It may be green, but a boat can't be certified under LEED 2009's new Minimum Program Requirements. Solar Sailor
Understanding the MPRs
In addition to the familiar prerequisites and credits, LEED 2009 has introduced a new element: Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs). The MPRs didn’t make it into the 2009 editions of the Reference Guides, so to see them you’ll have to download the actual rating system documents from the LEED Resources and Tools page of the USGBC website, or register a project in LEED Online. The MPRs fall under seven headings that are the same for each of the five initial LEED 2009 rating systems, but the details vary slightly for each system. A “Supplemental Guidance” document that outlines exceptions and clarifies these requirements is also available on the same page.
Boats need not apply
USGBC introduced MPRs primarily to filter out projects that are not a good fit for the LEED certification process because they are simply too wacky. Some of them illustrate just how far some people have gone in trying to apply LEED in unconventional ways. MPR #2, for example, says that the project “must be a building” and it must have a fixed location—boats and airplanes need not apply.
Access to energy data
For a normal building on a typical site, the main thing to worry about with the MPRs is the energy reporting requirement. All registered projects must now allow USGBC access to whole-building energy and water usage data for five years from the date of certification, according to MPR #6. Make sure the building owner is aware of and on board with that commitment.
LEED’s new Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs)
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) and it has to be on pre-existing land. Also, except for CI projects, only whole buildings count, so additions can no longer be certified apart from the building to which they're attached (at least not without a special-case exemption).
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 there is an additional requirement: the building has to be occupied "at typical physical occupancy" for at least a year before applying for certification. The minimum occupancy for "typical physical occupancy" levels had been defined as 75% in EBOM 2008, but a September 2, 2009 ruling has changed that to 50%, recognizing that current market conditions are making the 75% threshold challenging. This change does not apply to hotels, which have to meet the same 55% occupancy threshold as they did before. (See the Resources tab for a document that provides details on this ruling.)
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% of site area.
22 Comments
Performance data and decertification
BuildingGreen.com has a great summary of the unfolding debate on the energy data requirements and the looming threat of LEED "decertification" here:
http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm/2009/7/14/All-LEED-Project...
Multiple building certification
On the MPR summary box accessible on the homepage, the follow is stated under #2 Must be a building.
"...and that a group of buildings underway as part of a single construction contract have to submit as a single project."
I have not seen this explicitly stated by USGBC, is this still correct? Anyone have substantiation for this? Thanks!
Nadav Malin replied President, BuildingGreen, LLC Aug 15 2009
Thanks for catching that, April! You're right, that is not part of the requirements. (It was included in a previous version of the MPRs).
MPR's - as LEED prerequisite - your opinion
Dear All,
I feel the minimum program requirements should be made as pre-requisite since it partly governs a projects LEED Certification.
"The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) reserves the right to revoke LEED certification from any LEED 2009 project upon gaining knowledge of non-compliance with any applicable MPRs. If such a circumstance occurs, no registration or certification fees paid to GBCI will be refunded."
Your opinions please...
right to revoke LEED certification
Seems like a notice of warning and a reasonable time frame for correcting of deficiencies would be appropriate before decertification is invoked.
Minimum Occupancy Requirement for EBOM has changed
On Sept 2 USGBC released a ruling changing the minimum occupany rate for certification from 75% to 50%, citing "market conditions" (though it also says the change is like to be permanent--does that mean the market will stay down forever?).
The MPR #5 summary here has been edited to reflect this change, with a link to the announcement.
MPR's for Building Addition Projects
The MPR's for BD&C projects states that "LEED projects must include the new, ground-up design and construction, or major renovation, of at least one building IN ITS ENTIRETY." This would lead projects to assume that building additions that excluded the existing building component from their scope of work (therefore not the entire building) would not be eligible for certification.
After speaking with GBCI, they informed me that the basic rule of thumb is that building additions do not qualify. However, they will accept building additions on a case by case basis. For example, if the existing building was previously certified or if the addition is on a completely separate mechanical system, they will consider accepting. In order to request an exemption be made, go to www.gbci.org/contact us/project certification questions and email them regarding the specific project conditions and request exemption from the Minimum Program Requirements (MPR).
Minimum Building Area to Site Area Ratio ?
Why a Minimum Building Area to Site Area Ratio ?
What happens if you have a visitor centre in a national park ?
Your opinions please ...
Nadav Malin replied President, BuildingGreen, LLC Dec 11 2009
This is not any kind of official response, of course, but from conversations I heard during the evolution of these MPRs, here's the logic:
A small certified building on a large tract of land might represent a green building, but could involve little or no greening of the rest of the property. So it would be misleading if, for example, a golf course claimed LEED status for the entire property after building a LEED clubhouse.
There is an easy solution to this, which is to define a "site boundary" for the project that just includes area immediately around the building. That allows your visitor to become certified, without suggesting that the certification applies to the entire park.
