NID Arg

LEED's New Minimum Program Requirements

Here are the key points of each MPR. Note that these are only paraphrased summaries, you must go to the rating systems for the actual language!

1. Must Comply with Environmental Laws

This applies to all work on the project during design and construction, and to the resulting project, including anything within the project’s site boundary.

2. Must be a Building

Specifics here differ by rating system, but, essentially, the project has to include or be within a fixed building (no tents or boats). Another interesting tidbits is that it must be on pre-existing land.

3. Must Use a Reasonable Site Boundary

In a nutshell, no gerrymandering the project site.

4. Can't Be Too Small

The project has to enclose at least 1,000 ft2 of space (250 ft2 for CI projects).

5. Must Comply with Minimum Occupancy Rates

If it doesn’t have at least one full-time equivalentFull-time equivalent (FTE) represents a regular building occupant who spends 40 hours per week in the project building. Part-time or overtime occupants have FTE values based on their hours per week divided by 40. Multiple shifts are included or excluded depending on the intent and requirements of the credit. occupant it can still apply, but can’t achieve any IEQ credits. For EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. projects: the building has to be fully occupied for at least a year before applying for certification.

6. Must Allow USGBC Access to Whole-Building Energy and Water Usage Data

Stay tuned! USGBC is still working out exactly how this requirement will be implemented. Initial language stated that it remains in effect even if the building changes ownership, so it will affect real-estate transactions for up to 5 years.

7. Must Comply with a Minimum Building Area to Site Area Ratio

Small buildings on big sites won’t be accepted. The project site boundary has to be defined so that gross floor area is at least 2 percent of site area.