In April 2025, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released LEED v5, the most significant update to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standard in over a decade. The changes are significant and will affect every aspect of a project’s life cycle, from early carbon assessments through final reporting. 

“The new version focuses on decarbonization, quality of life and ecological conservation and restoration,” says Cam Koch, a PCL manager of sustainable construction and one of the company’s 325 LEED-accredited employees. “It requires greater reductions in whole-life carbon emissions than LEED 4.1 does, integrates life-cycle assessments and emphasizes long-term climate resilience.” 

LEED v5 introduces a project-level impact reporting system and reinforces transparency, verification and performance tracking. After certification, every project will receive a comprehensive performance report, including carbon metrics, quality of life indicators and resilience outcomes. These reports support both internal sustainability reporting and external investor or regulatory disclosure.  

A few of the changes between LEED v4.1 and LEED v5 are highlighted below, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the collaborative approach that is essential to a successful certification under any rating system.  

“Successful projects inevitably start with early, ‘big-table’ collaboration between all stakeholders in a project,” says Koch. “Early integration of the team – ideally in preconstruction – and identification of challenges and solutions will pay big dividends in the long run.” 

This level of collaboration can be supported by choosing a project delivery method that includes a general contractor like PCL from the earliest stages. 

Projects can continue to register for certification under LEED v4 and v4.1 until the end of Q1 2026, but if a client is interested in LEED v5, they should be aware of the changes introduced across all major rating categories: 

All projects must now complete: 

• A carbon assessment to establish a baseline carbon footprint and outline reduction pathways;
• A climate resilience assessment to identify environmental risks and adaptation strategies; and 
• A human impact assessment to address occupant health and well-being and to identify community outcomes. 

• There is a new prerequisite for embodied carbon quantification; 
• There is a new credit that rewards teams for demonstrating carbon reductions through material substitution, design efficiency or low-impact materials; and 
• There is a new credit for the use of salvaged, refurbished, or reused materials. 

• A new electrification credit rewards the elimination of on-site combustion; 
• Enhanced commissioning is now tied to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 202-2024; and 
• Projects targeting Platinum must use 100% renewable energy and eliminate on-site combustion except for emergency systems. 

• The updated air quality standards reference ASHRAE 62.1-2022; 
• The USGBC moved the low-emitting materials credit to materials and resources category; and 
• LEED v5 combines thermal comfort, daylight, views, and acoustics into a single occupant experience credit. 

• The USGBC consolidated credits into Compact and Connected Development and Transportation Demand Management; 
• A new credit was introduced for electric vehicles; and 
• There is an increased emphasis on equitable access and transit quality. 

• LEED v5 introduces a comprehensive credit for water efficiency and adds a credit for water metering and leak detection. 

Many clients choose to pursue LEED because they want to build sustainable, resilient projects, but as the USGBC notes, LEED-certified assets have also been proven to drive return on investment and greater future earning potential. Notably, the USGBC says, LEED buildings achieve a 21.4% higher average market sales price per square foot over non-LEED buildings; average 11% higher rent rates; attract more favorable and stable financing options; and reduce water, energy and waste by more than 20%. These environments also result in healthier and more productive employees and occupants.  

PCL has completed more than 265 LEED-certified projects, valued at more than $20.4 billion. These projects include the University of Denver’s Burwell Center (Platinum), George Brown College’s Limberlost Place (Gold) and the 47-storey office tower, 160 Front (Platinum and WELL Building Standard). 

These are complex projects, but – with PCL’s in-house experts, including our Sustainable Retrofits and Decarbonization (SR&D) services team – PCL is ready to help clients find sustainable, resilient solutions that meet their budget, schedule and vision for projects at every scale and across all building sectors.