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 areaGross floor area (based on ASHRAE definition) is the sum of the floor areas of the spaces within the building, including basements, mezzanine and intermediate‐floored tiers, and penthouses wi th headroom height of 7.5 ft (2.2 meters) or greater. Measurements m ust be taken from the exterior 39 faces of exterior walls OR from the centerline of walls separating buildings, OR (for LEED CI certifying spaces) from the centerline of walls separating spaces. Excludes non‐en closed (or non‐enclosable) roofed‐over areas such as exterior covered walkways, porches, terraces or steps, roof overhangs, and similar features. Excludes air shafts, pipe trenches, and chimneys. Excludes floor area dedicated to the parking and circulation of motor vehicles. ( Note that while excluded features may not be part of the gross floor area, and therefore technically not a part of the LEED project building, they may still be required to be a part of the overall LEED project and subject to MPRs, prerequisites, and credits.) is at least 2% of site area.
298 Comments
LEED MPR not very clear...
There are 2 different projects which we want to get certified.
Case 1: A tenant located in a LEED CS certified building. The tenant occupies the whole building on lease. The tenant fitouts are carried out about 2 years ago. The tenant now wants to pursue LEED rating for the fitouts as the high end HVAC & envelope is not in their scope. Is it possible to apply for CI now after the fitouts are completed about 2 years ago assuming it is able to meet all prerequisites & minimum number of points? Or can only the fitouts apply for Leed EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems.?
Case 2: Its a major renovation project where in the our client owns the 30 year old, 5 storey building. Out of 5 floors the owner is occupying only 4 floors & the ground floor is leased out to another user. The building owner does not have control over the ground floor fitouts, but can get watever data/ info is required. The owner is also modifying the envelope, i.e changing facade for better daylighting. The building owner also has control over the site. The HVAC services are not shared with the ground floor tenant. Can the building owner apply for LEED NC rating just for the floors they are occupying, in this case just 4 floors?
The MPR or the supplemental guide isnt really helping us decide in either of the cases. Can someone help us out on this? Thank you.
Historical Building
We are doing a feasibility study to green a campus where a Confucius Temple is located within. The temple is about 200 years old. There is no air conditioning system installed. It has minimum lighting. The Confucius Temple uses natural ventilation. This temple complex consist of a main temple in the middle of the court yard and a C shaped building surround the main temple. There is a detached public toilet room behind the C shaped building. Does this Confucius Temple meet LEED MPR? Can it be LEED-EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. certified?
no FTE
so if my project (a church) has no 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., then I can't get any IEQ credits? People will be using the church - they just won't be there 40 hours a week. It just seems unreasonable to say that low emitting materials, daylight (which contributes to energy savings) etc, won't earn you any credit in the IEQ category. Am I understanding this correctly??
I understand that if you have a space like this you can count the transients as FTEs. Calculate how long they will spend in the building and get your FTEs that way. I have not done this personally, so I reccomend getting an official answer from GBCI. For spaces such as you describe they are usually willing work with you.
The FTE requirment, as I understand, is really to discourage buildings who really won't have anyone using them regularly. Sounds like this building will be occupied regularly so it's likely GBCI will be able to work something out with you.
Does anyone have experience using this approach?
Energy and Water Usage Reporting - Manually Tracking
Does anyone have experience with assisting the owner to manually track energy and water usage using Energy Star's Facility Excel Templates? Any first hand information from LEED Certified projects that selected this option where the data was requested from USGBC? Trying to understand the requirements if owner chooses not the track with Energy Star Portfolio Manager, so any advice is appreciated.
NC High Residential Building
I am working on a Mining Camp Project outside US. We are pursuing LEED New Construction certification like High Residential Building. The building is placed on a slope, because of this, some part of building is one story high and others are 4 stories high but the building is mostly less than 4 floors. My question is if it can still be certified as NC High Residential Building?
Mixed Use Development vs MPR #2
This probably one of the old questions being asked before. Anyone can point me a right direction are much appreciated.
Currently, there is a new construction development contains 2 high-rise towers sitting on top of retail podium and basement carpark (typical development in many Asia countries nowadays). One of the towers will contain office (~80% GSF) and hotel (~20% GSF) portions. From the updated "Supplemental Guidance Rev 2", we understood that GBCI allow to certify one single tower as long as it meets "vertically attached building" scenario. However, my client further questioning - will GBCI accept to certify the office portion of that tower only (say LEED 2009 CS)? Or it must be entire tower under assessment?
My initial thought is entire tower need to be under assessment to keep "entirety", not allow to certify partially. But after reading some posts at here, it seems there're some exceptions.
Any suggestion is welcome.
Construction Fire in LEED Building
We have a building under construction that had an unexpected fire. The damage was minimal but is there anywhere in the reference guide that addresses any impact on LEED certification?
Nick,
I have not seen any reference to fire in the reference guides. I would suggest contacting GBCI directly.
LEED Boundary
We have more or less decided that either LEED NC or LEED HC rating system is the best way for us to go with this project, and only certify the addition. Thank you to all who responded. This does bring up another question. The original building (6,000sf) was certified under LEED NC v2.2 and most likely had a LEED Project Boundary. We are adding a Building addition (3,000sf) and I am not sure where to draw our LEED Project Boundary. This is for several reasons?
1) This entire or most of this site has been used in the original building LEED certification. Can I (and if I can how can I) redraw a new LEED project boundary as needed for our addition that is most likely including property out of the first LEED boundary area?
2) When the original building was certified it earned some of the site credits like SSc5.2 (Maximize Open Space). When I draw a new LEED boundary using the existing LEED site I will be reusing some of the property originally used for various credits. Is this an issue and if it is what is the best way around this?
3) I don’t know what the original project boundary was for the original building and even if it ever existed, how can I find out? If the owner cannot provide this to me can the USGBC?
4) Between the two building parts (existing and proposed addition) is where the LEED boundary will go?
It would be much appreciated if someone could help me out with these four questions.
Thank you,
Lee
Does anyone have any insight to this?
LEED CI - Subleased Spaces / Spaces not fitted out
Dear LEED Users,
we are going to do a LEED CI certification for a office building with 6 floors. The lessee (who requires LEED CI) is going to sublease one of his floors for the first 5 years and later the floor should be added to the other office space. This area will not be fitted out, instead the new sublessee should provide the interior fitout.
The question: Is it possible to include the floor which will not be fitted-out at the beginning in the LEED CI certification?
Temporary Site Office included?
Dear all,
As usual, Leeduser is my reference :) ... a submittal is sent by the contractor if the Site office facilities ( the temp. building for the contractor and consultant for site supervision..etc) need any requirements concerning LEED. As the builidng is registered for LEED 2009 NC. I haven't read much about Construction credits, so is there anything concerning site office specifications that should be stated? Thanks in advance.
No, the temporary site office (usually a trailer) is not covered in the LEED construction credits. We usually add provisions for the trailer to participate in recycling efforts. Some contractors already have this in place plus battery and lamp recycling and composting. A couple of years ago a company who made construction trailers tried to have their 'green' trailer included in the LEED credits but were denied even for EP credits.
Energy and Water Usage data - Words of Wisdom??
Does anybody have experience with manually-tracking energy and water usage data and submitting to USGBC upon request? Looking for words of wisdom from someone who has worked through the process.
