Schools-2009 MRc5: Regional Materials

  • NC CS Schools MRc5 Type3 Local Mat Diagram

  • Multiple options for "regional"

    Regional materials are those that are extracted, harvested, and manufactured within a certain distance of your project site.

    How far, exactly? Historically LEED has used a 500-mile radius to define regional products, but that made it difficult or impossible for coastal or remote regions to pursue this credit. A July 2012 LEED addendum added a more flexible approach, and now MRc5 offers two options to LEED 2009 projects:

    • Option 1: The old familiar option, uses a simple 500-mile radius from the site for both extraction and manufacturing distance.
    • Option 2: This new option allows you to do a prorated calculation based on the lower relative impact of shipping materials by rail or water. Calculate a 500 mile (800 km) total travel distance to the project site using a weighted average. Distance by rail can be divided by 3; distance by inland waterway by 2, and distance by sea by 15.

    The Option 2 credit calculation is much more complicated, and finding the necessary information could be a lot of work. It will be a most effective option for projects that really need to earn the credit, and can ideally focus their calculations on a handful "big ticket" items—see below. However, projects can choose either option on a per-product basis, so they don't need to commit to just one or the other.

    Research early and often

    Begin researching products early—this will help ensure that there are sufficient regional materials available to specify. If you delay your research, you run the risk that non-regional materials may be specified and purchased before you find a regional alternative. Use the estimated project budget to keep tabs on your performance against the credit threshold.

    Many projects fail to earn this credit because they wait until all the materials are purchased before doing the credit calculations.

    500-mile radius map, NYCThe 500-mile radius is big enough to cover a lot of ground, but depending on your location, can be tough to work with. Seeing the radius on a map can help quickly assess the product areas where you might have better luck.

    The 500-mile radius is big enough to cover a lot of ground, but depending on your location, can be tough to work with. Seeing the radius on a map can help quickly assess the product areas where you might have better luck.

    “Big ticket” items are just the ticket

    If there are enough materials available in your region, this credit can be very easy to achieve. Focusing on a few more expensive items that can be sourced regionally—like structural steel or concrete, for example—may represent enough value to earn the credit. If you combine these big-ticket items with the requirements of other MR credits, you can earn multiple points for a relatively small number of product selections. This strategy has the benefit of reducing the number of items you need to track and document.

    Finding the origins of your materials

    Often, product manufacturers will get their materials from a wide variety of sources, making extraction location trickier to determine. It can also be challenging to understand how LEED determines the manufacturing locations for materials that are salvaged onsite or reused, those that contain recycled content, or are part of assemblies. Use the chart below to clarify how you should document the manufacturing and extraction location for these materials.

    You can claim recycled content as a regional material, and you don't have to trace it back to its original extraction location. According to the LEED Reference Guide, the extraction point for recycled materials is the location of the raw material prior to the manufacturing of the final building product. That might be the recycling facility, scrapyard, depository, stockpile, or another location where the material was collected and packaged for market purchase before manufacturing. It is not necessary to track the raw material back to its original point of extraction.

    For a product with multiple points of manufacture, the point of manufacture should be listed as the location farthest from the site.

  • FAQs for MRc5

    Why can’t I include mechanical, electrical and plumbing components in this credit? What if I consistently include MEP materials in the calculations for all of the MR credits I’m attempting?

    LEED is very clear that no MEP or specialty items can be counted in the MR credit calculations. There are several reasons for this, including the fact that MEP items are very expensive relative to their weight, and including these materials skews the calculations and performance thresholds achieved. Also, LEED considers the performance of mechanical equipment paramount, and so consideration of these materials really falls under performance based energy and water credits.

    We are pursuing IEQc4.5 as an ID credit. Are we thus required to include the cost of furniture in MRc3–7?

    No. See 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. #3901 for additional information.

    What if different parts of a product are manufactured at different locations?

    All steps of the manufacturing process must be within the required distance in order for the product to qualify. If the product meets this requirement, you must list the manufacture location farthest from the project site as the “manufacture distance” for the material.

    What is the purpose of the newly added Option 2? Can I pursue both options?

    Option 2, which originated as an Alternative Compliance Path for non-U.S. projects, but which is available to all projects, allows a material to come from a farther distance than 500 miles if it reaches the site by more fuel-efficient modes of transportation (ship and rail).

    The two options are available to be used on the basis of an individual product or material, so you can mix and match as needed.

    How do we account for materials using the new Option 2 equation?

