Feature image: The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden, which is certified under both SITES and LEED. Photo credit: Mary Schrott.

A version of this article was originally published on the SITES website as "LEED and SITES: New Synergies and Readiness Tool now available," by Vijaya Yellamraju, on June 21, and is edited here.

If you're a green building professional, you may already be aware that the LEED and SITES rating systems are complementary and that more and more projects are being certified with both. Since its inception, LEED has included Sustainable Sites credits designed to ensure a project’s natural environment is valued and respected through every step of the building process—from planning to construction to management.

Did you know, though, that LEED projects may qualify for up to 65 points toward SITES certification? You can easily find out where your LEED project stands with GBCI’s LEED to SITES Readiness Tool, offered for LEED v4 and LEED 2009 projects under the LEED for Building Design and Construction (LEED BD+C) rating system.

The benefits of both rating systems

If there are overlaps, why do both? The LEED rating system applies to your project building and the site it is located on, while the SITES rating system applies to everything on your site except the building (with a few exceptions). SITES addresses the space outside of and between buildings. In addition, the program encourages projects to integrate sustainable landscape development practices into every stage of a project: from the beginning of design through project completion and into site management.

SITES also goes further, emphasizing the critical importance of ecosystem services and the health benefits of being outdoors. The rating system is also available for projects with no buildings at all, because while every building has a landscape, not every landscape has a building.

Projects with buildings can use the LEED to SITES Readiness tool to assess their LEED project’s readiness for SITES certification and find strategies to further enhance health and resilience while preserving the environmental integrity of the landscape.

Explore your project's readiness:

The LEED and SITES rating systems can be used independently or in tandem.

An update to the 2016 Synergies Between SITES and LEED document, the LEED to SITES Readiness Tool streamlines LEED credits (as seen in the table below) that have synergies with SITES credits. It can help LEED project teams quickly assess their readiness (and gaps) toward achieving SITES certification, based on the LEED credits achieved or anticipated. The tool provides a quick scorecard view of the available synergies between the two programs.

LEED credits with SITES synergies

*New synergy added since original 2016 list.

Explore the LEED v4 Readiness Tool

Gauge your LEED project's readiness for SITES certification