Paper Title
An Investigation Into the Comparative Study of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies

Abstract
The impacts of climate change began to be observed more severely. Thus, sustainability movement became one of the fastest developing trends of 21st century and green/sustainable building certification market was developed as an answer to the growing demand environment-friendly built environment. The industry professionals faced with various challenges when they implemented green building standards. These inter-disciplinary standards increased the projects’ complexity hence requirement of an efficient project management became more important. The aim of this study is to carry out a comparative study between LEED and EDGE certification systems with respect to sustainable project management in order to minimize rating system caused complications. Based on systematic and comprehensive literature review, two different certifications of Green Building Council Inc. which is the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally were decided to be examined. These certifications are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) which is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) which is a fast and easy to use mass market transformation tool launched by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group. Examinations were conducted from an aspect of project management optimization. Therefore, project submittal process, certification steps and rating criteria were compared as well as the identification of advantages and disadvantages of each system. Outcomes of this study are expected to be helpful for both academics and professionals of the green building sector. Keywords - EDGE, green building certification, LEED, project management, sustainability