Choosing a sustainability target for a building starts with more than recognition of a certificate. The team first needs to understand the project's obligations, its current stage and the owner's objectives. YeS-Int and LEED are different systems that may be considered in this decision. A suitable route helps bring design and construction decisions around a consistent goal, alongside the certification itself.
Different frameworks, related design questions
YeS-Int is Türkiye's national green certification system. LEED is developed by USGBC and used internationally. Energy, water, materials and indoor environmental conditions matter in both, while their assessment and application requirements differ. A calculation prepared for one system should not be assumed to satisfy the other automatically. USGBC — LEED.
The comparison should consider the building boundary, use, project stage and evidence requirements together. An office refurbishment and a new educational building may have different priorities. Owners benefit from understanding how the selected route will affect project decisions. This makes certification part of architectural and engineering work rather than a separate file added at the end.
Establish mandatory requirements first
In Türkiye, the Regulation on Green Certification for Buildings and Settlements and the Planned Areas Zoning Regulation are relevant to YeS-Int. Certain public buildings are subject to mandatory certification; new building permits, ownership, use and area conditions affect applicability. Pursuing LEED does not remove the need to examine this obligation separately. Official Gazette — Amendment to the Planned Areas Zoning Regulation.
The initial review therefore needs more than a building's size. Permit and project information should be considered together. Legal obligations and owner or contractual objectives should be assessed separately. Our guide to mandatory YeS-Int for public buildings explains applicability in more detail. Following this general comparison with a project-specific review reduces the risk of proceeding on the wrong assumption about the required system.
Building age does not determine the route alone
New construction, major renovation, interior fit-out and operational performance create different assessment needs. The appropriate LEED route depends on the scope of work. A substantial renovation of a previously occupied building does not automatically become an operations-focused application. USGBC — Rating system selection.
Before selecting a route, the team should clarify which areas will change and which systems will be replaced. Existing drawings, design decisions and the programme help establish the actual scope. The application route follows that decision; the name of an online interface does not define the technical scope.
Coordinating both targets
Where YeS-Int and LEED are pursued together, some project information can be shared. Architectural information, for example, may support both energy and daylight studies. Analysis methods and submission evidence still need separate checks. The aim is to use common data consistently across assessments rather than reproduce the same information repeatedly.
A practical start brings together targets, responsibilities and design decisions that remain open. Subsequent changes to a façade or mechanical system should reach the relevant analyses. Without this connection, individually well-prepared documents may describe different project versions. Regular coordination helps keep consequential changes visible.
How AECO can help
AECO supports scope selection, planning of technical studies and coordination of evidence preparation according to the project stage. YeS-Int consultancy and LEED consultancy can be considered together. Sharing the building's use, current stage and objectives helps establish a suitable scope for the work.