USGBC announces LEED Platinum certification of new headquarters building.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that its new headquarters building, located in the Foggy Bottom district of northwest Washington, D.C., has been awarded LEED Platinum certification. It's the first project to certify under the latest version of LEED.

The 75,000-square-foot, two-story office building features an open staircase; a bright lobby; a two-story-tall water feature; elevator lobby, reception, and conference breakout areas clad in 500-year-old gumwood salvaged from the Tennessee River; as well as a 40-percent reduction in water use and energy use to be less than half that of a typical office. The building also includes a dashboard system to provide real-time feedback on energy use, floor-to-ceiling glass windows to provide daylighting, and an electronic window shade system to maximize natural light and minimize glare. Additionally, all members of the design, engineering, and construction teams (from Envision Design, GHT Limited Consulting Engineers, and James G. Davis Construction Corp., respectively) are LEED Accredited Professionals.

More than 35,000 projects are currently participating in the LEED system, comprising over 5.6 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 91 countries.