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Why open space?
This credit is intended to provide sites with large areas of vegetated open space that promote biodiversity and recreation—which can also add an amenity to your project, help with natural stormwater management, and mitigate the urban heat islandA densely populated area in which pavement and buildings absorb, store, and release solar energy, making the vicinity warmer than it would be if the pavement and buildings were not present. effect.
Difficulty varies by location
It’s generally quite easy for rural and suburban projects to meet the requirements of this credit—this is especially true for schools, particularly those that have sports fields...
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23 Comments
SS5.1 and SS5.2 are the same under some circumstances
If we are in a case where it is a previously developedPreviously developed sites are those altered by paving, construction, and/or land use that would typically have required regulatory permitting to have been initiated (alterations may exist now or in the past). Previously developed land includes a platted lot on which a building was constructed if the lot is no more than 1 acre; previous development on lots larger than 1 acre is defined as the development footprint and land alterations associated with the footprint. Land that is not previously developed and altered landscapes resulting from current or historical clearing or filling, agricultural or forestry use, or preserved natural area use are considered undeveloped land. The date of previous development permit issuance constitutes the date of previous development, but permit issuance in itself does not constitute previous development." site, then SS5.1 asks for a certain amount of green space provided it is native/adapted species.
Then, 5.2 also has a similar requirement! Besides, 5.2 is also less stringent in my case (case 3).
In the end, it is not bad for my project but I am surprised with this type of situation and I would like someone to confirm my interpretation. I know their intent is similar too but...
Thank you.
Valentin, I agree, the overlap between SSc5.1 and SSc5.2 can be confusing. That's what led me to write the section above under Bird's Eye View about not confusing the two credits. I hope this is helpful.
Playing Fields Do Not Count
The advice on LEED User in the "Birds Eye View" states "It’s generally quite easy for rural and suburban projects to meet the requirements of this credit—this is especially true for schools, particularly those that have sports fields..." However, it is my understanding based on the AGMBC version 2.2: http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=1097, that playing fields do not count. The guide states on page 18, "land must be in a natural state or returned to a natural state; quads and playing fields do not count towards attaining this credit." Unless this has changed in LEED 2009, please update LEED User with the correct information.
In addition, the LEED 2009 BD+C Reference Guide states on page 86, "In a campus setting with no local zoning requirements, open space that is equal to the building footprintBuilding footprint is the area on a project site used by the building structure, defined by the perimeter of the building plan. Parking lots, parking garages, landscapes, and other nonbuilding facilities are not included in the building footprint. can be considered separate from the project site, as long as the open space is preserved for the life of the building." Therefore, the comment that open space MUST be adjacent to the building does not always apply. I have had open space outside of the site boundary approved on previous campus projects.
Brooke, thank you for sharing these points. We will check the references you provided, and the references and project data that led us to make those statements, and update our content and make a note here as well.
Brooke, can you share any more detail on your experience with projects designating land outside of boundary as open space—we had only seen this applicable and approved for SSc5.1.
Although the earlier version of the AGMBC does explicitly say that playing fields cannot contribute to SSc5.2, this is not listed in the updated AGMBC and our friends at YRG have had a school project achieve SSc5.2 using a playing field as part of open space calcs. Additionally, LEED Interpretation #5669 states "...installing playing fields can count towards achievement of SSc5.2 for open space, but does not achieve the intent of SSc5.1 for restored habitat." (Other Interpretations note that the fields should not be artificial turf.) Thoughts?
Required Owner Signatory on a Government Job
I am working on an Army National Guard project where we are attempting to get the credit for maximizing open space. The owner's representative was very cooperative in working with us to determine a portion of that site that could be used to meet the requirements. However, upon asking him to initial the form stating the open space would be preserved for the life of the building, he replied "We are not authorized to commit the Federal Government to never change. I will not provide a legally binding contract to make this happen." Are there any provisions in place to deal with a situation like this? If he does initial the form, then 20 years from now, a portion of the open space is developed, is that credit just revoked but the overall certification remains as long as there are enough other credits to keep it? Are we just out of luck and need to forget about this credit?
Thank you
Steven, the easy answer is to forget about this credit. There is no follow-up with LEED-NC certifications, so the key thing is not to agree to anything during certification, or document anything, that is not accurate. In other words, don't commit to something that won't happen.
If this credit were important to you, you could potentially submit a CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide or ask GBCI for help, but you may simply choose to not do the credit.
vegetated retention ponds
This project utilizes option 2 (no zoning requirements for open space). As part of the storm water management strategy, there are three large vegetated retention ponds on the site which will be dry most of the year, given the local climate. For two of the ponds, the average side slopes are greater (steeper) than 1:4. The third retention pond has an average side slope of 1:4.05, but one section of the retention pond also serves as a force protection barrier (this is a military project), so rip-rap (large rocks) is used to create the steep slope.
