NC-2009 MRc3: Materials Reuse

  • NC_Schools_MRc3_Typex_MaterialReuse Diagram

  • This credit only works for the right kind of project

    If salvaged materials are appropriate for your project, this credit should be easy enough to achieve. But you have to use a lot of salvaged materials to reach the threshold, so it's most feasible for small projects that target sources of salvaged materials early in the design process. Even then, it can be tricky because these are not the sort of things you can specify and count on being able to order from a supplier--the contractor or owner usually has to procure and stockpile salvaged items when they become available. That has to happen early enough that they can be included in the design, which is often long before they are needed on the job site.

    Some projects also run into trouble with the fact that salvaged items aren't rated for structural strength or flame resistance. Wood timbers often have to be graded based on a visual inspection by a licensed lumber grader, and samples of other products may have to be tested. If you can overcome all those hurdles, however, the results are often very rewarding, as salvaged items add character and instant charisma to a project.

     “Reused” vs. “recycled”

    It’s not unusual to have some confusion about the difference between “reused” and “recycled”—often the terms are (incorrectly) used interchangeably—but there is a distinct difference, especially for the purposes of LEED.

    Recycled refers to anything that contains recycled materials as a result of the manufacturing process—carpet that contains recycled material, for example, could be made from post-consumerWaste generated by end users (households or commercial, industrial and institutional facilities) of a product no longer able to be used for its intended purpose that is recycled into raw material for a new product. recycled plastic bottles.

    Reused material is something that has been reused or repurposed from another location or a different role—like antique doors salvaged from an old church, raised floor pedestals saved from one office project and sold to another, or office partitions relocated from a previous office to a new one.

    Pricing can be tricky

    When you’re trying to determine the cost value of reused, salvaged, or donated materials, you may run into some difficulties, especially in finding replacement costs for comparable new products. It’s helpful to work with a construction pricing expert who may already have cost estimates on hand.

    Wood wallReclaimed wood from a barn was used for this interior at the Audubon Society headquarters. Photo – YRG SustainabilityAnother choice you will need to make is whether to value reused items at their actual cost or at the replacement cost. In some cases, it may not make much of a difference—the reused materials may be of similar value to the price of a comparable new item. But in other cases—for example, if you’ve purchased antique woodwork—the cost of the salvaged item may actually be significantly higher than the replacement cost of a comparable new item. Make sure to examine the actual and replacement cost of each item so that you know which will be most advantageous to your earning the credit.

    Piggybacking credits—with limits

    In most cases, materials that have multiple environmental attributes can be applied to as many of the MR credits as they relate to. That is still true in most cases, but for this credit, there are limitations. Materials that apply to this credit cannot be applied toward: 

    On the other hand, reused materials often contribute to MRc5 in addition to MRc3:

    • MRc5: Regional Materials: Materials can qualify—use the vendor or salvage location as the “manufacturing” location, and use the place from where the materials were salvaged from as the “extraction” location. 

    Salvaged windowSalvaging a building element and using it in a different function, like this window turned office partition, qualifies it as materials reuse, not building reuse. Photo – YRG Sustainability

    Don’t confuse materials reuse with building reuse

    There is also frequent confusion between MRc3: Materials Reuse and MRc1.1–1.2 and MRc1.3: Building Reuse whenever salvaged materials are recovered from the demolition of a project site. It’s an important distinction:

    • MRc3: Material Reuse can involve material that is salvaged onsite and used again onsite for another purpose or in another location. The onsite salvaged material can count towards both MRc3: Material Reuse and MRc2: Construction Waste Management. For example, if a project demolishes a building and saves all the wood doors from going to the landfill, then turns the salvaged doors into countertops for the new construction, the salvaged doors count both credits.  
    • MRc1: Building Reuse can involve preserving part of a building or a material onsite and reusing it for its original purpose, or leaving it in its original location. The preserved portion of the building, or the material, only counts toward MRc1: Building Reuse (but not toward MRc3: Material Reuse or MRc2: Construction Waste Management). For example, if a project demolishes part of an existing building, leaving all interior walls with the existing doors intact to be used for the new building, the doors count only as building reuse. 

    Including furniture may have trade-offs

    There is a large and thriving market for reused furniture—often of very high quality. If you decide to include your furniture in the calculations for this credit (or, if you are a LEED-CI project and are thus required to do so), you might be able to earn the credit simply by specifying salvaged furniture. But take care—if you include furniture in this credit, you must also include it in all credits MRc3–7. Be sure to analyze how including or excluding furniture will affect other MR credits.

    FAQs for MRc3

    Can I include reused furniture?

    Yes, if furniture is being included consistently across MRc3–7. (For CI projects, furniture must be included.)

    A material being reused contains recycled content. Can I count this under MRc3 and MRc4?

    No, this would be only counted under MRc3. Material reuse is the relevant environmental attribute in this case.

    We are reusing a lot of equipment from another building. Can we count that?

    No. Consistent with other MR credits, MEP equipment should not be counted here.

