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New report shows increasing demand for LEED projects in Brazil

Words: Jacob AllenThe U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its LEED in Motion: Brazil report, detailing green building activity and momentum in the fifth largest market for LEED-certified projects outside of the U.S. Released in conjunction with the Greenbuilding Brasil 2014 conference in São Paulo, LEED in Motion: Brazil notes that the nation is home to 871 LEED-registered and -certified projects, representing 24 million gross square meters.

The report is the latest in USGBC’s popular LEED in Motion series, which provides insight and information about LEED, the world’s premier green building program. The report also details how major corporations such as Coca-Cola Brasil and Odebrecht, along with world-renowned architects, are incorporating LEED into Brazil’s future built environment, including large-scale projects such as Ilha Pura, the first LEED for Neighborhood Development project in Latin America.

“Brazil’s leadership in the green building movement in the Southern Hemisphere reflects its growing position in the global economy,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “For example, beyond serving as the Athletes Village for the 2016 Olympic Games, Ilha Pura and the team behind it are taking the long view, ensuring that the legacy of this sustainable neighborhood continues for years after 2016. With this kind of strategic thinking about the built environment, Brazil is a textbook example of how to successfully make sustainability a pillar of growth.”

Highlights of LEED in Motion: Brazil include:
  • Coca-Cola Brasil has more than 40 sites in Brazil to date, and five are LEED certified. The company intends to certify all of its sites in Brazil by 2020.
  • Approximately 2,000 employees at Coca-Cola Brasil offices and bottling plants experience a LEED-certified building every day.
  • Odebrecht, a leading Brazilian conglomerate operating in 15 business segments from real estate to construction, currently has five projects that are LEED certified (World Cup stadiums) and eight registered projects, including Ilha Pura.
  • The Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, is pursuing Gold certification under LEED for New Construction.
  • There are 242 LEED-credentialed professionals currently in Brazil.
“Brazil’s future continues to roar ahead, and LEED is playing a critical role in building a healthy society that my country rightfully deserves,” said Felipe Faria, managing director of Green Building Council Brasil, in the report’s foreword. “It’s helping to protect and conserve two of our most finite resources, electricity and water. It’s also building local economies that are supplying local and regional materials throughout Brazil.”

The report is currently in an online format at go.usgbc.org/brazil in English, and a Portuguese version will be sent later this month to those who have downloaded the report.
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