Thanks
MPR 2 - Attached Building with a Separate Name
Does anyone have experience with changing the name of a Registered project during GBCI review, or even after Certification? Can the project name in the databases and GBCI/USGBC records be changed post-Certification?
We are working with a client to construct a new administrative wing to an existing facility. The MPR Supplemental Guidance requires "The same name must be used for all purposes - title of the LEED project as registered with USGBC/GBCI, in formal publications, internal and external preprty listings and databases, signage, etc."
Our client expects to obtain a major donor for naming rights of the new administrative wing, but does not anticipate finding the donor until after construction/Certification. We are delaying our design documentation review submittal until a name is resolved, but wonder if that is necessary. Anyone have any thoughts?
Shawn, I"m sure there is a way to resolve this and move ahead. I would recommend simply contacting GBCI and telling them the situation. I assume they will tell you how to move ahead. Please post back here with your experiences.
Just after posting the above response, I got the following communication about this from USGBC:
We typically allow project name changes both during the certification process and post-cert, as long as the project name change does not imply an owner change (which must go through Legal) or an address change. The specific details on this change vary slightly between LOv2 and LOv3, but in general the project team should have access to change the name anytime they have access to the project during the certification process and prior to accepting the final results. For post-cert name changes, they will need to submit a formal request using our contact form (http://www.gbci.org/contact).
We also direct project teams to review owner policies can be found in our Certification Policy Manual, and the change of ownership is outlined in Section 13.5: (https://www.leedonline.com/irj/go/km/docs/documents/usgbc/leed/config/te...)
Thanks Tristan - I submitted a request to GBCI at the same time that I posted here. My response from GBCI just arrived; "The name of a project may be updated during the certification process and after the project has been certified. Once you register the project you may update the project name on Leed Online under the Registration Details tab or by submitting a Feedback inquiry."
MPR #3 Reasonable Boundary
I have a question regarding the construction laydown area for my project. Is the construction laydown area required to be included in my LEED project boundary? The construction laydown area does not "support the normal building operations".
The construction laydown area is not usally included in the LEED Project Boundary since the work is temporary, and that area is often not permanently part of the project. SSp1 and SSc5.1 do still apply to the laydown area, so the impacts of construction activity is being addressed.
So does SSc5.1 only apply if that credit is being pursued on the entire project?
Yes, that's correct.
Factory extension - NC 2009.
Hi all,
First of all, can factories be LEED certified?, do they undergo under what the reference call commercial occupancies? :
" Examples of commercial occupancies include offices, institutional buildings (libraries, museums, churches, etc.), hotels, and residential buildings of 4 or more habitable stories."
It would be a large warehouse full of machines and workers (not administration building).
It was stated in the RFP that the factory owner aim at having Gold level.
We have our first meeting with the owner tomorrow, so I need your help ASAP.
Yes, there have been a few factories and manufacturing facilities that have achieved LEED certification, usually under LEED NC. We have found this isn't an easy task - the two biggest difficulties are energy efficiency and ventilation.
The "process energy" used by the factory machines is included in the energy model, and you have to show energy reductions to achieve LEED. There have been other discussions posted here and in the EAp2 and EAc1 forum with more specifics about how you model factory energy use, and how you create a baseline of typical energy use to compare your energy reductions. It's not easy!
For ventilation, you have to meet ventilation rates and standards that were originally intended for offices (ASHRAE 62.1) and are not always provided in a factory.
So, it's possible, but not easy, as many of the LEED credit requirements can be confusing when you apply them to a factory, and there are a few credits that just might not work at all. Gold is possible in some cases, but you wouldn't want to assume so without doing a detailed analysis of all the credits and the specific project design.
LEED Boundary vs. Scope of Work
I have an NC project that is a new MOB adjacent to an existing hospital. Because the existing hospital is located in between the new building and the street, the scope of work also included reconfiguring the entrance drive and renovating a number of parking spaces (not adding any) that serve the old hospital. In drawing my LEED boundary, I only included land that supported the new building operations and excluded the portion of the entry and parking that served the exsiting building based on my interpretation of MPR #3. I am now second-guessing my decision. MPR#3 states that the LEED boundary must include all contiguous land assocated with the LEED project building, including all land that was disturbed for the purpose of undertaking the LEED project. The area in question does not serve the LEED project but was disturbed as a consequence of the LEED building - is that the same thing as "the purpose of undertaking" the LEED project? My other concern is that if the existing building were ever to want to pursue certification, their boundary would be compromised due to the intrusion from the MOB. Does anyone have experience with this issue?
Ellen,
Sounds like your LEED project is in a dense area. Generally (in addition to meeting the MPRs) your LEED boundary should be "reasonable," as in, it should not exclude things for the benefit of the project or be unnessarily complex. Though it should include the scope of work on the site associated with the project building.
It sounds, to me, like the site work should be included. However, I understand your concern about a later certification for the adjacent building.
Does anyone have experience with potentailly overlapping LEED boundaries?
We run into this situation all the time on Hospital campuses and they are tough. As I understand things, you are allowed to overlap LEED project boundaries and we generally use the site limits of disturbance for our LEED Hosptial boundaries. One, it is simple for everyone involved. Two, you're not splitting hairs on any MR credits you may get from site related content. The other thing to consider is that all the LEED project boundaries on a campus should add up to include all of the campus, eventually. For projects at the edge of the campus, we flush out the boundary to cover this stiuplation.
I've been trying to wrap my head around the campus guides specifically for all the problems that arise in Hospitals. They still aren't that helpful. You have longer phasing issues, complicated parking situations, and large bases with open areas served by multiple buildings.
In relation to the boundary vs scope of work, we have a CI project that contains 2 existing bathrooms that the client wishes to exclude from the scope of work. We are including 2 new restrooms, so our water credits are good, but does anyone know if we can jog our boundary around the existing restrooms?
NC on top of existing 5 level structure
Hi all,
Can anyone help me? The project will be situated on top of an existing building. The structure is an existing mall with 6 Basement Level and 5 retail level.
The NC tower commence at Level 6 till level 48. HVAC system is totally independent from the existing mall. The project will have an access to the ground floor area of the building, thus will be renovated as part of the project.
The existing mall will not be included on the LEED certification.
Questions:
1. From the LEED MPR supplemental Guidance revision #2, particularly on page 15 item 6 – The certifying gross floor areaGross floor area (based on ASHRAE definition) is the sum of the floor areas of the spaces within the building, including basements, mezzanine and intermediate‐floored tiers, and penthouses wi th headroom height of 7.5 ft (2.2 meters) or greater. Measurements m ust be taken from the exterior 39 faces of exterior walls OR from the centerline of walls separating buildings, OR (for LEED CI certifying spaces) from the centerline of walls separating spaces. Excludes non‐en closed (or non‐enclosable) roofed‐over areas such as exterior covered walkways, porches, terraces or steps, roof overhangs, and similar features. Excludes air shafts, pipe trenches, and chimneys. Excludes floor area dedicated to the parking and circulation of motor vehicles. ( Note that while excluded features may not be part of the gross floor area, and therefore technically not a part of the LEED project building, they may still be required to be a part of the overall LEED project and subject to MPRs, prerequisites, and credits.) must be “contiguous, non-certifying floors between certifying floors are not acceptable”. How do we go about the portion of Ground Floor being accessible and renovated? Will it be acceptable to include the GF portion of construction calling the exceptions reflected on pages 19 - 20?