    We are demolishing an existing building, crushing the concrete and stone, and using it as fill onsite. Does this count under MRc3?

    No, as the material is being "re-manufactured' into something else, it is different than reuse, where products and materials are used intact, but in different applications or locations. The primary environmental attributes for this case are constrution waste management (MRc2), and potentially recycled content (MRc4), and regionality (MRc5). The intent of this credit is to extend the life of existing building materials.

    Our project has access to building materials that were delivered for another project, and never used because that project was canceled. If we use these materials can we count them here?

    Probably not. LEED InterpretationLEED Interpretations are official answers to technical inquiries about implementing LEED on a project. They help people understand how their projects can meet LEED requirements and provide clarity on existing options. LEED Interpretations are to be used by any project certifying under an applicable rating system. All project teams are required to adhere to all LEED Interpretations posted before their registration date. This also applies to other addenda. Adherence to rulings posted after a project registers is optional, but strongly encouraged. LEED Interpretations are published in a searchable database at usgbc.org. #2501 made on 03/20/2009 emphasizes previous use of building materials as a key consideration for this credit, with reference to structural steel.

Legend

  • Best Practices
  • Gotcha
  • Action Steps
  • Cost Tip

Pre-Design

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  • Evaluate what materials the project will use that might be targeted for reuse. Set goals in the owner’s project requirements regarding salvaged materials. This can include material recovered from demolition, materials that can be reused as part of a relocation, or materials that are acquired from architectural salvage vendors, donations, or other projects.  

Schematic Design

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  • Research the availability of appropriate salvaged materials for your project. See the Resources section for sites that can help with this.

  • While salvaged materials—such as a reclaimed raised-floor frame—may be hidden from the end user’s view, other salvaged materials can add historic character to a space when displayed prominently, such as reclaimed wood flooring. Both types of reuse offer environmental benefits.

Design Development

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  • Begin creating a baseline materials budget. Even if you don’t know the actual material costs, it will be helpful to establish estimates at this stage. You can use a spreadsheet to help create the baseline budget and track its environmental benefits, such as the one offered in the Documentation Toolkit. 

  • Your baseline material budget assumptions and material costs should be consistent across MRc3–7. The LEED Online credit form helps ensure this, as you only enter the information once for multiple MR credits.

  • Include in your materials baseline budget the materials cost (excluding labor) of all items that apply under CSI Master Spec 2004 (see the Resources section for a breakdown of CSI divisions):

    • Divisions 3–10, 
    • Sections 31.60: Foundations
    • 32.10: Paving 
    • 32.30: Site Improvements
    • 32.90: Planting
    • Division 12: Furniture is optional. Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and equipment costs are also excluded.  

  • Analyze the initial cost budget to know what materials the project can target and incorporate the LEED requirements accordingly into construction specs for the specific materials. The contractor will appreciate not filling out forms for materials that are not reused, or that have so little cost value that it is a waste of time. 

  • Adding Division 12: Furniture to your baseline materials budget for MRc3 is optional, but must be applied consistently (either included or excluded in every case) across MRc3–7. Analyze your baseline materials budget to see if adding Division 12: furniture works to your project’s advantage. Generally, if the furniture helps contribute to the above MR credits, it is in a project’s interest to take credit for it.

  • You have two options in creating a baseline budget—the default budget, or the actual budget (excluding labor). The default budget method gives you a baseline materials budget as 45% of your total budget, while the actual budget gives you a baseline based on what you actually spend.  

  • A default budget is useful if you don’t want to break out the cost of materials and labor separately. You can take the total cost (material plus labor) of all items in the applicable CSI divisions and assume that cost of materials is 45% and labor cost is 55%.

  • Drawing up the default budget is less time-consuming because the contractor does not have to break out materials versus labor costs, allowing the project to focus on tracking only the materials that contribute to LEED credits. However, this option may put the project at a disadvantage if the materials cost is actually less than 45% of the total cost, in which case you would get credit for less than the full cost value of your materials. 

  • You can alternatively use the actual materials budget (excluding labor) of all materials purchased in the applicable CSI categories.  

  • The actual budget method can be more time-consuming for the contractor because it requires tracking the actual costs of all materials purchased, even those in the applicable CSI divisions that do not necessarily contribute to LEED credits.

  • How do you decide whether to use the actual or the default materials budget as your baseline? The lower you can get the baseline, the easier it is to purchase enough reused material to reach the credit threshold. For example, if a project is renovating an existing building that will have low material costs and high labor costs, it may be better to use the actual rather than the default approach, because the 45% default may bring the baseline too high.

  • Look at your baseline materials budget to determine how much reused material you need to incorporate into your project. Decide how much you want to spend on reused materials, and establish what reused materials are available. To gain one point, devote 5% of the materials budget to reused materials; for two points, allocate 10%. Identify donated, reused, or purchased items in the project’s preliminary budget that could be salvaged materials. Do these items add up to the amount needed to get one or two points?  

