PARDINI, Andrea Fonseca. Contribuição ao entendimento da aplicação da certificação LEED e do conceito de custos no ciclo de vida em empreendimentos mais sustentáveis no Brasil. Campinas, 2009. 210 p. Dissertação (Mestrado). UNICAMP -Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo.The concern with life on the planet and with quality of life has emerged as a major focus of government, media and academic communities. However, in the Civil Construction Industry, this movement is still incipient. This research has a general objective to contribute for the understanding of the application of the North-American environmental building certification Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design -LEED and of the concept of life cycle costing to sustainable buildings in Brazil. Therefore, two specific goals were envisioned: (1) study the application of the LEED certification to Brazilian buildings, understanding the restrictions for its use in a reality different from the original American reference; and (2) get the perception and understanding related to sustainable buildings and the costs during the building life cycle, using a relevant sample of the Brazilian construction market. After a detailed literature review, implementation of the certification system in the Brazilian context was analyzed on an item by item basis, and compared with the evidences obtained from the American results. Finally, two national case studies were analyzed to put the debate in perspective. Obtained results confirmed that (1) the perception that such buildings in Brazil have higher initial costs is correct, however, such perception is based on intuition rather than on specific knowledge or historical evidence; (2) obtaining a LEED certificate is not an easy task and in Brazil it means, most of the time, jumping from complete lack of reference to follow North American standards; and (3) even in developed civil construction centers in Brazil, the market is not yet prepared for international green certification. There are huge obstacles to be overcome until green buildings are developed at the same time and cost efficiency of a conventional one. Even within these limitations, certification brings a new way of looking at civil construction impacts and opens discussion on matters never approached before in Brazil. The quest for certification in itself should be avoided. Otherwise, it may put at risk the valuable contribution building certification can bring to market transformation.