Today we are surrounded by homes, retail and commercial, public and private buildings. Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) shows the U.S. construction sector on a faster growth track than most developed countries. The study predicts growth in the U.S. construction sector at 7.8 percent through 2020. Accordingly with development all around us, it is critical that we are good stewards of resources and make ecologically sound decisions when constructing or renovating the world around us.

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

LEED is flexible enough to apply to all building types – commercial as well as residential. It works throughout the building lifecycle – design and construction, operations and maintenance, tenant fitout, and significant retrofit. And LEED for Neighborhood Development extends the benefits of LEED beyond the building footprint into the neighborhood it serves.

For architects, builders, engineers and facility managers, meeting LEED standards and achieving LEED points is as critical in the planning, building or renovation process as the architectural plans and selecting a contractor. Having everyone at the table from the beginning dramatically improves ultimate building performance and helps keep costs in check.

Building design that enhances the indoor environment while protecting the natural environment is the goal of the LEED system. Though LEED compliance is voluntary in the public and private sector, some clients are making it mandatory. In either case ecologically responsible building is simply the right thing to do.

Achieving LEED compliance is based on a 100 point system with an additional 10 bonus credits available for regionally specific environmental issues. Segments of LEED compliance include: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality.

Few materials can make a building greener than high-performance glass. Producers of solar control glass can earn projects up to 34 LEED points across five compliance categories. LEED glass selections include post-temperable, sputter-coated glass. These coatings can give you the striking appearance you want while delivering the comfort, functionality and energy savings your project needs.

There are many LEED Glass solutions on the market world-wide. Energy saving, beautiful choices with varying degrees of light transmission and reflectivity. Most Solar Control Glass meets the U.S. Department of Energy’s "spectrally selective" definition: a light to solar gain (LSG) ratio of 1.25 or higher. Coated glass products provide visible light transmittance and some can be used on the #2 surface for designs that call for a neutral appearance with maximum solar control. Others can be placed on the #3 surface in combination with a tinted or coated outboard light for even more energy savings.

LEED green building strives to promote tangible and intangible benefits including environmental, economic, human health and social benefits over the life cycle of the building. Utilizing LEED or Solar Control Glass is one way to achieve LEED compliance and make your neighborhood a greener place to live.