  • It is optional for projects to value reused or salvaged materials at their replacement cost for the LEED calculation. For example, whether a project purchased or received a donation of decorative ceiling tiles, the material value would be the same as what it would cost to replace the donated materials with something new. Of course, it may also be beneficial to use the actual salvage price, when it is higher than the new material replacement cost; a good example is antique woodwork.

  • Determining the cost of a replacement item leaves some room for interpretation, but the replacement must be a comparable product. For example, you cannot value the replacement of standard acoustic ceiling tile at the cost of a hand-painted, gold-encrusted ceiling tile.

  • Reused materials may require refurbishing and, in turn, add costs to the owner. Include refurbishing costs in the total cost or value of the material.

  • Include a cushion for this credit, in case of changes in design and purchasing. For example, if you are counting on points for using 5% reused materials, plan for 10% of your budget to be spent on reused materials to avoid coming up short.

  • Using an estimated budget to integrate reused or salvaged materials into the design and specs early on can help prevent costly change orders during construction. 

  • Use your estimated budget as a guide throughout the project. You don’t want to fail to earn this credit because you waited until after purchasing materials before calculating whether you have enough reused and salvaged materials to gain the LEED credit. 

  • Focus on “big ticket” items when seeking reused materials for the LEED credit. Materials like wood flooring or structural lumber that meet the reuse requirement may represent enough value to earn the credit. This approach allows you to Iimit the overall number of items you need to track and document, which greatly reduces contractor headaches. If big-ticket items are not enough, target a medium-priced item next, and so on, until you reach your goal.

  • A single product or material can contribute to multiple credits. For example, wood flooring salvaged locally contributes to MRc3: Material Reuse as well as MRc5: Regional Material. Focusing on products and materials with multiple environmental attributes also can limit the overall number of items that you need to track. 

  • Onsite salvaged materials automatically contribute to both MRc5: Regional Material and MRc2: Construction Waste Management.

  • Research the availability of salvaged items to serve the project’s needs. 

  • Don’t confuse “recycled content material” with “material reuse”; the two terms have very different meanings:

    • Recycled Content is material containing recycled content as a result of the industrial process of making the product—for example; recycled-content carpet may be made of post consumer recycled plastic bottles. 
    • Material Reuse is the use or repurposing of material from a previous place or role—for example, buying antique wood doors salvaged from an old church. 

    MRc3: Material Reuse and MRc1: Building Reuse are often confused when salvaged materials are recovered from the demolition of a project site. 

    • MRc3: Material Reuse can involve material that is salvaged onsite and used again onsite for another purpose or in another location. The onsite salvaged material can count towards both MRc3: Material Reuse and MRc2: Construction Waste Management. For example, if a project demolishes a building and saves all the wood doors, then turns the salvaged doors into countertops for the new construction, the salvaged doors count both toward MRc3: Material Reuse and MRc2: Construction Waste Management—as the doors were also diverted from a landfill when used in the new construction.  
    • MRc1: Building Reuse can involve preserving part of a building or a material onsite and reusing it for its original purpose, or leaving it in its original location. The preserved portion of the building, or the material, only counts toward MRc1: Building Reuse (but not toward MRc3: Material Reuse or MRc2: Construction Waste Management). For example, if a project demolishes part of an existing building, leaving all interior walls with the existing doors intact to be used for the new building, the doors count only as building reuse.

     

  • Salvaged items may not come with product warranties.

  • If using salvaged materials, make sure the durability of the product has not been compromised and material contains no harmful contaminants, or you may have to replace the salvaged item with a new product all too soon.

  • Assemblies

  • When a product is made of multiple components that may or may not be all reused, use the following special considerations.

  • The cost value for LEED calculation is determined by separating each component by weight as a percentage of the total. For example, if a $100 piece of built-in casework contains 80% (by weight) salvaged wood and 20% (by weight) new marble, $80 worth (80%) of casework would contribute to this credit, because that is the only component part that is reused. (See the Documentation Toolkit for a reuse assembly calculator.)

  • Request that manufacturers provide assembly information broken down by weight. 

Construction Documents

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  • Revisit your baseline materials budget as the design evolves to make sure that the numbers remain accurate and that you’re on track to achieve your goal for the credit.

  • Research specific products. Incorporate reused materials requirements into individual construction specifications.

  • MasterSpec and the federal Whole Building Design Guide (see Resources) offer guidance and sample specification language on how to incorporate LEED specifications in construction documents.

  • Incorporating the LEED requirements directly into the drawings and specs is a good way to remind the contractor and subcontractors of the requirements. 

  • Whenever possible, designate in the construction specifications that contractors use specific sources you have verified as suppliers of reused items. This will help save research time for the contractors.

  • Include submittal requirements within each targeted construction spec section and add general requirements to the division 1 bid package. Include a copy of any submittal documents that the contractor may need to fill out.

Construction

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  • Preparation Before Construction Begins

  • The general contractor (GC) should be oriented to all LEED construction-related issues, such as IAQ management, low-emitting materials, environmental materials tracking tools, and construction waste management. 