2. Since the project will be placed on top of an existing structure could the footprint of the existing structure be considered as the LEED project boundary?
3. Can the existing basement level parking spaces be used as part of the calculations for parking, bicycle storage as per 3rd line page 25 of the referenced document above? The parking would be eventually bought by our client from its current Owner, but all existing MEPS installation shall be maintained as per the existing structure. Only portion of the basement parking would be dedicated to the NC project. The parking operation is still under discussion between our client and the current owner.
Thanks! Hope to hear from you real soon
1. It sounds like you may meet the exceptions on pages 19 – 20, especially if the NC tower has clear separations from the retail floors in terms of function, access, and identity. For example, if the ground floor renovations are creating a separate elevator lobby for the tower for elevators that do not access the retail floors of the shopping mall, this seems pretty clear. It would be ideal to only include the ground floor renovation area that supports the tower functions, if this is possible.
2. A LEED boundary can be a three-dimensional volume, or envelope, that changes shape across different floors or levels if this is also the clear boundary of the work and the project spaces. Many projects have boundaries that correspond 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. at ground level, but then are larger or smaller than this area below ground to accommodate floors below grade. In your case you might imagine the NC tower "tunneling through" the retail floors and exclude those spaces.
3. Yes. Just make sure you are allocating an accurate number of parking spaces to the building. It would be inaccurate to dedicate just a small number of parking spaces and pursue SSc4.4, Reduced Parking Capacity, if in fact the building occupants would be accessing or using a larger number of spaces.
Hi David, thanks alot. Follow up question - on page 25 of the referenced doc there is a statement and an example (2nd paragraph 2nd line "therefore they will not be considered for other prerequisite, credit, or MPR compliance) which I need a help of (im a bit confised). Given the above conditions, does the statement above means that if I use the basement to comply for SSc4.3 it will not be allowed?
LEED Boundary - NC 2009
My client is entering into a ground lease within an existing retail development that contains multiple buildings and I am trying to determine our “LEED Project Boundary”. The overall site is 16.8 acres and has 260,000sf Gross Leasable Area (GLA) and 993 existing shared parking spaces.
We are proposing to build a new 45,000sf two story building with a ground floor of 32,000 sf. To accommodate our new building the landlord is demolishing an existing one story 32,000 sq ft building resulting in an increased GLA of 13,000 sf. To meet the minimum local parking requirement the LL is adding 9 new parking spaces to the shared parking for the whole site.
Because we are on a site with multiple buildings and shared parking I believe the “LEED Project Boundary” should be set at the back of curb (our ground lease area). Is this correct? Or should I use the Limits of Disturbance (LOD) from the LL's project that includes our building as well as the new parking spaces and utility connections even though we are not doing that work? In either case, will it raise any red flags with the reviewers to have a 45000sf building that has no or few parking spaces within the LEED boundary (the LOD only contains the nine new spaces plus a dozen or so more that are around the utility connections)? Any help would be very much appreciated!
You are allowed to use parking spaces outside your LEED Boundary - see the MPR Supplemental Guidance document - so you don't always include those. There's been some confusion about defining the LEED Boundary in ground lease scenarios and building pads being developed in larger commercial properties such as retail centers or office parks. It may be worth getting 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 to save time in the long run.
LEED CI Energy & Water Usage Data
I have a client who is pursuing LEED CI in a building that is LEED CS certified. The LEED CS application did not pursue EA c 5.1 and 5.2. Thus the client's space is not separately metered. Nor is it within their budget to install the necessary metering. How then can the client comply with MPR 6- Option 2?
Thank you!
Deborah - if you scroll down to the "Additional Details" section below MPR #7, it gives you the option to claim an exemption from MPR#6 if you cannot install energy and water meters.
Ellen - I knew of that option. I just wanted to be sure it was going to be allowable option in this case. Thank you for your advice!
Minimum requirement for Core and Shell area?
EAc6 Green Power for Core & Shell certification requires that 15% min of the total building area (BOMA standard) be used to calculate the energy consumption. Is this minimum CS area also a minimum program requirement for LEED? Is this standard applied to any other credits?
S, I am not aware of how this would be or is an MPR. It sounds like a documentation requirement for this credit and nothing more. Does anyone have more info?
Certifying a building "addition"
Okay so per MPR 2: Must be a building. I know building additions cannot be separately certified and the whole building needs to be certified. My question though is, what if the "addition" is pretty much a separate building. The existing hotel is 33 floors and about 600,000 SF. The new tower will be constructed next to the existing building along a corner axis; 41 floors and about 800,000 SF. The new tower will only be connected through a 3 Story atrium/arcade area.
So I am wondering if it would be possible to just Certify the new tower or if I would have to certify the entire property. Also is the existing building would need to be certified as well, can we certify it under a different rating system?
I'd appreciate any advice you guys could provide.
Hi EunChung Kim,
This sounds like it should be fine. However you should read through the Supplemental Guidance Document, found here, to make sure.
LEED 2.2 Minimum Program Requirements
We have many projects some under LEED 2009 and some under 2.2, the team keeps getting confused and applying the MPR to all. Is it correct that the "new" MPRs only apply to 2.2. specifically as it relates to building square footage.
MPRs showed up in LEED 2009 and not in LEED v 2.2. Applying MPRs to these projects may or may not do you any harm. You won't be able to document compliance as there are no forms for them.
PI form 1 - precertification preliminary review
We have a project under precertification process. In the LEED certification project review report, the CB requires that we provide a narrative to clarify one of the options presented in the review comments of PI form 1: Minimum Program Requirement.
I would like to know how to proceed. We need to present a narrative and attach files to respond the comments but the form do not allows upload files.
Can we do the upload by PI form 4 and inform CB by direct message?
Tks
Marcio, that sounds like a good solution, or message the CB and inform them of the predicament, and ask what they prefer you to do.
Mixed Use Development
We are working on a mixed use development with four towers on a common underground base that serves as parking garage. Two of the towers are office buildings and will be certified under LEED Core and Shell. These two towers also share a common roof (canopy that stretches over both buildings).
We would like to know:
(1) Whether we can certify these two CS buildings under a single project registration?
(2) The two buildings being certified separate or combined, should the parking garages be included in the project boundary? There is no physical barrier separating the parking garage areas and one contigous parking area serves all four towers in the development.
Any comments would be appreciated. We have consulted the GBCI on this, but so far there is no reply.
Omer, have you consulted the MPRs, and MPR supplemental guidance, which includes guidance on attached buildings? This is where I would start. What is your take on it from reviewing that?
Do the two towers have distinct names, addresses, identities? Is MEP separate or integrated? That would have to be factored in.
Tristan, yes we have gone through the MPR and supplemental guidance. They mention attached buildings being certified together under certain exceptions, but do not really offer guidance on this case. Even if the buildings are to be considered separate, what to do with the parking garage below them? Is it possible to exclude that from the LEED project boundary? What happens then to credits that involve parking spaces, such as Heat Island - Nonroof?
Yes the two towers have distinct names, addresses, identities and the MEP is separate.
If the MEP systems are separate, and the buildings have different addresses you may need to certify them separately. If one building is essentially a "copy" of the other, and they are almost identical, I could see certifying them together, but that may be difficult to get approved since the energy models are likely to be different in some way. You probably want to use the "Block" function in LEED Online to share site information that is the same for both projects and to get the same reviewer for both projects.