My questions are:
1) Are stormwater retention ponds considered "naturally designed ponds" and therefore can only count as open space if the average side slope is less than 1:4?
2)Can I count the "third retention pond" (mentioned above) as open space (minus the portion that is rip-rap)?
3) What is the definition of "adjacent to the building"? Does all vegetated open space have to be continuous and connected to the building, or are hardscapes such as concrete walkways and pavillions allowed to exist between the open space and the building? Do open spaces on the other side of a driveway from the building count?
You've got an interesting situation - whether the vegetated stormwater detention areas can be counted as open space or not.
Re: #1 and #2: If they were vegetated, pervious areas that only occasionally detained stormwater, it seems like they might count even with steep vegetated side slopes, since their dominant state is dry and vegetated. But if they are predominantly covered with water then they would need to meet the slope requirements to count. I think the distinction would be whether the soils and vegetation meet the definition of a wetland or not. If so, they'd be a "naturally designated pond" and would need to meet slope requirements.
Re #3: What's "adjacent" to the building is partly a function of how you're defining your LEED site boundary. If the walkways, driveways, and pavilions that are between the between the open space and the building are all included in the LEED boundary then I think it would be considered adjacent and you would be okay.
Reduce the development footprint
in the refernce guide the credit states "Reduce the development footprintThe development footprint is the area affected by development or by project site activity. Hardscape, access roads, parking lots, nonbuilding facilities, and the building itself are all included in the development footprint. (defined as the total area of the building footprintBuilding footprint is the area on a project site used by the building structure, defined by the perimeter of the building plan. Parking lots, parking garages, landscapes, and other nonbuilding facilities are not included in the building footprint., hardscape, access roads and parking)"
what are the calcultaions and documentation requirements for this option
does having 100% under ground parking count for this credit?
Are you asking about Option 1? The sample site plan in the Documentation Toolkit link above gives an example of how to document this. Underground parking can help achieve this credit, because it reduces the site are needed for parking, but it's no guarantee - you still need to provide a significant amount of vegetated open space. You'll also need to show the local zoning requirement for vegetated open space, what area that would be on your site, and a plan that shows that your area is 25% more than that. Does that make sense?
Thanks for your answer, my other question is that the local zoning requirement of the project does not define open space, according to the LEED guide if the local zoning does not clearly define open space then the LEED defines it as the property area minus the development foot print which includes building footprintBuilding footprint is the area on a project site used by the building structure, defined by the perimeter of the building plan. Parking lots, parking garages, landscapes, and other nonbuilding facilities are not included in the building footprint., hardscape, access roads…, in our project there the property area= the development footprintThe development footprint is the area affected by development or by project site activity. Hardscape, access roads, parking lots, nonbuilding facilities, and the building itself are all included in the development footprint. so whatever vegetation we have on site is considered exceeding the local requirement ?
I'm not sure I understand the situation completely, so let me know if this answers your questions: It sounds like there are some zoning requirements for this site, so the next question is whether the zoning has any requirements at all for vegetation or landscaping. For example, zoning often requires a small amount of landscaping along the edge of parking areas or the site boundary. If there are any requirements like that, you would follow Option 1 and have to provide 25% more landscaped area.
If there are zoning regulations for the site but no requirements for any landscaping, vegetation, or open space at all, (as in many cities) you would follow Option 3, which requires 20% of the site to be vegetated. Since your building footprintBuilding footprint is the area on a project site used by the building structure, defined by the perimeter of the building plan. Parking lots, parking garages, landscapes, and other nonbuilding facilities are not included in the building footprint., access roads, etc cover the whole site area this credit might be difficult to get. If you are in a urban area that is dense enough to earn credit SSc2, Development Density, you can use a green roof to earn this credit. Most of the projects that earn this credit in urban areas use a green roof since there is so little site area.
Hope that helps -
Note that if you are following Option 3, and your project achieves SSc2, you can use both a green roof and pedestrian hardscape to help you meet the required area. However, 25% of this designated open area needs to be vegetated. Hope this helps and let us know if you have further questions.