  • LEED documentation and materials tracking are usually the GC’s responsibility even though specific materials selection may have been already determined by the architect or designer.

  • The GC should hold an orientation meeting with the subcontractors to review the LEED responsibilities related specifically to their trades. This exercise helps to build trust and is crucial for obtaining buy-in from all participants in the process.

  • Give the GC and subcontractors the following tools to help them track materials data for all MR and IEQ credits. (See the Documentation Toolkit for access.)

    • Materials Calculator:  This is a master tracking spreadsheet that the GC can use internally to compile product information received from the subcontractors. The spreadsheet tracks LEED values across multiple LEED MR and IEQ credits.
    • Environmental Materials Reporting Form: This is a material tracking form that helps subcontractors record the environmental values for products they purchase. This can be distributed to each trade subcontractor and submitted to the GC for filing. 
    • Low-Emitting Materials Reporting Form: This is a VOC tracking sheet that helps subcontractors record the low-emitting qualities of the products they purchase and can be distributed to each trade subcontractor and submitted to the GC for filing.
    • Low-Emitting Material Limits: These tables, found with each credit here on LEEDuser, summarize the maximum VOC limits for different types of adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, composite wood, and flooring products. When subcontractors search for low-emitting products, they should consult these charts.

  • Enabling coordination and communication among the GC, subcontractors and design team early in the process can minimize scheduling delays and pushback from subcontractors.

  • Before construction begins, research the availability of any additional reused and salvage materials that you may not have found during the design phase. If product decisions are made after construction begins, there may be less time to carefully review data sheets and much greater risk of using a noncompliant product.

  • During Construction

  • The contractor starts gathering and environmental data and cut sheets from subcontractors for approval. 

  • The GC functions as the overall quality assurance provider for this credit. Responsibilities include conducting weekly reviews of subcontractor product submittals and tracking forms.

  • Review subcontractor product suggestions ahead of time to avoid the purchase of inappropriate materials and eliminate the need for costly change orders.  

  • Streamline documentation and research by taking data gathered from subs via the Environmental Materials Reporting Form and transfer it into a master spreadsheet for all the items being tracked for each product across MR and IEQ credits. For example, you may need to ask the millworker for regional information for MRc5, certified wood information for MRc7, and information about adhesives installed on site for IEQc4.1. If one spreadsheet collects all the data, it can streamline your documentation, associated research, and help with quality control. Use the Materials Calculator spreadsheet in the Documentation Toolkit.

  • A master spreadsheet facilitates information collection for subcontractors, giving them a road map of exactly what types of information to collect for each product.  

  • Assign a responsible party to input the subcontractors’ tracking forms into the Materials Calculator (see Documentation Toolkit). A LEED consultant or an administrative assistant in the GC’s office may be the best choice for this role.

  • Breaking out specific materials costs (excluding labor) for construction materials that contribute to LEED credits is a requirement for LEED MR credits. Some subcontractors prefer not to do this because there are always hidden markups in the materials that subcontractors purchase at wholesale. However, you can simply include the product markup when breaking out a product’s material cost from installation and labor costs.

  • Transfer all the data collected in the Materials Calculator spreadsheet (see Documentation Toolkit) to the LEED Online form and upload the product cut sheets. 

  • Only a random 20% sampling of product cut sheets need to be uploaded to LEED Online to document this credit.

  • Even though LEED Online only asks for 20% of the cut sheets to be uploaded, all material cut sheets should be saved as backup data and may be requested of the project during the USGBC’s credit reviews.

Operations & Maintenance

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  • Keep a list of reused and salvaged materials so that O&M staff can use these products and supply sources for future renovations.

  • Develop salvaged material procurement recommendations into a purchasing policy.  If pursuing LEED-EBOM certification, this will contribute to MRp1: Sustainable Purchasing Policy.

  • USGBC

    Excerpted from LEED 2009 for New Construction and Major Renovations

    COPYRIGHT © 2009 BY THE U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    MR Credit 3: Materials reuse

    1–2 Points

    Intent

    To reuse building materials and products to reduce demand for virgin materials and reduce waste, thereby lessening impacts associated with the extraction and processing of virgin resources.

    Requirements

    Use salvaged, refurbished or reused materials, the sum of which constitutes at least 5% or 10% , based on cost, of the total value of materials on the project. The minimum percentage materials reused for each point threshold is as follows:

    Reused Materials Points
    5% 1
    10% 2


    Mechanical, electrical and plumbing components, and specialty items such as elevators and equipment cannot be included in all calculations. Include only materials permanently installed in the project. Furniture may be included if it is included consistently in MR Credit 3: Materials Reuse through MR Credit 7: Certified WoodWood from a source that has been determined, through a certification process, to meet stated ecological and other criteria. There are numerous forest certification programs in general use based on several standards, but only the Forest Stewardship Council's standards, which include requirements that the wood be tracked through its chain-of-custody, can be used to qualify wood for a point in the LEED Rating System..