Since the parking garages "support the building operations" they should be included in the LEED boundary. You could make an imaginary boundary down the middle and assign one "half" of the garage to one project, and the other half to the other project. The spaces assigned to each building would count toward Heat Island Non-Roof and other parking space related credits like SSc4.4, Parking Capacity. See pages 26 - 27 of the Sept 1, 2011 MPR Supplemental Guidance Document.
I don't think it would make a difference if the spaces aren't officially assigned to one building or the other, except possibly for SSc4.3. Does each building have its own elevator or access from the garage or do they share a point of access? In either case, you'll need to locate enough preferred parkingPreferred parking, available to particular users, includes designated spaces close to the building (aside from designated handicapped spots), designated covered spaces, discounted parking passes, and guaranteed passes in a lottery system. spaces for both buildings at the appropriate access points if you are pursuing credit SSc4.3.
Hope that helps,
Subway Station LEED certified?
Hi all,
does anyone know if a subway station has ever had a LEED certification? It seems to me that, regarding the MPR, it might be possible, but I did not find any record of station being certified.
Do you have insight on that?
Thanks
And more specifically, is it possible to certified an entire subway line? I guess it's possible to certified separately all the subway stations, but is it possible to include the line in itself (tunnel)? Does one need to include the train in itself?
Thanks a lot!
You can check the Certified projects directory and the Registered projects directory - I haven't seen any certified subway, train, or rail stations, but there are some rail projects that have been registered.
http://www.usgbc.org/LEED/Project/RegisteredProjectList.aspx
It's possible that some stations may not meet the MPR requirements for enclosed, conditioned area or an 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. if they are a small, open air station with few staff. But underground stations may have enough conditioned, ventilated area and FTE to qualify.
Since this is a special situation, you probably need to confirm your project boundary with the GBCI before you make a commitment to using LEED. I imagine you would exclude the trains themselves since they are "equipment." You might need to discuss with the GBCI if you need to include the tunnels and tracks, and if you have to include the energy that powers the trains as "process energy."
LEED AGMBC Part II release?
We are told that part 2 of the Application Guide for Multiple Buildings and On-Campus Building Projects is to be released in 2011. This question has been asked before on the forum, but it becomes more relevant as the end of 2011 quickly approaches: when part 2 is being released? What changes does it introduce? I have a developer with a campus project immediately, and it would be nice to know our options. Should I recommend we hold off registration for a month or two?
Cheers!
Nadav malin wrote a comment about this in the "New LEED Guidance for Campuses and Multiple Buildings" chat subject of the LEED-user Forum:
Got this update forwarded from a USGBC rep:
"The updated guidance including group certification (what was Part 2) will be out at the end of October. However, we won't be able to certify projects under that guidance until the first quarter 2012 when the LEED Online portion launches."
Part 2 is described on the USGBC website in this way: "Part 2 (coming in 2011) will contain guidance to help project teams certify a group of buildings as a package where the entire building set will receive a single rating. These buildings may constitute an entire campus or be a subset of an existing campus."
Campus projects and green roof
I have a developer planning 4 contiguous different space types who is interested in LEED NC certification for 3 of them. The development consists of a shopping and parking complex which spans the entire site boundary. Vertically attached are 2 office towers and a hotel tower, with the remaining roof of the shopping complex vegetated open park area. The hotel owner will not pursue LEED, leaving the remaining 3 buildings. So if I apply for a campus project for these three buildings, can I count the green roof of the shopping center for open space and heat island roof in the master site for all projects?
Cheers!
Probably - take a close look at MPRs #2 and #3, especially pages 18 - 25 of the Sept 1, 2011 version of the MPR Supplemental Guidance, Revision 2, and also the Application Guide for Multiple Buildings and Campuses, Part 1.
The MPRs discourage us from registering a project like this as "one building" (pg 22) and the AGMBC is designed for multiple buildings to share site areas such as green spaces for compliance. Both the MPRs and AGMBC suggest we can exclude a building such as your hotel.
(Yes, Part 2 will be very useful once it's released, but I haven't heard when that will be. Until then you may need to register the projects individually, but use the "block" function to share areas. See the long discussion at http://www.leeduser.com/topic/new-leed-guidance-campuses-and-multiple-bu... )
One thing to verify is whether the area of green roof and open space is enough to satisfy the needs of all certifying buildings when their areas are added together.
MPR 6 Project Exemption - Multifamily
Currently involved in a multifamily/mixed-use development that would have individually metered residential units. Tenants will be responsible for utility and water payments and usage information will not go through building owners.
Is this, in and of itself, a resonable explaination and reason in which to claim project exemption to MPR6?
Is there an alternative strategy, asidse from requiring tenants to provide energy and water usage information, for metting this requirement?
Thanks to all!
Perhaps this is redundant, but are the units submetered from a main unit or actually individual? Also, with this MPR you can use automatic reporting through EnergyStar's Portfolio Manager.
LEED project boundary question
I am working on a project that is being completed in 2 phases.
Phase 1 is completed and a certified LEED project. The Phase 1 LEED Project Area included an area that was going to be a water feature, but, the water feature was not completed and not included in Phase 1, nor was it a part of our submittal. The land and open space was included in Phase 1 for the LEED Project Area and SSc5.2. Phase 1 was accurate based on the project itself at that time.
Phase 2 is a LEED registered project and it has completed design. The project plans to complete the water feature that was in the Phase 1 LEED Project Area.
My question is do I include the area for the water feature in the Phase 2 LEED Project Area, or since that area was already included in Phase 1, exclude it since Phase 1 benefited from the open space? How is this accounted for in Phase 2? This project is not a campus project.
If the area of the designed water feature was needed for Phase 1 to have enough open space to acheive the SSc5.2 credit, you probably can't count it in Phase 2. If Phase 1 acheived the credit without the area of the water feature included, it seems reasonable to include in Phase 2 since that wouldn't be "double dipping."
New BD&C attached to Uncertified gut renovation
I have been unable to get complete clarity on my issue from the number of great conversations within this realm.
I have a major gut renovation that, while completed and documented to LEED NC standards, will not submit for certification. However, a new, and larger, addition is planned in the near future that will apply for certification. Can the documentation saved from the previous gut remodel be added to this new building addition in order to certify the entire building? same owner, same users in both. thanks so much.. k
It sounds reasonable to document the whole project, including the previous gut remodel, essentially as a two-phase project, as long as the remodel was fairly recent and thoroughly documented. The biggest possible deal-breakers would be EAp1 and c3 commissioning, SSp1 erosion control, MRc2 Construction Waste Mgmt, and EQc3 IAQIndoor air quality: The quality and attributes of indoor air affecting the health and comfort building occupants. IAQ encompasses available fresh air, contaminant levels, acoustics and noise levels, lighting quality, and other factors. Mgmt during construction, as these have to be implemented and documented during construction.
For most of the site and water credits it's probably simplest to look at the whole project as one and document the total parking, landscaping, water use, etc. For other credits, such as commissioning construction waste you may want to clearly indicate which documentation is for phase 1 and which is phase 2. The MR 4,5,6 & 7 and EQc4 material data could be combined in the final credit forms, but supporting documentation should probably be clearly marked as phase 1 or 2.