    The new equation is embedded in the BD&C Materials and Resource Calculator. The calculator has a spot for materials that comply using the standard 500-mile radius (Option 1), and a spot for those that comply using the weighted average calculation (Option 2). See LEEDuser's Documentation Toolkit tab for a copy of the calculator.

    With steel and aluminum products, why do I often get review comments questioning why my extraction distance is the same as my manufacture distance?

    Unless the manufacture location (steel mill, steel coil producer, aluminum extrusion/fabrication facility, etc.) contains a recycling facility, scrap yard, depository, ore mine, or some kind of collection point on-site, it is very unlikely that the manufacture and extraction distances are the same.

Legend

  • Best Practices
  • Gotcha
  • Action Steps
  • Cost Tip

Schematic Design

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  • Flooring from salvaged woodLook for unique regional resources to help earn this credit, like this wood flooring salvaged from beetle-killed pine, which would help earn this credit in the Colorado region.Early on, research the availability of materials harvested or extracted and manufactured within 500 miles of the project site. Consider resources such as stone quarries, timber resources, agricultural resources, and manufacturing centers. 

  • Denver area 500-mile radiusThe 500-mile radius around a site (Denver shown here), is measured as the crow flies—not the distance that products may actually travel.The 500-mile requirement is measured as a radius around the site “as the crow flies.” In other words, the actual miles and path traveled by the product or material is not as relevant for the calculation.

Design Development

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  • Begin by creating a baseline materials budget. This is the total amount of money that will be spent on building materials. Use the Materials Calculator from the Documentation Toolkit to compile the baseline material list in a way that facilitates adding information on environmental attributes.

  • Your material budget assumptions and material costs should be consistent across MRc3, MRc4, MRc5, MRc6, and MRc7. The LEED Online credit form helps ensure this automatically. 

  • Include in your new wood materials baseline budget the material cost (excluding labor) of all new wood items that apply under CSI Master Spec 2004 Format Divisions 3–10, 31.60 Foundations, 32.10 Paving, 32.30 Site Improvements, and 32.90 Planting. Division 12 Furniture is optional. Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and equipment costs are excluded. (See Resources for Master Spec information.) 

  • Adding Division 12 Furniture to your baseline materials budget for this credit is optional, but must be applied consistently across MRc3, MRc4, MRc5, MRc6, and MRc7. Analyze the baseline material budget to see if adding Division 12 furniture works to the 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—however, it may help with some while making others more difficult.

  • Choose one of 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%.

  • The default budget is less time-consuming because the contractor does not have to break out the material and labor costs of items that are not being tracked for LEED credits, allowing the project to focus on tracking only the materials that contribute to LEED credits. 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%. However, this option may put the project at a disadvantage in terms of getting full credit for the actual value of materials. 

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

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

  • How do you know how many regional materials you need to incorporate into your project? Look at the baseline material budget. Determine how much you want to spend on regional materials. Ten percent of the budget cost will give the project one point and 20% will give the project two points. Go through the project’s preliminary budget and identify specific items that are manufactured and harvested/extracted locally. Do these items add up to the amount needed to get one or two points?  

  • Include a cushion for this credit, in case of changes in design and purchasing. For example, if you are counting on points for using 20% regional materials, plan for 30% of your budget to be spent on regional materials to avoid coming up short.

  • Using the estimated budget to integrate regional 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. Many projects fail to earn this credit because they wait until all the materials are purchased before doing the credit calculations.

  • Focus on “big ticket” items when seeking materials to meet regional purchasing requirements. If you can find regional materials like structural steel and concrete, these more expensive materials will go a long way toward meeting the required percentage of your materials budget. This approach allows you to Iimit the overall number of items you need to track and document, reducing contractor headaches. If these big-ticket items do not get you to the threshold you’re trying to meet, target medium-priced items next until you reach your goal.

  • A single product or material can contribute to multiple credits. For example, a chair made both locally and with recycled materials contributes to MRc5 as well as MRc4. Focusing on products and materials with multiple environmental attributes can also limit the overall number of items that must be tracked. 

  • Product manufacturers may not have extraction information readily available. Allow for time in your process to research this information.

  • The location of final assembly is considered the “manufacturing location.” Extraction locations are determined by the location from which the raw material was sourced. 

  • Products salvaged on site can count the site as the manufacturing and extraction location.

  • Look at product cut sheets and manufacturing data to determine whether a product contains regional materials.

