LEED V5 – Overview and Thermal Peak Calculator Deep Dive

This one-hour session gives a practitioner focused overview of the new LEED v5 rating system. The presenters will highlight changes from LEED v4/v4.1 and discuss how those changes will impact project teams and owners. The training will also introduce LEED v5 system goals and five principles—decarbonization, quality of life, and ecological conservation, enabled by resilience and equity—then explain the rebalanced point structure across categories. The session reviews new and revised prerequisites (e.g., Climate Resilience Assessment, Human Impact Assessment, Carbon Assessment, Estimated Energy Use & Operational Carbon, Fundamental Air Quality) and key credit updates (Electrification, Grid Interactive, Embodied Carbon, Building Product Selection, and Occupant Experience).

Presenters will translate technical requirements into actionable steps and answer participant questions throughout the presentation. Additionally, the session reviews some of the new and revised calculators in v5, including the new Thermal Peak calculator, and reviews how architects will be engaged in the energy and carbon analysis in v5.

Program Speakers:

Mohammad Hossein Abbasi, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, CPHC, Assoc. AIA

Mohammad Hossein Abbasi, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, CPHC, Assoc. AIA, is an Assistant Vice President and sustainability consultant with over 16 years of experience leading LEED certification, building performance, energy modeling, carbon reduction, and high-performance design initiatives. He has managed and supported LEED projects across commercial, higher education, laboratory, healthcare, residential, and mixed-use developments, guiding teams through sustainability strategy development, certification documentation, energy and daylight analysis, whole-building life cycle assessment, and integrated design coordination. Mohammad works closely with owners, architects, and engineering teams to deliver practical, data-driven solutions that improve building performance, reduce environmental impacts, and help clients achieve ambitious sustainability and decarbonization goals.

For AIA Members: AIA Chicago will report your attendance for continuing education credit directly to AIA national. Please ensure your name matches your AIA membership record and your AIA number is correctly entered at the time of registration to receive proper credit. AIA Members cannot self-report courses for AIA CES credit.

For Non-Members: AIA Chicago does not report attendance for non-members. If you would like to request a certificate for proof of participation, please click here.

For Vendor Education Program Attendees (AIA Member and Non-Member): The hosting Vendor will report your attendance for continuing education credit directly to AIA national. Please ensure your name matches your AIA membership record and your AIA number is correctly entered at the time of registration to receive proper credit. To ensure accuracy, please request a certificate of completion from the Vendor.