For roofing professionals, one of the biggest challenges of the LEED Green Building System has been the common misconception that there is something called a “LEED roof.” However, because LEED is intended to provide a measure of total building sustainability rather than the sustainability of individual components, it is next to impossible to separate roofing out from the overall LEED system. Unfortunately, that hasn’t stopped many building owners from demanding that roofing professionals provide them with a roof that embodies the entire LEED system.
It’s important to note that concept of the mythical LEED roof has nothing to do with LEED or its sponsor, the U.S. Green Building Council. In fact, the USGBC has worked diligently and very successfully to increase public awareness of the importance of sustainability. Instead, the mythical LEED roof is a product of the all-too-human tendency to oversimplify and jump to conclusions.