The mandate is now LEED Gold, but university planners target LEED Platinum for new construction.

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Its Center for Sustainable Landscapes, a building that is part of a multi-year expansion project, will be built to exceed LEED Platinum standards.

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In addition, PNC is currently building the greenest skyrise in the world in steel town, The Tower at PNC Plaza, that will be certified LEED Platinum and is slated to open in 2015.

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Skanska provides a detailed case study of how they were able to retrofit their New York City headquarters in the Empire State Building and first commercial building in Scandinavia to achieve LEED Platinum precertification.

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It also scores points for being designed to earn Platinum LEED certification, with features like a rainwater-harvesting project and in-house water treatment plant to ensure 100 percent recycling of water.

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Nevada's first platinum-certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) buildings stand proudly here, constructed of recycled materials and rammed-earth walls, with passive cooling, renewable heating, reclaimed water and solar-electricity panels, all harvesting clean energy.

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Platinum is the highest LEED ranking and only 6% of LEED-certified buildings win such status.

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JPMorgan announced recently that its new investment-banking headquarters at the World Trade Centre site will aim for platinum, the highest level of LEED certification.

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On the green front, all steel-framed Connect:Homes are designed to attain LEED Silver certification out the door, with Gold and Platinum certification and net-zero energy status a possibility depending on additional bells and whistles added at the installation site.

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