaluating efforts and adjusting sustainability plans.
Green Raters perform onsite verification services for LEED BD+C: Homes and Lowrise and LEED BD+C: Multifamily Rating Systems. They provide verification services; serve as a liaison between GBCI and the Project Team; and prepare the project’s certification application for review by a LEED for Homes Provider Quality Assurance Designee.
TRUE Advisors are trained on the TRUE Rating System. They understand the rating system's requirements and help projects achieve certification. TRUE Advisors have a practical understanding of the most current zero waste business principles and demonstrate a clear commitment to professional growth in advancing TRUE values.
EDGE Experts are professionals who help a developer, owner and larger project team understand the EDGE standard, software, and certification system. The scope of an EDGE Expert’s work includes advice on green design and assistance with preparation of an application for EDGE certification. EDGE Experts are accredited by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group. GBCI provides training to EDGE Expert candidates.