  • Assemblies

  • When a product is made of multiple materials that are manufactured and extracted in different locations, or only part of the product can count as regional, use these special considerations.

  • The cost value for the LEED calculation is determined by weight as a percentage of the total. For example, a $100 piece of casework assembled locally contains 20% wood, and 80% marble, by weight, but only the wood was harvested and manufactured locally. Even though the piece of casework was manufactured and assembled locally, only $20 of the casework would contribute to this credit as being both manufactured and harvested locally.

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

  • Salvaged or Reused Material, and Recycled Content

  • Follow special considerations for products that are salvaged or reused or have recycled content.

  • Use the vendor or salvage location in place of the manufacturing location for salvaged, reused, or refurbished materials. Use the location from which the vendor salvaged the material in place of extraction location.

  • If a material is salvaged onsite and reused again onsite, you can count the site as both the manufacturing and extraction location. For example, parking lot concrete might be ground up and reused as infill on the same site.

  • Use replacement costs of salvaged materials (rather than actual costs) for all LEED materials calculations. For example, if you received free filing cabinets from a local office rehab you would use the cost of what you might spend on a filing cabinet if you had to replace the free one. This can work to your advantage, since the cost of used cabinets would probably be lower.

  • You can claim recycled content as a regional material, and you don't have to trace it back to its original extraction location. According to the LEED Reference Guide, the extraction point for recycled materials is the location of the raw material prior to the manufacturing of the final building product. That might be the recycling facility, scrapyard, depository, stockpile, or another location where the material was collected and packaged for market purchase before manufacturing. It is not necessary to track the raw material back to its original point of extraction.

  • 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.

  • Include in your new wood materials baseline budget the material cost (excluding labor) of all new wood items that apply under CSI Master Spec 1995 Format Divisions 2–10. Division 12 Furniture is optional. Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and equipment costs are excluded. (See Resources for Master Spec information.)

Construction Documents

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

  • Incorporate regional product requirements into individual construction specifications.

  • For guidance and sample specification language for incorporating LEED specifications into construction documents, see MasterSpec, or the Whole Building Design Guide. (See Resources.)

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

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

  • Whenever possible, designate in the construction specifications that contractors use specific product manufacturers that you have verified as producers of locally manufactured and extracted 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.

  • Carefully review manufacturer data. Don’t pay attention to vague claims such as “Our product will give you a regional LEED point” when in truth it will only contribute to the credit. No matter what the manufacturer claims, you’ll still need to ask for manufacturing and extraction locations.

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.

  • For any materials not yet specified, research the availability of additional regional materials before construction begins to ensure that the project earns this credit. If product decisions are made after construction begins, there may be less time to review data sheets carefully 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.

  • Even if you use the default budget method for your baseline material budget, you  have to break out the actual cost of materials you are tracking for LEED.  

  • 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.

Operations & Maintenance

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  • Keep a list of sustainable materials used on the project so that operations staff can use these products for future renovations.

  • Develop regional procurement recommendations and incorporate the recommendations into a purchasing policy. This will contribute to EBOM MRp1: Sustainable Purchasing Policy.  

  • USGBC

    Excerpted from LEED 2009 for Schools New Construction and Major Renovations

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

    MR Credit 5: Regional materials

    1–2 Points

    Intent

    To increase demand for building materials and products that are extracted and manufactured within the region, thereby supporting the use of indigenous resources and reducing the environmental impacts resulting from transportation.

    Requirements

    Use building materials or products that have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured, within a specified distance of the project site for a minimum of 10% or 20%, based on cost, of the total materials value. If only a fraction of a product or material is extracted, harvested, or recovered and manufactured locally, then only that percentage (by weight) must contribute to the regional value. The minimum percentage regional materials for each point threshold is as follows:

    Regional Materials Points
    10% 1
    20% 2


    Option 1

    All building materials or products have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured within a 500 mile (800 kilometer) radius of the project site.

    OR

    Option 2

    Building materials or products shipped by rail or water have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured within a 500 mile (800 kilometer) total travel distance of the project site using a weighted average determined through the following formula:

    (Distance by rail/3) + (Distance by inland waterway/2) + (Distance by sea/15) + (Distance by all other means) ≤ 500 miles [800 kilometers]

    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

    Establish a project goal for locally sourced materials, and identify materials and material suppliers that can achieve this goal. During construction, ensure that the specified local materials are installed, and quantify the total percentage of local materials installed. Consider a range of environmental, economic and performance attributes when selecting products and materials.

