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Existing building?
If an existing building plays a starring role in your project, it’s a good candidate for this credit, which rewards the reuse of buildings and their structural components. In this way you can reduce the energy- and resource-intensive manufacturing of new materials, while prolonging the enjoyment of a building’s character and history. If the existing building plays only a small role, on the other hand, it is less likely to qualify for this credit, although it may contribute to materials reuse credits. If a project includes new construction in addition to building restoration, the project is only eligible for the credit if the floor area of the new construction is no more than two times the floor area of the retained existing structure.
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10 Comments
Brick Piers
I have a major renovation project that has multiple brick clad structural piers (that are to remain). How do I calculate the s.f. of those elements? Or, do they fall under the "columns" and therefore excluded.
Thank you!
Hi LaToya,
Based on your description, it sounds like the piers could fall someplace in between structural columns and interior structural walls. The conservative approach would be to lump the piers in as a structural column. However, if the piers are large, you could make the argument that they are interior structural walls, the call is yours.
Best-a
Infill Project - question on building reuse caculations
We are building an addition that is sandwiched between 2 buildings. The current two building exterior facades will become interior walls when complete. We are not demolising and rebuilding but rather integrating the two existing exterior walls in the new building. Isnt this reuse? We are saving nearly 95% of these two walls and they will account for more than 50% of the new building's 'exterior' structure.
What are you defining as the final "building" for your LEED certification? Is it the addition that's the sandwich filling, or is the whole building/sandwich to be LEED-certified?
The addition is the LEED project and it is only the "sandwich filling". One of the adjacent buildings is already LEED CI Gold. So we are only cutting a few access 'holes' in existing walls and reusing them for the new building.
My interpretation would be that you can't claim materials reuse because the square footage of the "addition" dwarfs the size of any existing building reuse that you could try to claim.
Buildings in this situation often can put the building reuse toward MRc2: Constrution Waste Management, as the reused material is diverted from the landfill, but since those walls are a part of other buildings that are not in danger of getting rid of them, this seems like a stretch.
Does this make sense? Any other angles I'm not seeing?
Demolition of topping slab & SF of interior structural walls
1. Our project has concrete structural floor slabs, overlaid with a couple inches of topping slab, which does not function as part of the structural floor system. We are generally retaining the topping slab, but in certain areas we need to demolish it -- but leave the structural slab untouched -- for horizontal conduit runs, etc.
Do we need to count the areas of topping slab demolition as 'demolished' floor for the purposes of MRc1.1/1.2? If so, is there any provision for counting those SF as 'partially' demolished, since only 50% of the combined depth of the structural and topping slabs is being demolished?
2. For interior structural walls, the NC 2.2 Reference Guide says to "calculate the surface area ... of both sides of the existing wall element." Under NC 2009, the calculation is of one side (which makes much more sense). Is *both* sides actually correct for NC 2.2?
Hi Michael,
For question #1, credits MRc1.1 and 1.2 refer to maintaining the existing building structure. Thus, the replacement or repair of portions of the non-structural topping slab shouldn't impact the calculations.
For question #2, that's really an NCv2.2 MRc1.3 question, and from what I can see the calculation method has remained the same in version 2009, though in 2009 it is covered under MRc1.2- check out page 353 in the reference guide for more details.
Short answer- you count both sides of an interior non-structural wall.
Anne,
Thanks for the confirmation on #1. On #2, the NC2.2 reference guide does indicate to calculate both sides of structural walls (p.244), as well as non-structural. I asked the question because I wanted to make sure that hadn't been changed by some later addendum, etc., since it seems so illogical (i.e. why would you count both surfaces of an interior wall, but only one surface of an exterior wall?). Glad they have changed it in 2009.
Hi Michael,
Thanks for the clarification. I agree with you, it seems very odd to count both sides of an interior structural wall for the MRc1 calculations. As there are no memos, addendums or CIRs indicating a change/correction, I would assume that v2.2 calculations should include both sides of an internal structural wall, and v2009 includes only one side.
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