Adjacent Parking structure roof eleigible as open space for SSc5
A certain owner is redeveloping parcels in a densely urbanized area. Free-standing, covered parking structure is part of the plans. It does not meet MPRs for LEED-NC 2009, but the developer is doing several LEED-CS and LEED NC v2.2 projects in the immediate vicinity. If the roof of the parking structure is either a green-roof or is developed as a roof-garden with a mix of vegetation and pedestrian paving, can this roof become part of the LEED Project Boundary for one of the NC v2.2 or CS v2 projects underway nearby and count towards SSc5.2 for that project?
Would the property need to be directly adjacent, or could it be one or two buildings away (remember that these surrounding projects are not 2009, but older, and still in design.)
In the same vein, could this roof count towards SSc7.1 if any hardscape had an SRIThe solar reflectance index (SRI) is a measure of a material's ability to reject solar heat, as shown by a small temperature rise. Standard black (reflectance 0.05, emittance 0.90) is 0 and standard white (reflectance 0.80, emittance 0.90) is 100. For example, a standard black surface has a temperature rise of 90_F (50_C) in full sun, and a standard white surface has a temperature rise of 14.6_F (8.1_C). Once the maximum temperature rise of a given material has been computed, the SRI can be calculated by interpolating between the values for white and black. Materials with the highest SRI values are the coolest choices for paving. Because of the way SRI is defined, particularly hot materials can even take slightly negative values, and particularly cool materials can even exceed 100. of 29 or better, and towards WEc1?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Susan, can you say more about the relationship between the parking structure and the LEED project building? From what you've said so far, I'm not clear that they're related.
As far as I understand, the lack of MPRs for NC v2.2 puts this kind of question in somewhat of a gray area. At the same time, you still are responsible in v2.2 for drawing a reasonable LEED boundary. Including a non-contiguous structure that is a couple buildings over seems a little unreasonable to me at first blush.
Owner letter sample - any references out there
A letter from the owner is needed as part of the documentation - saying that the space is set aside and will not be developed for the life of the LEED certified building.
Does anyone have an example?
I don't have an example but a statement on owner's letterhead stating that the specific area has been allocated as open space and will not be developed on due to the commitment to maintaining this open space should be sufficient. Also, include the square footage and reference plan with the open space areaOpen space area is usually defined by local zoning requirements. If local zoning requirements do not clearly define open space, it is defined for the purposes of LEED calculations as the property area minus the development footprint; it must be vegetated and pervious, with exceptions only as noted in the credit requirements section. Only ground areas are calculated as open space. For projects located in urban areas that earn a Development Density and Community Connectivity credit, open space also includes nonvehicular, pedestrian-oriented hardscape spaces. highlighted as part of the letter.
I didn't see when filling out this credit where it asked for an owner's letter. Is that part of the submittal requirement or just a good idea to be sure you are covered?
Academic projects
For a higher education project (that does not have to comply with local zoning requirements), is it still acceptable to design around these requirements (under Option 1) and use this compliance path for credit approval? Vs. using Option 2 w/ an adjacent footprint. I wasn't sure if you were mandated to use option 2 if you aren't required to use the local code or if it is still an option as long as you comply with the code's requirements. If I use option 1 compliance path we would qualify for an exemplary performanceIn LEED, certain credits have established thresholds beyond basic credit achievement. Meeting these thresholds can earn additional points through Innovation in Design (ID) or Innovation in Operations (IO) points. As a general rule of thumb, ID credits for exemplary performance are awarded for doubling the credit requirements and/or achieving the next incremental percentage threshold. However, this rule varies on a case by case basis, so check the credit requirements. credit, if I use option 2, we are just shy of meeting the needed threshold. Any suggestions?
M,
I don't think it's possible to pursue Option 1 if the project does not have to comply with the local zoning requirement. As the reference guide calls out, university / higher ed projects tend to fall under the Option 2 compliance path. You could try writing a CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide if you have a case for needing to comply with Option 1, but the surest way is to allocate open space equivalent to the building footprintBuilding footprint is the area on a project site used by the building structure, defined by the perimeter of the building plan. Parking lots, parking garages, landscapes, and other nonbuilding facilities are not included in the building footprint. (Option 2).
Can it count???
Hi,
The reference guide states that (for all options) "For projects located in urban areas that earn SS Credit 2, pedestrian oriented hardscape areas can contribute to credit compliance. For such projects, a minimum of 25% of the open space counted must be vegetated".
Can the vegetated area & hardscape pedestrian oriented area on the ground floor count to credit compliance if it will be covered by a plaza on the 4th floor?
Both the ground floor and 4th floor have vegetated area and hardscape, vegetated area will meet the minimum 25% requirement stated above.
Thanks
Yes, that should be fine. You just need to verify that the 4th floor plaza is not private...private plazas / balconies don't count as open space.
Shannon
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