Web Tools

Free Map Tools- radius around a point

This free online tool allows you to draw a 500-mile radius around a point on a map, which can help visualize the Regional Materials boundaries for your  project location, and help you look for sources within those boundaries.

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.

Technical Guides

Master Spec

Architectural Computer Services, Inc. (ARCOM) offers a free downloadable PDF of the Master Spec divisions. Check this to verify which materials are included in this and other MR credits.

Specifying LEED Requirements Reference Book and CD ROM

This book and CD-ROM from Master Spec offers useful guidance and sample specification language for incorporating LEED specifications into construction documents. (Requires purchase.)

Organizations

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

Support on incorporating LEED requirements into specifications. 

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.

Product Cut Sheets

Manufacturers often highlight regional manufacturing and extraction information in cut sheets and letters, as shown here. In some cases information may be misleading or incomplete, and you'll need to follow up (see annotations on the PDF).

Assemblies Calculator

Many products contain materials with different extraction or harvest locations. Use this spreadsheet to determine how much of the assembly you can count toward the Regional Materials credit. Includes sample calculation.

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 Calculator

Teams can use this tool to track all materials across applicable 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.

Concrete Tracking

Use this form to track your concrete mixes and their recycled content and distance to the manufacturing and extraction sites.

LEED Online Forms: Schools-2009 MR

The following links take you to the public, informational versions of the dynamic LEED Online forms for each Schools-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.

31 Comments

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Tim Crowley LEED AP / Founder www.BCdesignbuild.com
Feb 25 2013
LEEDuser Member
328 Thumbs Up

Credit Achievement Rates

I see that LEEDUser is not posting Credit Achievement Rates. How are these rates figured and can we as LEEDUser members report the results we have experienced as experienced LEED Construction Coordinators?

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Feb 25 2013 LEEDuser Moderator

Tim, I'm guessing you mean "now posting." Our data comes from LEED Online data for projects not registered as "confidential." This data is processed and posted by GBIG.org, and we in turn import key snapshots as part of the LEEDuser interface. So, if your project is not confidential and is certified, you shouldn't need to do anything more for it to be reflected here. We always welcome sharing of experiences in our forum, though.

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Tim Crowley LEED AP / Founder, www.BCdesignbuild.com Feb 25 2013 LEEDuser Member 328 Thumbs Up

Tristan,
Yes, I meant "now" posting and not "not" posting. The typo attacks again... Anyway, thanks for the info on the Credit Achievement Rates. I think it is a great feature. Keep up the good work.

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Tim Crowley LEED AP / Founder www.BCdesignbuild.com
Oct 11 2012
LEEDuser Member
328 Thumbs Up

Steel Extraction Location and Default Recycled Content Questions

The “Special Considerations for MRc5” section on LEEDuser under Schools 2009 notes the following:
“The extraction location for the source of the recycled content can be the location where the recycled material was produced or collected. It doesn’t have to be where the virgin material was harvested from.”

How does this relate the “Harvest” location on LEEDusers ENVIRONMENTAL MATERIALS REPORTING FORM for structural steel items that have a great majority of recycled content?

I thought that I had read somewhere that if scrap metal is taken to a mill and melted down to form a new metal that the mill location is the new harvest location. Is this true?

Also, can we make use of the 25% 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. default recycled content value for steel items without providing any documentation under LEED for Schools 2009?

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Nov 22 2012 LEEDuser Moderator

Tim, let me see if I can tackle these questions.

1) Extraction location = harvest location. Same idea, different words.

2) I don't think this is exactly true. If you know the location for the scrap, that is the harvest/extraction location. See LEEDuser's guidance above about finding the orgiins of your materials.

3) Yes.

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Tim Crowley LEED AP / Founder, www.BCdesignbuild.com Nov 26 2012 LEEDuser Member 328 Thumbs Up

Tristan - thankyou for the clarifications.

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Suzanne Allerton Architect W2A Design Group
Jan 18 2012
LEEDuser Member
477 Thumbs Up

Review comment asked for extracted etc.

We recieved a list of materials that the reviewer asked for distance for
the extraction. We have one letter concerning one material that
involved quite a bit of cost and does bring us over the 20%.
Will this be adequate to earn the credit?
It would save a lot of work.. Thanks Suzy

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Emily Catacchio Sustainability Specialist, Wight and Company Jan 18 2012 LEEDuser Moderator

Suzanne,

With a CI v2.2 I successfully used this technique. Just excluded the ones I didn't document from the calculation (I think I still left them in the list, just put "unknown" in the distance column). So you could try it.