    Potential Technologies & Strategies

    Identify opportunities to incorporate salvaged materials into the building design, and research potential material suppliers. Consider salvaged materials such as beams and posts, flooring, paneling, doors and frames, cabinetry and furniture, brick, and decorative items.

Organizations

Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG) — Federal Green Construction Guide for Specifiers

Support on incorporating LEED requirements into specifications. 

CSI Divisions

This is a detailed list of the types of items that fall under the various CSI divisions.

Web Tools

NY Waste Match

Think online dating, but for waste materials.  This is a New York City source for individuals to post waste they have that others may want.

Deconstruction Institute

This is a resource database of contractors proficient with deconstruction and recipients seeking material.

Construction Waste Depot

CMDepot is a place where you can buy and sell excess construction material, tools, and equipment.  You simply log in, submit a listing of your excess material, and wait for a buyer.  If a buyer contacts you, you can work out payment details and a delivery method.

Reclaimed Material Consultant/Broker

PlanetReuse is a nationwide reclaimed construction material broker and consultant company. At no cost to the design team, they match materials with designers, builders and owners to serve LEED efforts, save money, and sustain the planet. They make it easier to use a wide variety of reclaimed materials in new projects as well as help find new projects for building materials being deconstructed, guiding clients through every step of the process.

Materials Calculator

Teams can use this tool to track all materials across various MR and IEQ credits. It helps teams develop a roadmap of what information needs to be tracked for different products. It can also be used early on to create the baseline budget and ensure the products that are being used will apply to the various credit thresholds.

Environmental Materials Reporting Form

This is a materials tracking form that helps subcontractors record the environmental values of products they purchase. This can be distributed to each trade subcontractor and submitted to the GC for filing.

Letter to Contractor for MR and IEQ Credits

Use a letter like this sample to orient the contractor to their responsibilities for all MR and IEQ credits. This letter is an introduction that can be customized for the credits your project is pursuing.

Low-Emitting Materials Reporting Form

This is a VOC tracking sheet that helps subcontractors record the low-emitting qualities of the products they purchase and can be distributed to each trade subcontractor and submitted to the GC for filing. Use it specifically for earning low-emitting materials credits, but in conjunction with documentation for MR credits.

Materials Reuse Assembly Calculator

If reused materials are part of an assembly but not the whole thing, use this calculator to determine the cost value of the assembly that can count toward MRc3.

LEED Online Forms: NC-2009 MR

The following links take you to the public, informational versions of the dynamic LEED Online forms for each NC-2009 MR credit. You'll need to fill out the live versions of these forms on LEED Online for each credit you hope to earn.

Version 4 forms (newest):

Version 3 forms:

These links are posted by LEEDuser with USGBC's permission. USGBC has certain usage restrictions for these forms; for more information, visit LEED Online and click "Sample Forms Download."

Construction Submittal

HardhatDocumentation for this credit is part of the Construction Phase submittal.

45 Comments

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Mahbuba Khan President MnKhan Architects PLLC
May 16 2013
LEEDuser Member
3 Thumbs Up

Material reuse based on cost or volume

I am working on an international LEED NC 2009 project. They are reusing some things at the site like, making bricks chips out of reused brick for low psi concrete, grinding excess concrete pears to use at substrate or internal pavements. Reusing cement bags for erosion control by filling them with sand. They also sell the scrape steel ties.
Is the material reused credit is awarded based on the value of reused material or the volume of the reused material?

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Josh Sawyer SHW Group
Apr 15 2013
LEEDuser Member

Material Reuse on Other Buildings within Site Boundary

We are working on project that has four buildings connected together on the site. One of the buildings is being demolished, and a new building built in its place, and many of the materials are being salvaged from the demolition and reused. Most of the materials are being reused to renovate some of the existing buildings (which are not included in the LEED project scope), while some materials will be reused in the same function in the new building replacing the existing building.

Can these materials count toward this credit and it so how would these materials be documented for this credit?

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Apr 15 2013 LEEDuser Moderator

Josh, I don't see any issues with this scenario. Materials reused on the LEED building can count toward MRc3. Reuse of materials on other buildings can count toward MRc2. Documenting materials reuse should be straightforward—see our guidance above.

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Omar ElRawy
Mar 25 2013
Guest
76 Thumbs Up

Artworks and Antiques

In a new construction, which is an Office building, does it count reusing signed artworks and antiques that were existing in the old building?

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Helen Kessler President, HJKessler Associates Mar 25 2013 LEEDuser Member 44 Thumbs Up

Artwork and antiques would not count toward MRc3 for any project.

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Tanja Arnesson Skanska Sweden AB
Feb 05 2013
LEEDuser Member
355 Thumbs Up

Dismantling of building

Hi,
We have a site were four different buildings will be conducted. Within the contract from the municipality demolition of two buildings should be carried out before the new construction. Our campany found a way to dismantling those two building (one multistory car park and one other building) so they can be putted up somewhere else. Is there any way we could count this as reuse of material within our project (two of the four buildings will go after LEED certification, one of them are a pilot for v4) and the two others uses a Swedish certification system.
Thanks in advance!