Non contiguous offices spaces: Single LEED CI rating
Hi,
The base building is a non certified building of gross 7,00,000 sq ft.
Our clients have tenanted 8,000 sq ft on the ground floor and a cumulative 50,000 sq ft on the top two floors for office. Though the office spaces are physically separated across the vertical section, there is central air conditioning system provided by the base builder.
The clients are keen on applying for a single combined rating under LEED CI for the mentioned parcels of office spaces.
The ownership for both the office spaces is common under one name, as well as the construction/ interiors for both the spaces would be happening simultaneously.
Is it possible to apply for a single combined rating (LEED CI) for both the non contiguous vertical office spaces considering the issues outlined in MPR 3?
Thanks!
Tammay, I would think this is possible, but it would be worth going through the LEED Online registration process to see if any issues come up through the process, and an email to GBCI to confirm the approach would also be worthwhile.
Minimum Project Requirements LEED-CI
I have a client who is single tenant in a LEED-EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. building. They are planning a renovation and expansion of their conference center within this LEED-EBOM building. Can they do project as LEED-CI? It will not be separate "ownership, management, or lease as they are the single tenant. Don't know what "party wall separation" means.
thanks
Holly, the LEED registration defers to the MPR which includes the 'party wall' discussion. ('Party wall' in code is a rated wall assembly between 2 different spaces, but see the 'exception' below.) Per the MPR, for CI the 'LEED project scope must include a complete interior space distinct from other spaces within the same building with regards to at least one of the following characteristics: ownership, management, lease, or party wall separation." The Exceptions in June 2011 MPR Supplement go on to say: "There are many situations in which a single entity owns, manages, and occupies an entire building, and wishes to certify a renovated portion of the building that is not separate from other portions by one of the attributes listed above. like ...Part of one floor or Multiple, non‐contiguous parts of one floor or Multiple certifying floors separated by non‐certifying floors."
"Such spaces are not automatically disqualified from attempting to certify under LEED CI. Project teams with this situation must submit a narrative in PIF1 in LEED v3 confirming that the conditions below are met: a) It is unreasonable or impossible to draw a project boundary where there is separation by ownership, management, lease, or party wall separation. This often happens when the edge of the construction work does not coincide with such as boundary. b) The construction work is being conducted under a single contract. ... The LEED project boundary is drawn at a clear functional AND physical barrier ... The LEED project boundary is not drawn in such way as to create an unreasonably difficult review process.For example, it would be best if the LEED project boundary coincided with an HVAC zone boundary.'
Does that make sense or help? Anxious to hear others thoughts. Good luck.
P1F1: Energy and Water Usage Reporting
How does one report energy and water usage data if not submitting via Energy Star's Portfolio Manager? Is one required to submit, or just have the data compiled in the event USGBC requests it?
Hi Sandra, is there any reason why you wouldn't report through Energy Star? It's the easiest, cheapest, and fastest way to do so.
To your second question, you must submit the data with your submittals on the Energy Credits. Different ways to do so depending which system you are under. NC, EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems., etc.
So by choosing MPR6 Option1, does our client need to manually input data online for the next 5 years? Or does it automatically update utility info? Does USGBC just come get the data when they want it? I am trying to choose the path with the least amount of work for our client.
Hi Heather,
Have you seen the MPR 6 FAQ document? It may help shed some light.
Absolutely I did. But it says "IF the the project fails to provide USGBC with data through Portfolio Manager....USGBC will be able to obtain the data" So does that mean from day #1 of Occupancy, the owner does not need to supply utility information? "IF" makes it seem like USGBC is expecting them to fill out the forms.
Hi Heather,
USGBC does expect that the owner supply energy and water data from day 1 of occupancy - no matter the option chosen to comply with MPR6. In the case of Option 1, USGBC asks that the data is submitted using Portfolio Manager for the 5 year period. The data release form is a back up method in the even that the project fails to maintain compliance with MPR6 over the 5 year period.
So in short, the owner does need to supply utility information beginning day 1 of typical physical occupancy.
If you would like to talk further, please email LEEDPerformance@usgbc.org and we will talk through the options with you.
LEED 2009 ID+C MPR #2
I have a client who has leased approximately 150,000 sf of manufacturing space in a 700,000 sf vacant manufacturing building (due to consolidation, the former owner no longer uses this space). The space is operational and is being used as a manufacturing space to print food labels.
The client has now decided to lease additional space adjacent to the manufacturing space that will be built-out into a two-story 10,000 sf office space and a 2-story 6,000 sf technology training center. The client would like to seek LEED-CI for the office space and the technology training center, which will be separately metered. A geothermal system is currently being installed for this space and will be mechanically independent of the manufacturing space.
Per MPR 2 - Must be a Complete Permanent Building or Space, for Commercial Interiors, "...must be a complete interior space distinct from other spaces within the same building with regards to at least one of teh following characteristics: ownership (the entire building is owned by one owner), management (the manufacturing space and the office space is the same tenant and will be managed by that tenant), lease (?), or party wall separation (?). Can the office and technology space seek LEED certification and NOT the manufacturing space which is already operational? Can the new 16,000 sf of office/technology space be added onto their existing lease for the manufacturing space, or does the client need to have a separate lease? This is a completely separate project with a separate architect that has drawings strictly for the office space. Currently party wall separation is not part of the design, as they would like office personnel to access the manufacturing space for client tours. Any suggested advise would be greatly appreciated.
In the most recent revision of the MPR Guidance (June 1, 2011) posted at
http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=6473
See page 17 and 18 for exceptions that suggest you can exclude the manufacturing space:
"There are many situations in which a single entity owns, manages, and occupies an entire building, and wishes to certify a renovated portion of the building that is not separate from other portions by one of the attributes listed above.... For example, multiple unconnected office spaces within a warehouse may be renovated, but not the main warehouse floor area."
It sounds like you might meet the exception since it's a separate, complete scope of work, and there is a "clear functional AND physical barrier," but you'll want to check that you meet the criteria a) thru f) on pg 18. Hope that helps!
Thanks David!! I appreciate the help!
LEED EBOM - Project Boundary
We are currently working on a LEED EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. 2009 project. The development consists of a podium shopping mall and a main office building tower (over 30 stories) and an ancillary building (about 10 stories) on top of the podium. The mall part and the office part have separate ownership and management. The main building and the ancillary building share the same HVAC plant. There are a set of plant room located in the basement floor for the mall and the office buildings. However, a separated 6-storey parking garage under the same management of the office located next to the development. The parking garage is opened to public. There is a residential tower on top of the parking garage, which is not under the management of the office or the mall.
Here we have a few queries on setting the project boundary:
1. Shall we exclude the mall area and the basement plant room area from the project boundary? It is the facility management of the office who would like to pursuit the LEED EBOM certification. Thus, they do not want to include the mall area. According to the MPR requirement (June 1, 2011, Page15): “If the certifying project is certifying under LEED EB:O&M OR is a major renovation AND/OR is vertically attached to the non‐certifying building, then it must be separated from the attached building by the following: a) Ownership AND b) management OR space usage type”, we think that it is able to exclude the mall area in our project boundary as the office and the mall has separated energy and water system. However, the basement plant rooms are mixed with equipments for mall and office. For example, the transformer rooms contain the transformers for both mall use and office use. Since it is already an existing building in operation for years, it is not possible to modify these plant rooms separated mall and office.
