The green building industry saw an estimated $12 billion in revenues last year and could top $42 billion by 2015, Venture Beat reports.
The building industry is indeed going green and, despite some potential short-term challenges such as up-front costs of becoming LEED certified, LEED-registered projects could soon account for almost 25 percent of all new construction in the U.S., according to a new report from Frost & Sullivan.
The USGBC's recent goal of reaching 100,000 LEED-certified commercial projects by 2010 -- not a small increase from 1,100 last year -- is a sign the council doesn't foresee any deterioration of interest in green building.
A study released by the the American Institute of Architects rates the effectiveness of the three most widely used rating systems, including the USGBC's, in supporting the goals of the AIA sustainability position statement with an emphasis on energy conservation improvements.
The AIA has a goal of carbon neutrality in buildings by 2030.
