Assessing sustainable practices in architecture: A data-driven analysis of LEED certification adoption and impact in top firms from 2000 to 2023

Abstract

Amid increasing global environmental concerns, the architectural industry is under increasing pressure to implement sustainable practices. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification has become a crucial benchmark for assessing green building practices. This study investigates the adoption and impact of LEED-certified projects within leading architectural firms from 2000 to 2023, utilizing a novel data mining framework to scan extensive datasets on LEED projects and firm operations. We introduce two key metrics: the Weighted LEED Achieved Score (WLAS) and the Green Impact Ratio (GIR), which evaluate the sustainability efforts of firms in relation to their market size and project scale. These metrics yield insights into how firms incorporate sustainability into their business and the environmental outcomes of their projects. Our research uncovers significant trends in LEED standard adoption, illustrating a strengthening commitment to sustainable buildings. The analysis underscores the strategic importance of these practices for securing a competitive edge and aligning with global sustainability objectives. This paper contributes to the sustainable architecture discourse by providing fresh insights into the integration and effectiveness of LEED certification among top firms and offering a comprehensive framework for evaluating the environmental and economic aspects of sustainability in architecture.

Keywords

Sustainability / Web crawler / Green architect / Data-driven approach / Time series

References

[1] ArchitecturalRecord , 2024. Top 300 U.S. Architecture Firms of 2023—Architectural Record. Available on the Architectural Record Website.

[2] Azhar, S. , Carlton, W.A. , Olsen, D. , Ahmad, I. , 2011. Building information modeling for sustainable design and leed rating analysis. Autom. ConStruct. 20, 217- 224.

[3] Baker, M. , 1977. Leed: Past, Present and Future. U.S. green building council. Available on the U.S. Green Building Council website.

[4] Barnes, S. , Castro-Lacouture, D. , 2009. Bim-enabled integrated optimization tool for leed decisions. In: Computing in Civil Engineering, pp. 258-268, 2009.

[5] Becerik-Gerber, B. , Kensek, K. , 2010. Building information modeling in architecture, engineering, and construction:emerging research directions and trends. J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract. 136, 139- 147.

[6] Cascone, S. , 2023. Digital technologies and sustainability assessment: a critical review on the integration methods between bim and leed. Sustainability 15, 5548.

[7] Castro-Lacouture, D. , Sefair, J.A. , Flórez, L. , Medaglia, A.L. , 2009. Optimization model for the selection of materials using a leedbased green building rating system in Colombia. Build. Environ. 44, 1162- 1170.

[8] Cheng, M. , Frangopol, D.M. , 2021. A decision-making framework for load rating planning of aging bridges using deep reinforcement learning. J. Comput. Civ. Eng. 35, 04021024.

[9] Cheng, M. , Frangopol, D.M. , 2022. Life-cycle optimization of structural systems based on cumulative prospect theory: effects of the reference point and risk attitudes. Reliab. Eng. Syst. Saf. 218, 108100.

[10] Chi, B. , Lu, W. , Ye, M. , Bao, Z. , Zhang, X. , 2020. Construction waste minimization in green building: a comparative analysis of leed-nc 2009 certified projects in the US and China. J. Clean. Prod. 256, 120749.

[11] Da Silva, L. , Ruwanpura, J.Y. , 2009. Review of the leed points obtained by canadian building projects. J. Architect. Eng. 15, 38- 54.

[12] Darko, A. , Zhang, C. , Chan, A.P. , 2017. Drivers for green building: a review of empirical studies. Habitat Int. 60, 34- 49.

[13] Garde, A. , 2009. Sustainable by design?: insights from us leed-nd pilot projects. J. Am. Plann. Assoc. 75, 424- 440.

[14] Gurgun, A.P. , Komurlu, R. , Arditi, D. , 2015. Review of the leed category in materials and resources for developing countries. Procedia Eng. 118, 1145- 1152.

[15] Han, Y. , He, T. , Chang, R. , Xue, R. , 2020. Development trend and segmentation of the us green building market: corporate perspective on green contractors and design firms. J. Construct. Eng. Manag. 146, 05020014.

[16] Kang, T. , 2020. Rule-based leed evaluation method considering bim linkage and variability. KSCE J. Civ. Eng. 24, 110- 121.

[17] Kim, H. , Stumpf, A. , Kim, W. , 2011. Analysis of an energy efficient building design through data mining approach. Autom. ConStruct. 20, 37- 43.

[18] Liu, L. , 2024. Green innovation, firm performance, and risk mitigation: evidence from the USA. Environ. Dev. Sustain. 26, 24009- 24030.

[19] Mehmood, M.U. , Chun, D. , Han, H. , Jeon, G. , Chen, K. , et al., 2019. A review of the applications of artificial intelligence and big data to buildings for energy-efficiency and a comfortable indoor living environment. Energy Build. 202, 109383.

[20] Pham, L. , Hao, W. , Truong, H. , Trinh, H.H. , 2023. The impact of climate policy on us environmentally friendly firms: a firm-level examination of stock return, volatility, volume, and connectedness. Energy Econ. 119, 106564.

[21] Smith, R.M. , 2015. "green" building in India: a comparative and spatial analysis of the leed-India and griha rating systems. Asian Geogr. 32, 73- 84.

[22] Sun, A. , Franzmann, E.J. , Chen, Z. , Cai, X. , 2024. Contrastive learning for predicting cancer prognosis using gene expression values. Briefings in Bioinformatics 25, bbae544.

[23] Tan, G. , Chen, Z. , Zhu, J. , Wang, K. , 2024. A data-driven method for feature assessment of historical settlements: a case study of northeast hubei, China. Frontiers of Architectural Research 13, 387- 405.

[24] USGreenBuildingCouncil , 2024. Leed Project Directory. u.s. green building council. Available on the U.S. Green Building Council website.

[25] van Ameijde, J. , Ma, C.Y. , Goepel, G. , Kirsten, C. , Wong, J. , 2022. Data-driven placemaking: public space canopy design through multi-objective optimisation considering shading, structural and social performance. Frontiers of architectural research 11, 308- 323.

[26] Vosoughkhosravi, S. , Dixon-Grasso, L. , Jafari, A. , 2022. The impact of leed certification on energy performance and occupant satisfaction: a case study of residential college buildings. J. Build. Eng. 59, 105097.

[27] Xia, Z. , Chen, J. , Sun, A. , 2024a. Mining the relationship between covid-19 sentiment and market performance. PLoS One 19, e0306520.

[28] Xia, Z. , Sun, A. , Cai, X. , Zeng, S. , 2024b. Modeling the evolutionary trends in corporate esg reporting: a study based on knowledge management model. arXiv: 2309, 07001.

[29] Xia, Z. , Sun, A. , Xu, J. , Peng, Y. , Ma, R. , Cheng, M. , 2024c. Contemporary recommendation systems on big data and their applications: a survey. arXiv:2206, 02631.

[30] Yudelson, J. , 2012. Green Building Trends: Europe. Island Press.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

The Author(s). Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Higher Education Press and KeAi.