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Nell Achtmeyer
Jan 06 2012
Guest
97 Thumbs Up

It was unclear to me in the

It was unclear to me in the calculator above, but when I have a product, say a concrete mix, that includes materials that were harvested and then manufactured at different locations, how do I track that versus the total regional %?

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Feb 17 2012 LEEDuser Moderator

Nell, are the harvesting and manufacturing locations both within 500 miles?

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Alicja Florczak Skanska
Jun 15 2011
LEEDuser Member
510 Thumbs Up

stay-in-place formwork

Shall I included in calculation for Regional materials stay-in-place formwork ?

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Nov 13 2011 LEEDuser Moderator

Alicja, that would be included, yes.

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Rebecca Griffith
May 23 2011
LEEDuser Member
236 Thumbs Up

Regional Materials

When calculating distance between the manufacturing plant & the project site, is the distance I should use, actual travel distance by land, or by "how the crow flies"?

I have a product that was manufactured within the 500 mi radius, but the "actual travel distance" is greater than 500. Should I use the "crow" distance or the actual distance by land??

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. May 23 2011 LEEDuser Moderator

HI Carol, for simplicity's sake, it's "as the crow flies."

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Omar Katanani
May 23 2011
LEEDuser Member
5107 Thumbs Up

Which cost of materials to use?

Dear all,

The retail price of a certain product is $15 (anyone can buy it from the supplier for $15).
However, the contractor has a special discount: he buys this product for $10, but he bills the client $15).
When calculating the percentage of regional materials by cost, do I have to consider the $10 or $15? When I say the contractor bills the client $15, this means that the BOQ states $15.

Many thanks,

The LEED Reference Guide states that "Materials costs include all expenses to deliver the material to the project site."

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. May 23 2011 LEEDuser Moderator

George, the cost to track is the cost to the project. In this example, that is $15.

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Renee Shirey
May 18 2011
Guest
2129 Thumbs Up

Furniture salvaged from site=Regional Mat+diverted Const. Waste?

We will be salvaging furniture from a school already on our site, but we are not going for MR3 (Mat. Reuse) due to the limited amount. However, we might possibly use it for MRc5 (understanding that we would have to deal with furniture calcs for several other credits). My question: the LEEDUser info provided states that if you using the salvaged furniture for MRc3 you can doubledip and count it towards MRc5, but NOT MRc2. So, if I am counting towards MRc5, does this stop me from counting it towards MRc2 Const Waste?

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Nadav Malin USGBC LEED Faculty, President, BuildingGreen, Inc. May 19 2011 LEEDuser Moderator

Hi Renee,

My reading of the rules, which I went through pretty carefully a while back, is that you cannot double count materials between MRc2 and MRc5. I think that LEED would look at that the same way it would look at double counting between MRc2 and MRc3--that is to say, if you're reusing it in your project it never became "construction waste" that needed to be managed. But I can't find an explicit statement confirming that, so it's possible you could get it approved.

All this assumes that the school from which you're salvaging the furniture is being demolished (or, hopefully, deconstructed) as part of your project. If that's not the case, then I don't see how furniture from it could ever be counted in MRc2.

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Renee Shirey May 19 2011 Guest 2129 Thumbs Up

You are correct in the assumption that the existing building is being demo'd (lack of funds and time available for deconstruction) thus the furniture is being salvaged.

I decided to re-read the front section of the LEED Reference Guide for the MR credits, and found the following wording on page 337 - "Materials calculated toward materials reuse cannot be applied to the MR credits for building reuse, const. waste mgmt, recycled content, rapidly renewableTerm describing a natural material that is grown and harvested on a relatively short-rotation cycle (defined by the LEED rating system to be ten years or less). materials, or 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.."

The fact that they specifically call out Materials Reuse (MRc3) but none of the other ones leads me to believe that I CAN doubledip with MRc2 Const Waste Mgmt. and MRc5 Regional Materials. It may be a loophole that could be closed down the line, but I think I'm meeting the intent of both credits. The reality is, there are several sister projects being built and demo'd at the same time, so the salvaged furniture from the various demo'd bldgs may or may not go to the new buildings on the same site - it could go to one of the other new buildings on different (local) sites, but all the schools will recieve some salvaged furniture from the various demo'd schools.

