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Adobe and the U. S. Green Building Council

The U.S. Green Building Council (USBGC) is the nation’s leading nonprofit coalition for promoting environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy buildings. The LEED® Green Building Rating System™, developed by USGBC members, provides a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, green buildings, but the cumbersome process of submitting paperwork for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification prevented many organizations from applying for this prestigious designation. Adobe and U.S. Green Building Council have teamed to streamline the LEED rating system documentation and certification process. Now, environmentallyconscious builders can complete the LEED application process faster and more efficiently than ever.

Streamlining the application process

Streamlining the application process

• Adobe LiveCycle software provides a cross-platform solution that allows applicants to access and complete forms using the ubiquitous, free Adobe Reader.
• LEED online serves as an important tool to improve customer service and responsiveness.
• Building project teams can download more than 400 two-page intelligent Adobe PDF forms associated with specific building rating systems for which projects receive LEED certification credits, from USGBC’s web site.
• Project managers pursuing certification complete the Adobe PDF forms offline and combine them in PDF with LEED certification documentation including CAD drawings, contracts, spreadsheets, diagrams, and specifications, pulled from the LEED web site. Then managers can e-mail the forms to co-workers and collaborate on additional input.

Simplified submissions deliver results

Organizations can submit project documentation electronically, get early feedback that certification goals are on track, and easily access and update project information throughout the building process by:

• Submitting application forms by up to 50 percent faster
• Calculating complex equations for heat loss, solar gain, and other relevant LEED measurements using built-in functions in Adobe PDF application forms
• Replacing complex, multi-tabbed spreadsheets with streamlined, 2-page Adobe PDF documents
• Save application forms to local hard drives for archiving
• Linking SAP systems to forms to enhance data accuracy

Together, Adobe and USGBC now allow LEED applicants to reduce costs, increase productivity, and speed the adoption green building practices that protect the environments in which we live and work.