2. Shall we consider the main building and the ancillary building be a single building project to certify under one LEED project? If we remove the mall area, the two buildings will be like two separated buildings, you cannot walk from one office building to another one. Even for drawings, they have separated sets. As the ancillary building is just a small area as compared with the main building tower, it shares the HVAC plant with the main building.
3. If the parking garage is not included in the project boundary, shall we still get SS c7.1 Heat Island EffectHeat island effect refers to the absorption of heat by hardscapes, such as dark, nonreflective pavement and buildings, and its radiation to surrounding areas. Particularly in urban areas, other sources may include vehicle exhaust, air-conditioners, and street equipment; reduced airflow from tall buildings and narrow streets exacerbates the effect. – Non-Roof through “Parking under cover”? There are just a few parking spaces on ground level inside the project site boundary. It is a truth that most of the office occupants use the parking garage.
You'll need to email the GBCI thru the LEED Online Feedback form, or a 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 to get definite answers to these questions, since these are critical issues and the situation is fairly complex. Here are my impressions, in case that helps clarify the questions you'll be asking:
Re: 1) It sounds like the office can be considered a vertically separate building from the shopping mall even if they share the basement plant rooms, as long as the HVAC and plumbing equipment serving the office and mall are separate systems. So, clarify to the GBCi if they have separate water heaters, chillers, fans, ducts etc. Also clarify if the name and address of the office is different than the shopping mall.
Re: 2) Not sure if you can certify the main office portion and the ancillary office building as one project - are they under the same ownership and management? It seems like they could be seen as two "wings" of the same building if they share management and HVAC systems, so make sure that is clear.
Re: 3) Check the revised version of MPR Guidance at
http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=6473
especially pages 19, 23, 24, and 26 that talk about garages. Per page 24, you can use a parking area outside the LEED boundary to meet certain credits like SSc7.1 for covered parking if you meet two conditions, but since the office and parking have the same ownership, you might need to include that whole parking garage in the LEED Project Boundary (but you probably can exclude the residential building above that garage). You'll also need to confirm this with GBCI.
LEED pif3 version 4.0
Hi, i have recently updated my pif3 to version 4 and found that there is a new option for "complex occupancy". Required is an upload of an excel document "project 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". Has anyone done this?
Can i create my own excel spreadsheet, I can’t find a template for this.
Tanks/ Veronika
Yes, this is pretty new, so you'll need to set up your own excel spreadsheet. I think this new way to enter 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. and occupancy numbers is an improvement over the previous tables, but like anything new is likely to raise some questions of its own.
If you're not sure if you have entered the right FTE and Transient numbers, you can check the credit forms that reference this section, such as preferred parkingPreferred parking, available to particular users, includes designated spaces close to the building (aside from designated handicapped spots), designated covered spaces, discounted parking passes, and guaranteed passes in a lottery system. spaces, bike racks, showers, WEp1, WEc2, WEc3, EAc1, EQp1...etc. See if the occupancy numbers being carried in to the credit forms are appropriate for the requirements.
I'm pretty sure I fall under the new option of "complex occupancy". Our building is a mix of a gym/group fitness room, wellness center with exam rooms, and flex/conference room space. I would assume we have to complex occupancy calculations with all of the different uses at all times of the day. Has anyone done this since the original post or do you have an example?
I'm also stuck trying to get our client to give us estimates, becasue I don't think they are sure of how this building will be used. All I have is 123 per people per day based on calculations the engineers did for sanitary sewage flow estimates. Can this really just be a guess?
Thanks.
LEED for Schools 2009 - LEED Project Boundary
My project is a existing High School, Building addition and major renovation. 1.) One section of the school, 4 science classrooms, is an addition only a few years old and has it's own mechanical service which we are not touching. Do I need to include these rooms in my project? If I include them it may compromise the total performance of the building. 2.) The project also has an existing Gym and Auditorium, both with their own existing HVAC system, which we are not touching except for adding life safety sprinkler system. Would I need to add these areas to my LEED boundary? 3.) Lastly, the school has a existing Pool / Natatorium we are connecting to. Again, is serviced by it own mechanical equipment which we are not touching. It has its's own entrance. We will be adding, Life safety sprinkler system to the area only. Do I need to include this area in my boundry? Thanks in advanced for your input and guidance.
That's a tricky one - Check the revised version of MPR Guidance at
http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=6473
especially pages 17 -19, and MPR #3. It sounds like you can exclude the 4 science classrooms. If the gym, auditorium, and pool are only getting new sprinklers and have their own separate HVAC systems, it sounds reasonable to exclude them as well but you'll want to confirm with GBCI.
Lake outside/inside Project Boundary
Hi,
Our building is located in offices business park. In the center there is a lake which we want to use as a source of water for irrygation system. If our pipes are attached to the lake do we have to take whole lake to account for Project Boundary or just a part where we have a pipes?
Thanks.
BH, review the LEED Minimum Program Requirements supplemental guidance. Look for the guidance on setting the project boundary relative to features that support credit achivement. I think it would be precedented to exclude the lake based on that guidance.
MPR#3 Revision 1
I'm working on a project that is a complex of 3 office buildings A, B and C, phased in time, puls one small administration building supporting building A. Only office buildings will be certified. According to Revision 1 of Supplemental Guidance to the Minimum Program Requirements (June1, 2011) MPR #3 is it required to certify all of the buildings as a multiple project? Can I register all three buildings seperately? And what about building A and it's supporting building, can it also be registered and certified as a single building?
Adam, my reading of the MPR guidance does not suggest that you have to certify them all as one project, or that you have to register them all separately. I think you have leeway here.
The office building is probably its own project, but determining that would require a bit more information, on what it means that it's supporting.
Building construction site shared with other building.
Hi,
I have doubts related to Project Boundary. We are certifying two buildings next to each other but with different owners and designers.
First one is under construction and using the site of future second building. Construction of second one will start shortly and the same company will build both using one space (construction site) for two buildings.
What will you suggest for the best Project boundary for building 1 and building 2? Can I use the site Boundary of each project as LEED Project Boundary even if Building 1 is "distrurbing land" of Building 2 site boundary? Its quite hard to describe it without the drawing :O)...
Thanks for any comments.
In the version 1 MPR supplemental guide on page 15 they give a clear explanation of phased projects. http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=9552. It was removed in the subsequent version, but I think the basic principles should still apply. One boundary can be a subset or partially a subset of another boundary, but you can't count the same strateg for both projects (i.e. bike racks) unless you use the Multiple Buildings guide http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=2326 and coordinate with the other project.
Thanks Michelle for quick ansewer.
The problem as I mentioned is that construction site of building 1 is extended to site area of Building 2 (other owner, designers ect.). So even if I will count whole area for PB of first project, what should I take to calculations related to i.e. SS Credit 6 (Stormwater design) or WE Credit 1 (Water Landscaping)?
The design of architects (and engineers i.e. stormwater system) for Building 1 ends with plot border line. Now when Project Boundary is bigger we suppose to find a solution for the rest of the area related to Building 2. Even if we will consider that there will be just a grass it wouldn`t be a true because soon the construction of Building 2 will start.
Its seems to be a simple and quite normal situation when construction site extend the size of the plot and there is no plan (design) for it, especially when the same company will soon start to use the plot of Building 1 and finish all landscape for both buildings at once.