For landscape-only projects (the golf course, or the rest of the national park) there is the emerging Sustainable Sites Initiative, which USGBC has indicated it will endorse once it becomes official. http://www.sustainablesites.org/
Dealing with concurrent LEED certifications on one site
I am working on a medical campus project on which the team felt during the design development phase that it was justified to pursue 3 separate LEED 2009 certifications for a stand-alone adminstrative building (major renovation of a historic building), a new stand-alone research building (incorporating a partially preserved historic building), and a brand new medical center with various medical buildings and a CEP connected by a circulatory spine. Howeer, since schematic phase the whole campus was designed as an integrated site. Can we submit for the sustainable site credits for all three LEED certifications using documentation for one site, or we are better off creating artificial boundaries to split the site into 3 components driven by building locations? The later option will create challenges for us since we believe the whole campus as designed can satisfy most of the SS credits but when split we will not be able to meet some SS credit requirements within individual components.
Graciela Carrillo replied Feb 17 2010
I think you should specify a LEED boundary for each building and thus split the site into 3 areas. You may also check the LEED NC for multiple buildings, it may help you on which way to go. Although this document is meant to work with NC 2.2, it may clarify your options.
http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=1097
Hope this help.
Multiple buildings and site boundaries
I am working on certifying a office building for a waste management facility. There are several other structures used for sorting trash and recyclables on site. Am I able to define the "site boundary" such that it only includes this office building or is that considered gerrymandering?
Tristan Roberts replied Editor – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, LLC Mar 02 2010
Rachael, if the project in question is really just focused on this one building (is it a renovation, or an O&M project?) then it's not gerrymandering to include that building in the LEED boundary.
This basically sounds like a "campus" situation and you have flexibility around this issue. USGBC has a guide for multiple building applications, by the way, but it hasn't yet been update for 2009.
Rachael McClain replied LEED Coordinator, Living Elements Inc. Mar 02 2010
Tristan, thanks for getting back to me. The project is certifying under O&M. This project is only focused on this one particular building, the office building, but there are other structures on the site. However, to meet the Building area to site area ratio of 2% the site boundary must be redrawn to meet the requirements. So some of the on site structures may be excluded by default. Should I look into the details on "campus" situations under the supplemental guidance for MPR's?
Tristan Roberts replied Editor – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, LLC Mar 02 2010
Rachael, I guess I don't see what the problem is. If the project is focused on this one building—that's fine. If a sensible site boundary means you have to exclude other buildings (that you were maybe going to exclude anyway), also fine.
But I am a little confused—the intent behind that MPR requirement is to prevent LEED projects from benefiting unfairly in credit requirements by including a lot of open land around them. It seems counterintuitive that you would be forced to exclude buildings to meet the requirement.
Checking the MPR guidance is a good idea—there is a helpful note on campuses, though I'm not sure it directly addresses this question.
Who can be a required signatory?
Some of the submittal forms require the signature of a "required signatory". I says that they have to have some level of authority, but it does not say they have to be a licensed professional. Who can qualify to be a required signatory?
Tristan Roberts replied Editor – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, LLC Mar 02 2010
Usually the LEED Online credit forms will indicate who is required for the "Required signatory." As an example, we have posted screen captures of IEQc6.2 here, with guidance on how to fill them out. There's a spot where the mechanical designer is required to initial.
Any particular credits, etc., you're wondering about?
Rachael McClain replied LEED Coordinator, Living Elements Inc. Mar 02 2010
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly, that clarifies things for me. I was wondering about the minimum program requirements PI Form1 page 2, but I see now it requires a signature from the owner. Thanks again for the clarification.
Site boundary for new office in existing warehouse for LEED-CI
We are attempting LEED ID&C for an exisitng million+ SF cold dark shell industrial warehouse with a new 5481 SF office space. We are unclear whether to include the warehouse in the boundary as the improvements will include high-bay fluorescent lighting in the warehouse area, or if we should just define the boundary as the new office space. The warehouse would remain unconditioned, but the office would require HVAC and finishes. And if we exclude the warehouse shell, what of the site area? Can we include any/some of the site with the office boundary for SS credits? Any experience with this?
New office in existing warehouse for LEED-CI 2nd question
In addition to our boundary question, there is a question of occupancy. The way I read the LEED 2009 MPR Supplemental Guidance document, we cannot build this new office as a spec office and receive any IEQ points. Is there any consideration for spec spaces in LEED-CI? Excluding IEQ credits would be substantial.
David Posada replied Sustainability Manger, GBD Architects Mar 09 2010
Sherri,
The MPR Supplemental Guidance language for section 5 includes the statement "Only occupant hours that the building intends and expects to accomodate under normal building operations shall be included in the annual FTEFull-time equivalent (FTE) represents a regular building occupant who spends 8 hours a day (40 hours a week) in the project building. Part-time or overtime occupants have FTE values based on their hours per day divided by 8 (or hours per week divided by 40). Transient Occupants can be reported as either daily totals or as part of the FTE. Residential occupancy should be estimated based on the number and size of units. Core and Shell projects should refer to the default occupancy table in the Reference Guide appendix. All occupant assumptions must be consistent across all credits in all categories. calculations." In the past we've used FTE numbers for future TI buildouts following the default occupant densities found in the appendix of the Core and Shell reference guide. Since actual occupancy numbers are only mentioned as an issue for EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. projects, it would seem reasonable to use a default occupant density for a spec office such as 250 sf/ person, since that is the occupancy the building "intends and expects to accomodate".
Sherri Santellan replied Mar 09 2010
Thank you David. Your argument makes a world of sense to me.
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