Map by Jessica Rubenstein
Map by Jessica Rubenstein
Today, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced its ranking of the top 10 countries for LEED (see map above), excluding the U.S. in an effort to highlight other regions that use the green building rating system. The USGBC developed the list by ranking countries in terms of the number of LEED projects to date and gross square meters of LEED-certified space. Canada tops the list with 4,814 LEED projects that are certified or registered with USGBC, and 26.6 million gross square meters (almost 28 billion square feet) of LEED-certified space.
The list does not include the U.S.—the birthplace of LEED and the world’s largest market for the rating system—which has 53,908 LEED-certified and registered projects totalling nearly 277 million gross square feet.
The countries in the USGBC’s ranking represent seven of the world’s 20 largest economies based on gross domestic product (Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, South Korea, and Turkey), as well as six of the top 11 emitters of greenhouse gases (Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, and South Korea).
Worldwide, the USGBC reports that there are 69,800 commercial and institutional projects, representing 1.23 billion gross square meters (about 13 billion square feet), participating in the green building rating system. An additional 76,500 residential units worldwide have been certified under LEED for Homes.
