Sustainable design is the method of design architectural object which comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability. But does the meaning now is still on the right track? Architects forget that their endeavor designing form, space, and image to reach the goals of sustainable building: energy efficiency, renewable resources, indoor air quality, etc. but not cathed the essence of architecture. Just exclusively using rate as value is endangering the sustainability of sustainable design, as the work is not always good in form. The black truth about green building is that much of it is not attractive. But only design a building but waste resources are in the same level.

To know the cause maybe we should look further to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System, a list of standards for environmentally sustainable construction developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). While in LEED there’s value to measure the quality of the building, but in architecture aesthetical the value is given back to subjectivity, don’t forget the design theories.

LEED rating system based in six major issues:

• Sustainable Sites (14 points)
• Water Efficiency (5 points)
• Energy and Atmosphere (17 points)
• Materials and Resources (13 points)
• Indoor Environmental Quality (15 points)
• Innovation and Design Process (5 points)

Then the sum of the point will be allocated to rate how sustainable the design is. The quality is decided from the point, higher is better:

• Certified, 26 to 32 points
• Silver, 33 to 38 points
• Gold, 39 to 51 points
• Platinum, 52 to 69 points

Judging the rate to be good enough by point, by fulfilled requirements is not enough, especially if we want to please our eyes. Do the value already considered, for example the materials and resources, does the architect has used a material that contextual enough with the site, urban characteristic? Sometime sustainable design term is separated with green design. Green design is jut to approach the green value, but to be called sustainable design should also adding good look in the list.

The solution, alternatively, is not using LEED as the sole rating system for scoring the building quality. Or maybe even rethinking LEED itself? A bit of sudden strike for building science fans but good news for art architecture fans.