The US Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification has been widely accepted as a national benchmark for sustainable architecture. While rigorous and comprehensive in many ways, the standards fail to promote many environmental theories identified in a review of the literature.
This study develops an understanding of the theoretical diversity relevant to sustainability discourse, and incorporates these perspectives in a working model of architectural criticism. Case studies provide an introduction to six buildings certified by the USGBC in Cincinnati, Ohio as of April, 2008. LEED certification strategies are examined in detail. Finally, each building is discussed according to six logics of sustainable architecture"—following the social constructivist framework developed by Guy and Farmer (2001). Conclusions are believed to introduce a more thoughtful comprehension of the intellectual resources available for effective leadership and advocacy as appropriate to the promotion of sustainable architecture.