At the end of March 2025, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) formally ratified LEED v5 through a member vote, opening project registration in April of the same year. The transition between versions has followed a structured phase-out, but the coexistence window is now closing.

On June 30, 2026, registration for LEED v4 and v4.1 closes permanently for the commercial rating systems BD+C, ID+C, and O+M. From July 1 onward, all new projects seeking LEED certification must register under version 5. No exceptions for commercial systems, regardless of location.

Projects already registered under v4 and v4.1 before the deadline retain full certification rights, but must complete the process by June 30, 2032. After that date, those versions close entirely.

Embodied carbon becomes a prerequisite. For the first time in LEED’s history, every project must quantify and identify A1-A3 emissions from structure, enclosure, and hardscape before earning a single point. Measurement is mandatory; reduction is incentivized through a separate credit.

50% of the system is now focused on decarbonization. LEED v5 reorganizes its credit structure around three pillars: decarbonization (50%), quality of life (25%), and ecological resilience (25%). Decarbonization now covers operational carbon, embodied carbon, refrigerants, and transportation.

Platinum sets minimum performance thresholds. New construction projects pursuing Platinum must demonstrate at least a 20% reduction in embodied carbon, achieve 100% renewable energy, and meet new minimum targets for energy efficiency and electrification.

Three new context assessment prerequisites. Every project must complete a carbon assessment, a climate resilience assessment, and a human impact assessment - all required during the design phase, before construction begins.

EPDs become a functional requirement. The materials credit consolidates five previous credits into a single attribute-based scoring system. Products with a verified Type III EPD accumulate progressive multipliers. Without EPDs, projects lose access to most of the materials scorecard.

The shift to LEED v5 is not a form update. It is a redefinition of what the rating system counts as performance. Under v4, whole-building life cycle assessment was an optional path to accumulate bonus points. Under v5, it is a precondition. Without it, the project does not advance.

The most immediate effect falls on material specification. Structures, enclosures, and hardscapes will require verified EPDs from the start of the design process - not as a communication differentiator, but as a technical carbon traceability document required for certification.

For teams working on projects with long development cycles, June 30 is a decision point with real consequences. Registering before the deadline means continuing under v4.1 rules. Missing it - or choosing not to register - means entering v5, with all its new prerequisites, revised documentation requirements, and adjusted technical scope.

USGBC has confirmed a five-year update cycle going forward. LEED v6 is expected to open registration in 2030, meaning v5 will be the governing standard for at least the next four years.

LEED v5 makes mandatory what used to be optional: life cycle assessment, embodied carbon quantification, and material traceability.

Any team registering projects from July onward needs to know how to work within this framework.

This kind of knowledge doesn’t appear overnight. It has to be built before the project lands on your desk.

UGREEN Pass brings together courses on environmental certifications, carbon analysis, life cycle assessment, and building performance.

Over 30 courses, with immediate access, developed for architects, engineers, and technical teams who work on construction projects and need to make decisions based on technical criteria and verifiable data.

Secure the technical foundation you need to work with LEED v5!

Unlock your access to the UGREEN Pass and get ahead of the curve.

The architecture firms Khoury and Laura Ducca have a project underway in Piauí, a state in northeastern Brazil near the Equator.

The project is a hotel with strong architecture and a clear commitment to quality - but set in a climate that punishes anyone who ignores it: main facades facing west, in a region where the sun beats hard from 2 PM to 6 PM, peaking between August and October.

This kind of problem doesn’t show up in the render. It shows up in the energy bill, in an oversized air conditioning system, and in guests spending entire afternoons in their rooms with the thermostat maxed out.

UGREEN conducted a bioclimatic simulation to understand what would happen to the building given that climate and orientation.

The results pointed to two distinct situations: (i) the guest rooms needed precise solar control to prevent heat buildup in the late afternoon; (ii) the common areas faced a different challenge - blocking the sun without eliminating natural light or turning the restaurant into a closed, artificial environment.

For each space, the analysis produced a specific solution, sized by data, not intuition.

The solution for the guest rooms was an external vertical louver system made of wood - 2 cm thick slats, 6 cm spacing, and a 30° angle. Each of these parameters was tested in a simulation before becoming a specification.

That combination resulted in a 14% reduction in cooling energy consumption, a 7% increase in thermal comfort hours, and a reduction in the cooling system capacity from 34,000 to 29,000 BTU.

These are gains that directly affect both the energy bill and the experience of guests sleeping in the room.

For the shared spaces, the solution was external movable vertical brise-soleil panels, with adjustable angles between 15° and 45° depending on the season, and panel spacing ranging from 85 cm to 1.2 m.

The analysis defined the ideal configuration for each period of the year, accounting for the different sun positions across seasons.

The measurable impact: an 8% reduction in cooling energy consumption and the elimination of direct glare - without compromising natural light. The restaurant receives daylight without the late-afternoon sun hitting guests in the face.

In hotel operations, that kind of detail shows up in guest reviews.

Beyond solar control, the study included roof thermal insulation and the specification of glazing with a reduced solar factor.

With all strategies applied together, the combined impact reached a 37% reduction in cooling energy consumption in the guest room and 20% in the common areas.

That changes equipment sizing, installation costs, and the monthly energy bill the hotel will carry for years to come.

Good architecture does not guarantee good thermal performance. Climate, orientation, openings, materials, and solar protection need to be evaluated together - with data - before specifications become construction.

That is the analysis UGREEN provides: bioclimatic simulation applied to real projects, with results expressed in numbers and in design decisions.

Did this project catch your attention, or are you looking for something along these lines? Get in touch with us!

The floor plan used to be a technical document. It showed walls, dimensions, columns, structural thickness, and the real limits of the construction. Its primary function was to guide the build.

Today it guides something else … desire!

The versions you see in brochures have reduced furniture, no dimensions showing what won’t fit, no structural elements that cut into real space.

While the model unit removes doors so the eye can move through the space more freely, the render uses a lens that the human eye doesn’t have. These are all perfectly legal practices, and they change what you perceive before you sign the contract.

The problem isn’t the image itself. It’s the 20 or 30-year debt the person is taking on based on that “photo”.

When a floor plan is built to sell rather than to function, the buyer ends up discovering the gap far too late.

Watch the full video on YouTube and find out what the sales floor plan is hiding from you!

Disclaimer: The video is in Brazilian Portuguese, but simultaneous translation and subtitles are available in multiple languages.