Best
Tanja

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Feb 07 2013 LEEDuser Moderator

Tanja, I have a different answer for this question depending on which buildings are being LEED certified. Can you clarify?

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Seonhee Kim Architect Design Collective
Jul 20 2012
Guest
202 Thumbs Up

Trees on site to be used for furniture, blocking and/or veneer.

If some of trees on site need to be cleared and we decide to use it for furniture, blocking and/or veneer, does this count as MRc3?

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Susie Spivey-Tilson Project Management Sustainability Services, CBRE Jul 23 2012 LEEDuser Expert 1042 Thumbs Up

Absolutely! Just remember if you use it for furniture, then you will need to include furniture in all of your MR credit calculations.

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Helen Kessler President, HJKessler Associates Dec 15 2012 LEEDuser Member 44 Thumbs Up

Would you also agree that park district/forest preserve storm-felled or diseased trees that are milled and used for a ceiling in a new building would count toward MRc3? I am not sure whether this would be considered material reuse since the trees were not a man-made object before being used in this manner, but I also can't figure out where else they would be counted (in addition to MRc5). My understanding is that since the trees are diseased and not harvested like typical lumber that they would not be counted toward MRc7.

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Mar 20 2013 LEEDuser Moderator

Helen, I would say that these definitely don't count toward MRc7, and I don't see how they fit with MRc3, either, unfortunately.

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Helen Kessler President, HJKessler Associates Mar 20 2013 LEEDuser Member 44 Thumbs Up

Thanks Tristan. I don't see how my example is different from using the trees cleared on site for furniture or blocking. I assume that based on your response to me that you don't agree with Susie that the wood would be counted toward MRc3?

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Susie Spivey-Tilson Project Management Sustainability Services, CBRE Mar 21 2013 LEEDuser Expert 1042 Thumbs Up

Unfortunately, after further consideration, I think I steered you wrong with my response earlier. I agree with Tristan that they won't with MRc3 or 7. This is similar to the concrete reuse example under the FAQs above.

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Sara Sweeney
Jun 09 2012
Guest
12 Thumbs Up

Salvaged granite block

Hi I am working on a project where 83.75 tons of granite slabs were removed from a site during site clean-up for the new bilding being built. It was re-purposed to a granite walkway on the site, which is a new parks facility along the Hudson in NYC. Would this fall under materials reuse or would it possibly fall into CWM, MRc2? If the block hadn't been re-purposed on site, it would have been hauled off site, diverted from a landfill and thus would have applied to the CWM credit. I am not sure where to apply it as it almost seems like it could be either and the line seems very vague between (at least to me...).

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Susie Spivey-Tilson Project Management Sustainability Services, CBRE Jun 11 2012 LEEDuser Expert 1042 Thumbs Up

I believe you can count it toward both MRc2 and MRc3 so long as they were not originally used as a granite walkway. Read above under "Piggybacking credits". Because it was repurposed from onsite it seems you can count it for both.

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Albert Sagrera Architect Societat Organica
Jun 06 2012
LEEDuser Member
216 Thumbs Up

Is soil a material considered on this credit?

Would you consider the reuse of soil on this credit? The situacion is that the soil extracted for the building construction is not send to dump but it's reused on the modeling of landscape. If this is considered acceptable, and since the credit allows the reuse of off-site materials, would we accomplish by reusing also soil from another building excavation?

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Lorne Mlotek LEED AP BD+C, LeadingGREEN Jun 06 2012 Guest 327 Thumbs Up

Albert,

The reuse of soil cannot be included in the material calculations for this credit.

The intent of this credit is to: Reuse BUILDING materials and produce to reduce demand for virgin materials and reduce waste....

By re-using the soil onsite and not having to haul it off as well as utilizing excess soil from another site is just good construction practice in my eyes, not awarded in LEED MRc3.

The only time I see soil really mentioned is in MRc2, Construction Waste MGMT in which it explicitly says to exclude debris and SOIL from recycling/salvage calculations.

It would be a far stretch, but if you are re-using a very large quantity of soil and you can prove its sustainability, try submitting an ID!

I hope this helps, let me know.

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Elle Boykin
May 03 2012
LEEDuser Member
301 Thumbs Up

Materials Reuse-Clarification of credit implementation

Can some one clarify if I'm understanding the implementation of this credit correctly?
If material is salvaged onsite it must be used in a purpose other than for which it was intended (except for door or cabinet hardware). But if material is salvaged from off site (either the occupant's previous facility or purchased salvaged) it can be used for its original purpose.
I'm a little unclear as to where the line is for MRc1.2, MRc2, or MRc3. For example, If someone wants to reuse cabinets from on onsite demo would that be an item that would fall under Materials Reuse or would that be Construction Waste Management?

