If you can get beyond the hyperbole in Henry Gifford’s article, “A Better Way to Rate Green Buildings”, his main argument is really nothing extraordinary: buildings should be judged based on actual performance (actual energy usage), not solely on design or on predicted performance. In essence, that’s the crux of it, and I can’t imagine anyone who would disagree. But getting from here to there is another matter, one which has nothing to do with LEED specifically, but which is perhaps more an industry problem. Let’s sort through all the arguments in Mr. Gifford’s article and see where we come out. More on the Devil in the Details (PDF).