Is LEED the Enemy?

As we discussed in class Tuesday, one of the biggest problems facing sustainability in architecture to day is the easy availability of simple solutions to making a building, any building in any location, extremely efficient.  By choosing the right wall system or specialized insulative panel any building can be made highly efficient, at the cost of origination, responsive design.  One of the many causes of this trend is the LEED rating system and similar ranking systems.  

When LEED was first introduced it was a significant accomplishment for a building to even be certified, however, these day it is common for states and municipalities to require Silver, or even Gold/Platinum, for new public/government buildings, schools, etc.  This off course would necessitate easier and cheaper ways to build efficient buildings.  The inverse is also very much the case; as efficient systems became cheaper and more widespread, it became more reasonable for municipalities to demand more efficient buildings from architects and developers.  

This isn't to say that LEED is inherently bad, I certainly prefer a building to be designed for LEED Silver than not consider efficiency and sustainability at all.  It is also important to note that most organizations and systems promoting sustainability in architecture have been moving away from simple energy efficiency, to social sustainability; community interaction, serving the public good, etc.