The famously curmudgeonly architect had been quoted by the Chicago Tribune as remarking that “a lot of LEED is given for bogus stuff.” Treehugger reports that in a more recent interview with PBS's Need to Know, Gehry responded to the criticism that followed his remarks:
…I wasn't saying what they reported I said. I never said I was opposed to the LEED program or to green building -- I'm not.
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When asked about the importance of building green, Gehry said:
I think [global warming] is a crisis, we're led to believe that by our scientists who seem to have a pretty good idea of what's going on, so we have to address it if we want to survive on this planet. Of course there are also some people making hay out of it and using the issue for financial gain, but green building is clearly something architects need to be concerned with.
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So while Gehry may be averse to some of the posturing surrounding LEED certification, and the cashing in on building green, he’s conscious of the need to build with an eye for energy efficiency. Given his stature in and outside of the architecture community, that opinion holds some weight. It's also worth noting that Gehry’s Stata Center at MIT has been awarded a LEED silver from the U.S. Green Building Council, so he practices what he (conflictedly) preaches.
Photo via Cityscapes via Treehugger
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