LEED boundary for shared parking garage
In the Minimum program requirements updated June 1, 2011, I found an Example on page 26 stating that "the project team must draw its LEED project boundary to include twenty spaces and forty percent of the supporting hardscape." This is in reference to a shared new parking lot where only one of the two neighboring stores are pursuing LEED certification. Does anyone have any advice in how to draw a boundary that splits up a parking garage? Does this mean the support services for the garage also need to be split up as well? How does this fit into the new LEED interpretation from May 9,2011 stating that parking garages may not be included in the gross floor areaGross floor area (based on ASHRAE definition) is the sum of the floor areas of the spaces within the building, including basements, mezzanine and intermediate‐floored tiers, and penthouses wi th headroom height of 7.5 ft (2.2 meters) or greater. Measurements m ust be taken from the exterior 39 faces of exterior walls OR from the centerline of walls separating buildings, OR (for LEED CI certifying spaces) from the centerline of walls separating spaces. Excludes non‐en closed (or non‐enclosable) roofed‐over areas such as exterior covered walkways, porches, terraces or steps, roof overhangs, and similar features. Excludes air shafts, pipe trenches, and chimneys. Excludes floor area dedicated to the parking and circulation of motor vehicles. ( Note that while excluded features may not be part of the gross floor area, and therefore technically not a part of the LEED project building, they may still be required to be a part of the overall LEED project and subject to MPRs, prerequisites, and credits.) of the LEED project building? Is the energy consumption of the garage still included?
SW, due in part to the slow response to your question, we have a new resource available that may help—the Sept. 2011 edition of the MPR supplemental guidance. I haven't reviewed it relative to your question, but I suspect it has been clarified.
LEED EBOM - Site Boundry - Include water from a pond or not?
We are compiling data to submit an office building for EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems.. There is a pond which borders the property and we noticed through a property survey that the office actually owns the land beneath the water as the property line continues to the adjacent waterline. Should the surface of the water be included as Site Area and included in the Site Boundary? In either case, including the water or not, we still have approriate site/building ratio and coverage, but I do not want to submit incorrect data.
Thanks -
Mark, I would include the pond, but I don't think it's critical either way. This does not bring up some of the critical LEED credit issues that MPR#3 was written for.
Occupancy - LEED for Schools 2009
In the Occupancy Data form it is very clear to me that numbers of staff, students and transient occupants should be entered in the 3 separate boxes assigned to each category. However, when the form calculates total number of building occupants, it only adds staff and transient, leaving students out of the calculation. This seems to be a mistake, since students are the vast majority of occupants in a school building. Is it just an error in the calculation formula or is this really USGBC's intent?
Donna, have you gotten an answer to this since you posted the question?
My guess would be that the intention is not to count young students in some credits such as for bike racks. But it sounds like this is much broader than that.
MPR 2 and 3 question
Hi,
I have checked and rechecked many times the language of MPR 2 and 3 and still can’t find the answer to my specific case. I hope you can help me out here.
This is a new core and shell office buildings project that will be built in stages. The first stage is the east side and the central lobby of the core and shell building. The second stage would be the west side that will be sharing the same lobby. According to MPR you are allowed to build attached buildings to already certified buildings. At this moment the only registered project is the east side and lobby, and all the documentation is being done for that part since the initial budget covers that part only, and there is no budget for the whole building. If sales are going fine during construction of the first stage, second stage will be built and also certified but at this moment you don’t know if it is going to be built after completion, in three months or at the same time. So the question is can we proceed with the certification of east and lobby parts of the building and if at mid construction the budget allows it, can we certify the west side as another project, even though they are sharing the lobby and the first wing is not yet certified?
For your reference east wing and lobby was registered as CS 2.0 single building.
Many thanks in advance,
Xavi
Xavi, I think you can definitely proceed with the certification process for the building as it is currently being built.
I think that if the west side gets started mid-construction on the other side, it could be added to the scope of the existing LEED-CS project, OR begun as a new LEED project.
If the west side gets built after occupancy of the other part, then it could become its own LEED project.
Off-Grid Building
We are working on an off-grid project that is a small one room classroom (meets the minimum size requirements). However it does not have an active heating or cooling system and operates solely on solar orientation and natural ventilation. The project is located in San Francisco CA where this is possible. Will the lack of active heating/cooling and ventilation systems be an issue in meeting the MPRs? I don't see anything that would necessarily prevent us from certification.
No. That should be looked upon favorably rather than being a hurdle to certification.
LEED for Retail is ebom an option
I am working with a client that wants to certify an existing mall
they own all the retail locations and have 35 renters.
they have benn in operations for 3 years and now want to pursue LEED
They are no going to remodel in the near future and they have 90% occupancy, will this be a project for EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. renters do not have their own bathrooms and electric supply is mettered for each tenant
I am still not sure if this kind of project will comply with EBOM
Hi Alicia, the only guidance I have is that, buildings with tenants go for LEED EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. all the time. Its the most common.
It will be the responsibility for the building owner/operator to work with their tenants on the different policies within EBOM. you may have to use the 10% floor area exclusion to help you with the project.
Hopefully the tenants want the certification just as bad as the owner. If this is not the case, then you need to go back to square one and educate/ show value/ explain the process and benefits.
hope this helps.
Eligibility
A client wants LEED certification for a Fueling station with a convenient store. Reviewing the MPR we can´t find any restriction regarding this type of building, do you think there are eligibility issues since it stimulates fossil-based fuels?
Rodrigo, I can't think of any eligibility issues related to the purpose of the building. There are LEED-certified factories, parking garages, and probably filling stations.
One small correction Tristan...USGBC just said there would be no more Parking Ramps certified.
The City of Chicago has a small building type called a Ward Yard where city vehicles are fueled with fossil-based (and bio fuels), and at least one is LEED certified. (Parking is at-grade.)
See '28th Ward Yard, Chicago IL US. LEED NC 2.2,l City of Chicago - Dept of General Services- Gold' on the LEED project directory. Go for it, Rodrigo.
Submittal cutoff dates
I am working on a LEED CI v2009 project and have been asked what the cutoff date is for submittal. I can remember seeing 18 months after occupancy for LEED NC projects (I think!) but I can't find it written anywhere. Can anyone direct me to a written, USGBC issued document that clearly defines the cutoff date for submittal on for LEED CI v2009?
Also, the space is now occupied, although some commissioning issues are still being dealt with.
Thanks!
Here is a response we received from USGBC/GBCI when we asked the same question:
Projects must submit for at least one round of review prior to the sunset date. Once submitted, they will be able to complete the certification process even though the sunset date has passed. Please reference the individual rating system appendicies for more detailed information concerning the sunset date in relation to the project submittal timeline (for NC, this is on pg. 30 under section NC 12.2.1).
The two year limitation is the window in which potential projects must begin their certification process after substantial completion and occupancy. Projects that have not begun the certification process before this limitation will not be eligible to pursue a design-based rating system, but will still have the option to certify under Existing Building: Operations and Maintenance, a performance-based rating system. It is not directly related to the sunset date, and it is in place for all projects submitting under a design-based rating system (with the exception of ND, of course).
Project Site Boundary
We are working on the LEED certification for a office building...during the construction will be affected some public area that will be reconstruted after the building by the owner. The project boundary would be just the footprint or can be the public area the is going to be affected...?