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Tiffany Moore LEED Documentation Consultant, Built Kansas City LLC Apr 08 2013 LEEDuser Member 183 Thumbs Up

I'm curious, was your double-dip for MRc2 and MRc5 on this project successful? I know it's been a while, but I have a similar issue on a current v2009 project, so I'd like to know.

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Apr 08 2013 LEEDuser Moderator

There is a rule where, if reuse of a building can't qualify for MRc1 because you don't meet certain thresholds, you can still apply it to MRc2. You can't apply it to MRc5, however.

Following this precedent, I'd say that it's logical that if you can't earn MRc3, then you could count that material against MRc2.

Can something that is counted in MRc2 be counted in MRc5? This feels a little odd to me. But if a material is eligible in MRc3 it can be double-counted in MRc5. So if you follow the logic that something is MRc3-eligible, and you're just not pursuing that credit, then I'd feel comfortable counting it in MRc5.

So I'd come down on counting the same material in MRc2 and MRc5 in this circumstance. I just wouldn't link those two credits in my mind. MRc3 is the phantom linkage that makes it work.

I bet GBCI would answer this question if you emailed them. Let us know.

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Tiffany Moore LEED Documentation Consultant, Built Kansas City LLC Apr 08 2013 LEEDuser Member 183 Thumbs Up

Thanks, Tristan. That is the path I went down as well, so at least I know my thought process is logical. I will ask GBCI and post their response.

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Tiffany Moore LEED Documentation Consultant, Built Kansas City LLC Apr 17 2013 LEEDuser Member 183 Thumbs Up

I received the following response from GBCI this morning. I submitted it under NC2009, but materials credits should be somewhat universal, so I will post the response here with my original question.

"You inquiry is asking weather material which would be applied to earning MRc3 can be applied towards earning MRc2 and MRc5, even if MRc3 will not be attempted. Yes, building materials found on-site which could contribute to earning MRc3 can also be applied to both MRc2 and MRc5, even if MRc3 will not be pursued."

Tristan, thank-you for the suggestion to contact GBCI. I haven't considered that an option in the past, but was pleasantly surprised at their response, both in the fact that is was a straight-forward answer and that it came back so quickly. I like this new approach!

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Prudence Ferreira Principal Integral Impact Inc
Apr 20 2011
LEEDuser Member
594 Thumbs Up

Donated Materials

A contractor has offered to donate a salvaged water tank to our project. The tank was salvaged locally so qualifies for the credit, but how do we calculate the cost for a donated item. Can we use the price of a comparable new product?

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Nadav Malin USGBC LEED Faculty, President, BuildingGreen, Inc. Apr 21 2011 LEEDuser Moderator

Yes, that's exactly how you should estimate the value.

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Jose Martinez
Feb 09 2011
Guest
35 Thumbs Up

Steel

For steel products, would the extraction location be the mill where it is produced?

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Feb 09 2011 LEEDuser Moderator

Jose, extraction would be where the iron ore and other components are mined, or where any recycled content is collected. The mill is the manufacturing location.

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James Giannantonio Energy & Sustainability Analyst, Johnson Controls, Inc. Mar 22 2013 LEEDuser Member 2 Thumbs Up

Hi Jose, I wanted to add to Tristan's comments about the regional materials credit and more specifically address the issue of using a material that has multiple manufacturing sites. As stated in NC-v2.2 MRc5, if you are using a material that has multiple points of manufacture you should use the manufacture site that is furthest away from your your site for the regional materials credit documentation. In addition, it is important to understand that a material should fall within a 500-mile radius of both it's extraction point and manufacturing point(s) in order to achieve the MRc5 credit.

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Robin Kelley
Jul 15 2010
Guest
49 Thumbs Up

Regional Materials

If the harvest location cannot be determine, what figure should I use on my report? It has to be numerical.

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Tristan Roberts LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, Inc. Jul 15 2010 LEEDuser Moderator

If you can't determine the harvest location, then the product isn't compliant with the credit, so I don't see that it matters for your LEED documentation. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

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James Giannantonio Energy & Sustainability Analyst, Johnson Controls, Inc. Mar 25 2013 LEEDuser Member 2 Thumbs Up

Hi Robin, as Tristan stated above, if you cannot determine the harvest location for a material that you are using on a LEED project then you cannot earn the MRc5 credit. My best advice is to do your best in researching and uncovering the harvest location though some supply chain investigation. For example, if you know where a specific material is manufactured, then you may be able to contact that manufacturer for information regarding where they get their raw supplies from. Hope this helps a little and good luck.

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