LEED v5 for Building Operations and Maintenance: Operating High-Performing Buildings

LEED v5 is the next generation of the world’s leading green building rating system, shifting from simple efficiency checklists to measurable impact on carbon, resilience, and quality of life. It brings a more rigorous focus on operational and embodied carbon, integrates climate resilience and lifecycle thinking into core requirements, and strengthens the link between design choices and real‑world performance, aligning projects with ESG expectations and long‑term asset value.

This course introduces the structure and technical foundations of LEED v5 for Operations and Maintenance (O+M), while providing a focused transition overview for LEED v4 and v4.1 practitioners. It covers key structural changes including carbon-centered prerequisites, operational carbon assessment, climate resilience integration, and performance-based verification aligned with long-term decarbonization goals. Suitable for both professionals new to LEED and experienced practitioners managing existing building portfolios, the course builds foundational O+M knowledge and clarifies how LEED v5 redefines operational compliance and certification strategy for existing buildings.

Date: June 11th, 2026
Duration: 6 hours
Локација: TBD
Price: -220 EUR

Continuing education: 6 CE
LEED credential maintenance: LEED Green Associate, LEED AP BD+C

Participants will examine how LEED v5 O+M shifts from an efficiency-driven framework toward an impact-based, performance-centered system that integrates operational carbon accountability, climate resilience, lifecycle stewardship, and social equity. The course explores the revised category architecture, updated prerequisites, and the strengthened relationship between ongoing building operations, documentation, and measurable outcomes.

Key topics include:

• The evolution of LEED and the development logic behind version 5 for existing buildings
• Structural changes across all major O+M categories, including Energy and Atmosphere, Indoor Environmental Quality, Sustainable Sites, and Water Efficiency
• New prerequisites related to operational carbon emissions assessment, climate resilience planning, and refrigerant management
• Expanded emphasis on performance verification, energy monitoring, and long-term decarbonization planning
• Integration of equity, occupant wellbeing, and community considerations within the O+M rating structure
• Rebalanced category weighting and implications for certification and recertification strategy
• The role of facility managers and building operators in achieving and maintaining LEED v5 certification

Learning objectives

Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the structural evolution of the LEED rating system and explain the key differences between LEED v4.1 O+M and LEED v5 O+M.
• Identify the major changes in LEED v5 O+M category architecture, including revised prerequisites, credit structure, and updated category weighting.
• Explain the purpose and implications of new LEED v5 O+M prerequisites related to climate resilience, operational carbon planning, and refrigerant emissions management.
• Analyze how LEED v5 O+M integrates performance verification, energy monitoring, lifecycle thinking, and equity considerations across rating system categories.
• Interpret the certification and recertification workflow and documentation logic required under LEED v5 O+M, including the role of ongoing operational data.
• Evaluate how LEED v5 O+M requirements influence building management practices, long-term asset positioning, and strategic decarbonization planning.

Module 1 – Evolution and Development of LEED v5

Duration: 45 minutes

• Purpose of certification systems
  • Evolution from LEED v1 to LEED v5
  • Development process and stakeholder engagement
  • Transition from efficiency-based to impact-driven framework
  • Overview of LEED v5 impact areas
  • Introduction to structural shift in version 5

Learning focus:
Understand the systemic evolution of LEED and the rationale behind LEED v5.

Module 2 – LEED v5 System Architecture

Duration: 45 minutes

• LEED v5 BD+C category structure
  • Category weighting and point distribution (110 points total)
  • Overview of prerequisites and credits
  • Integrative Process, Planning and Assessments
  • Project Priorities category
  • Interdisciplinary coordination requirements

Learning focus:
Identify how the LEED v5 structure differs from previous versions and how categories are organized.

Module 3 – Certification Workflow and Documentation Logic

Duration: 45 minutes

• Project registration process
  • Role of LEED Online and ARC platform
  • Documentation requirements and verification logic
  • Preliminary and final review process
  • Common compliance challenges
  • Team roles and responsibilities under LEED v5

Learning focus:
Understand certification process flow and documentation discipline under LEED v5.

Module 4 – Structural and Technical Differences: LEED v4.1 vs LEED v5

Duration: 75 minutes

• Conceptual shift: performance optimization to impact-based logic
  • Carbon strategy integration (Operational Carbon Projection requirement)
  • Climate resilience assessment requirement
  • Embodied carbon quantification requirement
  • Water metering and performance monitoring
  • Equity and community integration across categories
  • Electrification and energy performance evolution
  • Governance and strategic flexibility (Project Priorities)

Learning focus:
Analyze key structural changes and understand their practical implications for project planning.

Module 5 – Performance, Market and ESG Alignment

Duration: 30 minutes

• From documentation to measurable performance
  • Relationship between certification and asset value
  • Carbon exposure and transition risk
  • Alignment with investor and regulatory expectations
  • Long-term strategic positioning through LEED v5

Learning focus:
Evaluate how LEED v5 supports performance credibility and market positioning.

Q&A and Discussion

Integrated throughout modules
(Discussion periods embedded within each module; total instructional time remains 240 minutes.)