As profiled in USGBC’s new policy brief LEED Resilient Design Pilot Credits: How LEED Empowers Projects to Achieve a Higher Level of Resilience, the credits were first offered in 2015 to bring resilience to the forefront of project design.

The three Resilient Design pilot credits now improve their effectiveness, reflect feedback from LEED project teams, and harmonize the credits with RELi, USGBC’s emerging resilience standard.

Changes to the LEED Resilient Design pilot credits

• Assessment and Planning for Resilience (IPpc98): This credit encourages project teams to determine potential vulnerabilities at the project location. With recent revisions to the credit, risks that must be considered as part of this credit now include sea level rise, extreme heat and more intense winter storms. To earn the credit, project teams must identify risks related to the effects of climate change (this consideration was previously considered optional).
• Designing for Enhanced Resilience (IPpc99): This credit ensures that the risk-related information collected as mandated by credit IPpc98 is taken into account via mitigation measures. Originally, this credit required the top three hazards to be addressed in turn for one point. The revised credit states that project teams must address either one or two of the top hazards, with one point available for each. This tiered approach allows teams to earn acknowledgement for mitigating multiple types of risks.
• Passive Survivability and Back-Up Power During Disruptions (IPpc100): This credit centers around the concept that buildings should be able to safely shelter occupants during a power outage, as well as be able to provide back-up power. Originally, this credit also addressed access to potable water, but that path has been rewritten as an option for one of the compliance paths.

The updated LEED Resilient Design pilot credits are now available to all new construction projects seeking to certify through LEED v4 or LEED v4.1.

Learn more

• Read USGBC’s new policy brief on the LEED Resilient Design pilot credits.
• For more on how LEED and other USGBC programs can help enhance resilience, check out our introductory Resilient by Design policy brief.
• For full access to how USGBC is working to make a more resilient built environment for all, explore our Center for Resilience.