855773644-LEED-v5-BD-C-Reference-Guide-Launch-Edition - Page 113
Extracted Content
SUSTAINABLE SITES (SS)
OVERVIEW
LEED v5 prioritizes biodiversity and resilience through credits that highlight not only conservation, but the restoration of ecosystems and natural water cycles. This updated framework encourages projects to actively benefit the surrounding ecosystems and create green spaces that enable pollinators and wildlife to thrive ( SSc1: Biodiverse Habitat ). The Sustainable Sites (SS) category acknowledges the powerful impact of healthy ecological infrastructure, such as rich soil, functioning water cycles, and native vegetation, on a project’s long-term resilience. [44] In fact, this category contains half of the credits in LEED v5 that address resilience. Moreover, nature-based solutions are consistently a cost-effective approach to mitigating hazards because of their low-maintenance strategies. [45]
With a more holistic and future-oriented approach to the intersections between the building, the site, and their larger ecological context, projects can design spaces that anticipate and reduce heat island effect, withstand and more quickly recover from the impacts of extreme weather, and take a proactive approach to adapting to the challenges posed by our changing climate.
Decarbonization A more resilient future means a decarbonized future. Urban areas may have up to 50–90% dark, non-reflective surfaces that absorb and retain heat, creating heat islands that significantly warm the surrounding areas driving up energy consumption as buildings work to maintain comfortable temperatures, which increases their carbon emissions. [46]
To reduce buildings’ contribution to these effects, the SS category tackles local temperature increases through shading, increased tree canopy cover and vegetation, and reflective or green roofs ( SSc5: Heat Island Reduction ). These strategies in turn decrease reliance on energyintensive systems like HVAC to maintain indoor temperatures, improving resilience, and mitigating urban heat for the larger community.
Quality of life
44 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “Resilience 101: How Science Helps America Withstand Wild Weather”. https://www.noaa.gov/resilience-101-science-helps-america-withstand-wild-weather. 45 Marta Vicarelli, Karen Sudmeier-Rieux, Ali Alsadadi, Aryen Shrestha, Simon Schütze, Michael M. Kang, Madeline Leue, David Wasielewski, and Jaroslav Mysiak, “On the Cost-Effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions for Reducing Disaster Risk,” Science of the Total Environment, October 15, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.142677. 46 Olsson, Lennart, Humberto Barbosa, Suruchi Bhadwal, Annette Cowie, Kenel Delusca, Dulce Flores-Renteria, Kathleen Hermans, et al. 2019. “Land Degradation.” In Climate Change and Land: An IPCC Special Report on Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation, Sustainable Land Management, Food Security, and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Terrestrial Ecosystems, by Aliyu Salisu Barau, edited by José Manuel Moreno and Carolina Vera, 345– 405. https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/SRCCL_Chapter_4.pdf.
U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction, April 2025 Launch Edition 103