Source: U.S. Green Building Council

The newest version of the LEED® green building rating system moves toward an official market launch at Greenbuild

Source: McGraw Hill Construction

According to a new report released today by McGraw Hill Construction in partnership with Waste Management, entitled Green Retail and Hospitality SmartMarket Report: Capitalizing on the Growth in Green Building Investments, owners of retail and hotel establishments are reporting growing levels of green building activity planned over the next two years. The report is based on a study of 79 retail, 30 hotel and 22 restaurant owners conducted in 2013 by McGraw Hill Construction.

Source: Construction digital

For the first time in history, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, resulting in increased demand on buildings and resources. According to a study by McGraw-Hill Construction conducted in partnership with United Technologies and the World Green Building Council, firms are shifting their business toward green building, with 51 per cent of respondents spanning 62 countries planning more than 60 per cent of their work to be green by 2015. This trend signals a shift from ‘push’ to ‘pull’—with markets increasingly demanding no less than green buildings.

Source: The Atlantic CITIES  by Kaid Benfield

Confirming previous analysis, newly published research indicates that real estate development located, designed and built to the standards of LEED for Neighborhood Development will have dramatically lower rates of driving than average development in the same metropolitan region. In particular, estimated vehicle miles per person trip for 12 LEED-ND projects that were studied in depth ranged from 24 to 60 percent of their respective regional averages. The most urban and centrally located of the projects tended to achieve the highest shares of walking and transit use, and the lowest private vehicle trip lengths.

Source: The Columbian

Chemical companies are lobbying Congress to limit government use of proposed, tougher green building codes in the hope that alternative standards may be adopted.

Source: ECOBUILDING Pulse

A Minneapolis initiative aims to build 100 energy-efficient homes over the next five years to revitalize economically struggling neighborhoods in the north part of the city.

Source: PRNewswire

In an effort to accelerate sustainable development around the world, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), creators of the LEED green building program, announced today—World Environment Day—a new campaign offering free LEED certification to the first green building projects to certify in the 112 countries where LEED has yet to take root.

Source: Zawya

Investment in environmentally friendly building projects in Saudi Arabia is set is to reach SR100 billion (over $26 billion) across 76 projects, Faisal Al-Fadl, Secretary General of the Saudi Green Building Forum, told a Saudi Arabic newspaper.

Source: Green Building Press

The first commercial building outside the UK to achieve BREEAM outstanding is The Tower at Spielberk in Brno. BRE Director Martin Townsend awarded the certificate to Stefan de Goeij, Head of property management at CTP, for the office building which is located in the centre of the Czech Republic’s emerging high-tech city.

Source: Green Building Press

The future Athletes' Village for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow has won a top housing award. The development, by the City Legacy Consortium, picked up the Best Green Initiative at the prestigious Homes for Scotland Awards.