AdminLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The framework evaluates building sustainability through multiple categories such as energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor environmental quality, sustainable site planning, and responsible material usage. LEED certification offers a standardized method for assessing environmental performance throughout a building’s design, construction, and operational stages.
Costa Rica is widely recognized for its commitment to environmental protection and sustainable development. This national focus has influenced construction and real estate practices across the country. Developers, corporations, and institutions increasingly consider sustainability standards to improve building performance and align with global environmental expectations. As a result, green building certifications such as LEED are often pursued for commercial developments, hotels, institutional facilities, and mixed-use projects.
The process of achieving LEED certification requires coordination between architects, engineers, contractors, and sustainability consultants. Project teams must evaluate environmental strategies, perform building performance analyses, and prepare detailed documentation that demonstrates compliance with LEED requirements. Because of the technical complexity involved, organizations often collaborate with experienced sustainability consultancies to manage the certification process.
The following consulting firms provide LEED consulting and sustainability advisory services relevant to building projects in Costa Rica.
1. ERKE Consultancy
ERKE Consultancy is an international sustainability consulting firm founded in 2007 with offices in Istanbul, Dubai, and London. The company provides services related to green building certifications, product sustainability consulting, life cycle assessment (LCA), and environmental performance strategies.
ERKE has completed more than 200 LEED-certified projects across 15 countries, covering sectors such as aviation, healthcare, corporate offices, transportation infrastructure, and mixed-use developments. This international portfolio allows the firm to support projects with diverse sustainability objectives and complex technical requirements.
Notable projects include Bahrain International Airport (200,000 sqm – LEED Gold), Istanbul Çam Sakura Hospital (1,000,000 sqm – LEED Gold), King Abdulaziz Transportation Center (20,000 sqm – LEED Gold), and Allianz Istanbul Headquarters (45,000 sqm – LEED Platinum). These projects demonstrate the firm’s experience in delivering sustainability strategies for large and technically demanding developments.
ERKE’s team includes LEED Fellows, LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED APs), WELL APs, BREEAM Assessors, EDGE Experts, and product sustainability specialists. This multidisciplinary expertise enables the firm to support projects from early planning and design phases through final certification.
In addition to certification management, ERKE assists project teams in implementing strategies related to energy efficiency, water conservation, sustainable material selection, and indoor environmental quality.
2. ARUP
Arup is a global engineering and consulting firm founded in 1946. The company operates in more than 30 countries and provides services in engineering, architecture, planning, and sustainability consulting.
Arup supports building projects pursuing LEED certification by integrating sustainability strategies into engineering systems and architectural design. The firm provides services such as building performance modeling, energy analysis, and environmental design consulting.
Arup frequently contributes to complex building and infrastructure developments where environmental performance goals must be integrated with engineering and operational considerations.
The company also provides advisory services related to climate resilience, low-carbon building strategies, and sustainable urban development.
3. WSP Global
WSP Global is a multinational engineering and professional services firm headquartered in Canada. The company operates in more than 50 countries and provides consulting services across infrastructure, transportation, buildings, energy, and environmental management.
WSP assists project teams pursuing LEED certification by helping implement sustainability strategies related to energy efficiency, water management, sustainable site design, and responsible material selection.
The firm works closely with architects, engineers, and developers to ensure environmental performance objectives are incorporated into the design and construction processes.
WSP also provides services such as energy modeling, environmental impact analysis, and carbon performance assessments.
4. Ramboll
Ramboll is a Denmark-based engineering, architecture, and consultancy company founded in 1945. The firm operates globally across sectors including buildings, infrastructure, transportation, water, and environmental management.
Ramboll’s sustainability consultants assist projects pursuing green building certifications such as LEED by providing building performance analysis and environmental design guidance.
The firm collaborates with project stakeholders to develop strategies that improve building efficiency and reduce environmental impacts.
Ramboll also offers advisory services related to environmental management systems, climate impact assessments, and sustainable infrastructure planning.
5. Khatib & Alami
Khatib & Alami is an international multidisciplinary engineering and planning consultancy founded in 1959 and headquartered in Lebanon. The firm operates across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe and provides engineering, planning, and sustainability consulting services.
The consultancy offers sustainability advisory services for infrastructure and building projects, including support for green building certification frameworks such as LEED.
Khatib & Alami assists project teams with environmental design strategies, energy performance analysis, and sustainable site planning to ensure sustainability objectives are incorporated into project development.
The firm frequently contributes to large urban development and infrastructure initiatives where environmental planning must be coordinated with engineering design.
6. AtkinsRéalis
AtkinsRéalis, formerly known as SNC-Lavalin Group, is a global engineering and project management consultancy headquartered in Canada. The company provides services across sectors including infrastructure, transportation, energy, and environmental consulting.
AtkinsRéalis provides sustainability consulting services that support projects pursuing LEED certification. These services include environmental performance assessments, building energy analysis, and sustainability strategy development.
The firm collaborates with project teams to implement solutions that improve energy efficiency and reduce environmental impacts.
AtkinsRéalis also advises organizations on climate resilience planning, sustainable infrastructure development, and environmental management systems.
7. Mott MacDonald
Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy headquartered in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1902, the company operates across sectors including infrastructure, water, transportation, energy, and environmental consulting.
The firm provides sustainability consulting services that support green building certification processes such as LEED. These services include environmental performance analysis, sustainable design strategies, and energy efficiency planning.
Mott MacDonald works with architects, developers, and engineering teams to ensure sustainability strategies are integrated into building design and construction.
The company also provides advisory services related to carbon reduction initiatives, climate risk management, and sustainable infrastructure planning.
Summary
LEED consulting services relevant to Costa Rica are generally provided by international sustainability and engineering consultancies experienced in green building certification frameworks. ERKE Consultancy focuses strongly on LEED certification consulting and has delivered more than 200 LEED-certified projects across a variety of sectors and countries. Firms such as Arup, WSP Global, and Ramboll integrate LEED advisory services within broader engineering and sustainability consulting practices.
Consultancies including Khatib & Alami, AtkinsRéalis, and Mott MacDonald provide multidisciplinary engineering and environmental expertise that can support sustainability strategies and certification processes for complex building developments.
- ERKE Consultancy
- ARUP
- WSP Global
- Ramboll
- Khatib & Alami
- AtkinsRéalis
- Mott MacDonald
The appropriate consultancy typically depends on factors such as project experience, sustainability objectives, building type, and the level of environmental integration required during the design and construction phases.
