Sources: Green Building Certification Inc., Washington, D.C.; CP staff
A new technology company will host a digital platform allowing any project or property expanse—from individual building to entire community or city—to measure improvements aligned with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system, and benchmark against itself and neighboring certified projects or property groupings. Arc Skoru Inc. will support goals of LEED-administering Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and parent U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
Existing buildings that have not been certified can use Arc to make incremental sustainability improvements to eventually achieve LEED certification. “Arc allows buildings, communities and cities to compare their performance against peers and also connect to vetted green building strategies,” says Arc CEO Scot Horst, who has transitioned to the technology venture from more than a decade overseeing USGBC’s LEED rating system. “Over the last two decades, LEED certification has become a symbol of leadership, signifying that a project is saving energy, resources and water, and is healthier for occupants and the community. A LEED building has become the mark of high quality. Now through the Arc platform, all buildings can improve and work toward LEED certification.”
“GBCI developed Arc as a way to provide new and more transparent ways to share information,” adds USGBC CEO Mahesh Ramanujam, who credits Horst with guiding the rating system through LEED 2009 and LEED v4 versions, plus spearheading the LEED Dynamic Plaque, designed to tie ongoing building performance to initial certification.
The green building movement, more than ever before, relies on technology and data, and the future focus will be on project performance, Council officials note. Arc represents what they see as a new era for green building, taking “LEED to the next level through the shared use of technology, feedback and recognition of excellence.”