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Susie Spivey-Tilson Project Management Sustainability Services, CBRE May 03 2012 LEEDuser Expert 1042 Thumbs Up

Are the cabinets fixed (like case work) or are they movable like furniture?
If they are 'fixed' and not being moved you can count them for MRc1.2.
If they are 'fixed', but being moved I think you can count them here.
If they are movable cabinets I believe you would consider them furniture and their inclusion for this credit would be up to you but would require it to be included in all of the MR credits.

If the materials are leaving your site, and either being recycled, going to be salvaged for a different project or donated they count for MRc2.

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Ameet AA
Mar 19 2012
LEEDuser Member
324 Thumbs Up

Material reuse

If the materials are to be reused, ship from another country would it assist for attaining any LEED Credits? As i understand it would not be sustainable in terms of carbon emission.

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Apr 06 2012 LEEDuser Moderator

Ameet, the carbon emissions from shipping are not factored into a product or material's eligibility for this credit. LEED is simply giving some rules for what it thinks should qualify under a given credit intent. You can always find some situations where those rules don't really seem to make sense.

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Nena Elise
Nov 08 2011
LEEDuser Member
1791 Thumbs Up

What about furniture?

If instead of purchasing new furniture for the new buidling if we re-use the furniture from the old building will that qualify? Assuming we are counting furniture across MR credits.

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Emily Catacchio Sustainability Specialist, Wight and Company Nov 10 2011 LEEDuser Moderator

Nena,

I believe that would count. 

Does anyone have experience with this?

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Susie Spivey-Tilson Project Management Sustainability Services, CBRE Nov 17 2011 LEEDuser Expert 1042 Thumbs Up

You can count the furniture for this if you are using furniture in your calcs across the MR credits. The threshold can be difficult to reach with furniture alone so hopefully you have other products that will allow you to get there.

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Emmanuel Pauwels Owner, Green Living Projects s.l. Apr 03 2013 LEEDuser Member 908 Thumbs Up

We are using furniture from the previous project and will include it in the new built project. I understand that we can include this in MRc3 at the value of new furniture.
The furniture is made of wood however which is not FSCIndependent, third-party verification that forest products are produced and sold based on a set of criteria for forest management and chain-of-custody controls developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit organization. FSC criteria for certifying forests around the world address forest management, legal issues, indigenous rights, labor rights, multiple benefits, and environmental impacts. certified. Would we need to include this wood in the Certified WoodWood from a source that has been determined, through a certification process, to meet stated ecological and other criteria. There are numerous forest certification programs in general use based on several standards, but only the Forest Stewardship Council's standards, which include requirements that the wood be tracked through its chain-of-custody, can be used to qualify wood for a point in the LEED Rating System. Calculations? (which will penalize us for using non-certified wood)

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Apr 03 2013 LEEDuser Moderator

Emmanuel, MRc7 only covers "new" wood, which this would not be, as it is reused. So, no penalty.

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Benj Herrera LEED AP BD+C
Sep 16 2011
Guest
143 Thumbs Up

Cost to be Excluded in the total proj material costs for MR CR3

I just want to inquire if we will include HVAC equipment, PV arrays, Solar hotwater collectors, generator, fire alarm control panels, etc. in our overall project materials costs when calculating percentages of reused or recycled material used

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Patty Breech Sustainability Consultant, UHG Consulting Sep 21 2011 LEEDuser Member 122 Thumbs Up

Benchito, I believe the answer is no, you should not include those in your overall project materials costs. For this credit, the reference manual instructs: "do not include mechanical, electrical, and plumbing components or appliances and equipment in the calculation for this credit." It also says to calculate the total project materials costs using CSI MasterFromat divisions 03-10, parts of 31 & 32, and 12 optionally. The equipment you list would most likely fall in CSI divisions 21-28, which are excluded.

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Maria Sarrido Sargenti Architects PC
May 11 2011
Guest
146 Thumbs Up

Material reused

We are trying to re-use existing regular gravel from the site for the concrete mix of the new building. Will that qualify for materials reused credit? We will have to take existing gravel to the plant, have it run it through the sieves and see what % of it could be used.

Thanks.

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. May 24 2011 LEEDuser Moderator

Maria, from one angle, I would say that this definitely qualifies. From another angle, it seems like a stretch. Was the gravel a native feature of the site, or was it added at some point?

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Maria Sarrido Sargenti Architects PC May 24 2011 Guest 146 Thumbs Up

Actually, I think it was added when the existing building was operating. Then, the owner demo the ex'g building few years ago, and left the site. When we got the site, it was just a concrete slab and regular gravel all over the site. I thought reusing the gravel could be a good idea.

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Nadia Ayala Architect / LEED AP BD+C, AMP Proyectos México Jan 13 2012 LEEDuser Member 528 Thumbs Up

Hi, I have a similar situation in one of our projects. Due to excavation works, we will get a good volume of gravel (naturally on site) that could be used for pervious pavement in the parking lot or as aggregate for the concrete mix. Do you think this could be taken into account for MRc3? If not, it may work for MRc2 and/or MRc5, since we would be deviating this material from local landfills and it is of course a material extracted on the region. What do you think? Thank you!

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Susie Spivey-Tilson Project Management Sustainability Services, CBRE Jan 17 2012 LEEDuser Expert 1042 Thumbs Up

Its seems to me since the gravel will excavated, then used in another function (pervious paving) that you would be able to count it for MRc3 and MRc5. I don't think you could use it for MRc2 unless you separate it from any soil or other land clearing debris to be diverted from the landfill since soil and organic matter are not counted in the calculations.

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Nadia Ayala Architect / LEED AP BD+C, AMP Proyectos México Jan 17 2012 LEEDuser Member 528 Thumbs Up

Great! Thank you for your help Susie.

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Timo Marquez Universidad Mayor
Jan 07 2011
Guest
118 Thumbs Up

Shipping containers

We are desining a 550m2 office building using several shipping containers as the main structure. The containers will be adapted thermally, etc. The Minimum Program Requirements (MPR) indicate that "LEED Projects shall not consist of mobile structure...", The building will be permanent, still I wonder if there is any restrictions against using shipping containers? Any experiences with similar projects?

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Jan 07 2011 LEEDuser Moderator

I think that as long as the building is designed to be permanent, and it's clear that the containers are not easily disassembled, the building would meet the requirements of this MPR. I think this MPR Is mainly aimed at things like vehicles, mobile homes, etc.

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Susie Spivey-Tilson Project Management Sustainability Services, CBRE Jan 12 2011 LEEDuser Expert 1042 Thumbs Up

Agree, Tristan.

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Eric Shamp Principal Ecotype Consulting
May 20 2010
LEEDuser Expert
535 Thumbs Up

Reference Guide typo?

This, from p. 365 of LEED 2009 Green Building Design and Construction (sentence fragment not mine): "Other reused material found on-site. Components that are retained and continue to serve their original function, such as door hardware, are eligible for this credit."

Should read, "are _not_ eligible", right? Everything I've read indicates that this type of material would certainly not qualify for MRc3.

If this is a real typo, it was not addressed in the 5/3/2010 addenda.

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. May 21 2010 LEEDuser Moderator

Yes, I agree this looks like a typo. Retained components reused for their original function don't qualify here.

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Susie Spivey-Tilson Project Management Sustainability Services, CBRE Jul 28 2010 LEEDuser Expert 1042 Thumbs Up

I agree as well. But don't forget that in some cases those materials can qualify for MRc5.

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Karen Stewart President, LEED AP, EcoPotential Aug 03 2010 LEEDuser Member 480 Thumbs Up

It is my understanding that "fixed" items that are retained for their original function are not eligible for MRc3 and should be applied to MRc1.2. However, "finish" items, such as door hardware, that are retained, are eligible for MRc3. Agree?

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Nathan Benjamin Principal + Founder, PlanetReuse Oct 21 2010 LEEDuser Member 133 Thumbs Up

I agree as well and feel that is probably the best way to view materials as "fixed" vs "finish" as they apply for MRc1.2 vs MRc3, respectively.

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anastasia harrison
Feb 24 2010
Guest
207 Thumbs Up

Equipment and furniture for building reuse credit MR. C3

In designing a vehicle maintenance facility there are many items that can be reused from one facility to be demolished to another. I have a building that is being taken down after the new building is built. All viable equipment which is valued at a couple hundred thousand dollars will be taken from the old building and used in the new facility. New equipment can be purchased; we have intercepted the Agency and recovered many pieces to be ‘reused’. Would this count toward the MR C3 intent? Any other projects have the same experience?

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Feb 24 2010 LEEDuser Moderator

This seems like a tough one. If you look at the CSI sections that are applicable for MRc3, equipment does not qualify, as far as I can tell.

You might have better luck with CI MRc3.2 which covers furniture and furnishings. Since you're an NC project maybe you could pursue this under IDc1? One issue there might be that the reused material either needs to be from a different "site" or be reused in a different purpose. Not sure if either of those apply here. Also there may be restrictions relative to the CSI section for furniture.

This might warrant followup with GBCI. Anyone else have thoughts?

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Susie Spivey-Tilson Project Management Sustainability Services, CBRE Jul 28 2010 LEEDuser Expert 1042 Thumbs Up

I agree with Tristan here, equipment is not recognized in the MRc3 for NC. I would recommend pursuing this as an IDc1. If you pursue it this way the question becomes whether or not you need to now include the FFE budgets in all of the materials credits. As Tristan suggests, I would check with GBCI on this.

Similarly, I am pursuing the CI credit EQc4.5 for a LEED NC project as an IDc1. They have not yet confirmed that if the project pursues this as an ID credit whether we will then be required to include the FFE in the MR credits. The team has looked at the calculations both ways and has determined that it is not to the benefit of MRc4 and MRc5 if the FFE budget has to be included - it makes reaching the target threshold much more difficult. This might not be true in your case. Based on the feedback we get from GBCI we will decide whether or not to pursue it as an ID credit.

I will post again once I hear. You do the same!

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