Vindio, it depends on what you mean by public spaces, and what their function is relative to the building. City-owned streets or sidewalks, for example, could be excluded.
Proble of Area
We are currently working in the LEED certification of a Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility. Part of the bulding is dedicated to offices, and the other part includes the Test Rigs where Wind Turbine Drivetrains will be tested. My question is related to the area of the buliding that should be taken into account. Should only the office area be considered, or also the test rigs?
In addition, the rigs will have a huge energy consumption that will be related only to the tests carried out, but not to the energy performance of the building . Should this energy be considered in EA Prerequisite 2 or can it be excluded?
Vindio, the whole building should be considered, per the MPR requirements. The energy consumption from the testing should also be considered for LEED. See the EAp2 forum for previous discussions that will shed more light on that.
LEED NC versus CS?
We have another quandary to consider. Originally the owner (a hospital) was going to build a 40k SF building for a public service entity with a long term lease (like 20 years or so). They were going to puruse NC with this project, and I did not see any problem with that.
Now they are going to build 3 more floors, or 60k SF more, as shell space, and intent would be the owner would fit out as required for hospital needs...but they have not ruled out some other tennant. Basically they are trying to maximize land use on campus.
So using the 40/60 rule, it would seem that the project should go CS and the first 20k would additionally be CI. But in reality, the owner is going ot have pretty much full control over the whole space.
What do you think the project should pursue? Any guidance?
Knowing that Hospitals, like nature, abhors a vacuum, I'd say that the Hospital will likely be building that shell space out before your project is even complete. My inclination would be to stay with NC but discuss the energy and modelling issues with your engineer. Is this functionally an MOB? or likely to be Institutional use? The engineer will have to model to the assumed use.
LEED NC for High-rise Residential
Has anyone successfully uploaded and completed P1 form 1using the exemption? I have a high-rise residential building that has separate tenant meters, so we cannot comply with #6. We do, however, have a common water meter that can be provided to USGBC. How detailed does the description need to be? Even with a description filled in, the form still says incomplete. Is this correct? I want to make sure that I include any/all relevant data in my description to avoid reviewer comments.
Thanks.
Winery Facility with Multiple connected buildings
We are looking at certifying a wine production facility that has three different building enclosures. However they are all under one large set of roofs (with large covered concrete pads with tanks in between that have no walls) and have 1 heating/cooling system, 1 water meter and 1 energy meter. The entire facility acts as one unit, (the warehouses do not have separate restrooms) and we cannot figure out how to parcel it out into three buildings for the certification. Is there a way that we can identify this as one building and certify the entire facility?
Prudence, from your description, I think GBCI would allow this. If you haven't already done so, I would contact them and get their okay.
Tristan,
Would this be 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?
Thanks,
Certification Updates
Does anyone have information as to when version 2 of the MPR Supplemental Guidance is coming out? Or the guidelines for certifying multiple buildings under one certification?
Aliesa, I have heard that both guidelines are expected fairly soon. We'll keep our members posted on these developments through our enews.
Nadav malin wrote a comment about this in the "New LEED Guidance for Campuses and Multiple Buildings" chat subject of the LEED-user Forum:
Got this update forwarded from a USGBC rep:
"The updated guidance including group certification (what was Part 2) will be out at the end of October. However, we won't be able to certify projects under that guidance until the first quarter 2012 when the LEED Online portion launches."
Part 2 is described on the USGBC website in this way: "Part 2 (coming in 2011) will contain guidance to help project teams certify a group of buildings as a package where the entire building set will receive a single rating. These buildings may constitute an entire campus or be a subset of an existing campus."
Offices building Project Boundary
We are preparing the documentation for the LEED for a offices building and I have a problem defining the project boundary area.
The building is in a developed area. The construction of the building will affect the public sidewalk but after the construction the urbanitation project will be part of other project payed and owned by the local goverment...
The project boundary area is just the foorprint of the building or I must include the sidewalk? It is not clear for me in the paper from the USGBC
Thank you
Vindio, I would exclude the public sidewalk from your LEED boundary.
MPR 6 - Exemption?
I'm working on a LEED-NC v2009 project and forwarded the Owner the PI Form 1 - Minimum Program Requirements, for his review. He noticed the checkbox at the end of the form, regarding "project team is claiming an exemption from MPR 6...". He asked, under what circumstances may a project claim exemption from the requirement to share energy and water usage data? (I don't think they are going to push too hard against this requirement, but are wondering when the exemption might apply).
I don't know the answer to this. Can anyone help?
I need the answer to thie question also. I have the United States Army as a client...and well, there are security reasons for not wanting to share. Is that a good exemption?
Scott-
I recently received a blanket exemption for DOD projects from USGBC...not who your client is, but not sure if they are handing alot of exemptions on this one. Do you know what USGBC's intentions are for collecting this data? I find it hard to believe they would have the capacity to monitor each LEED certified building for the next 5 years....
Tenants requirements under LEED NC
Dear Tristan
If a building is aiming for LEED NC, but has tenant areas, are those tenant areas required to comply with all credits in targetted for the base building areas?
it seems a lot for the tenants areas to comply with
For example, how does tenant areas comply with 'fundamental commissioning...' etc
thanks
Are you building out the spaces, or will the tenants perform fit-out?
What is the percentage of the building devoted to tenants? Do you provide mechanicals, or are they in the tenant fit-out?
Dear Tristan
The project is an airport and i am referring to the concession fitout areas which is about 30 percent of the gross floor areaGross floor area (based on ASHRAE definition) is the sum of the floor areas of the spaces within the building, including basements, mezzanine and intermediate‐floored tiers, and penthouses wi th headroom height of 7.5 ft (2.2 meters) or greater. Measurements m ust be taken from the exterior 39 faces of exterior walls OR from the centerline of walls separating buildings, OR (for LEED CI certifying spaces) from the centerline of walls separating spaces. Excludes non‐en closed (or non‐enclosable) roofed‐over areas such as exterior covered walkways, porches, terraces or steps, roof overhangs, and similar features. Excludes air shafts, pipe trenches, and chimneys. Excludes floor area dedicated to the parking and circulation of motor vehicles. ( Note that while excluded features may not be part of the gross floor area, and therefore technically not a part of the LEED project building, they may still be required to be a part of the overall LEED project and subject to MPRs, prerequisites, and credits.). The mechanicals are provided.
I found this under LEED interpretations
.....the tenant guidelines do not need to require FUTURE tenant fit-out work to meet any LEED prerequisites and credits. However, the tenant guidelines should include specific performance goals, information, and resource leads to help ensure that future tenant fit-outs CAN meet LEED prerequisites and requirements for the credits pursued by the project. Please note, however, that any tenant fit-out work being done as part of the project scope does need to be included in all credits and prerequisites being pursued for LEED certification. In the 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 request above, it is unclear if ALL interior build-out work is being excluded or only the tenant build-out work associated with the 8% of retail space. If all tenant fit-out work is being excluded than the project would fall more appropriately under LEED for Core and Shell, as the general rule of thumb for use of LEED-NC is that the owner/developer is fitting-out at least 50% of the building's square footage......
-----Correct me if i am wrong, but it shows that the tenants do not need to comply at the time of LEED submission/building completion ? Is this correct.... only a tenant guideline need to be prepared...and submitted, if so what does it mean.... 'guidelines that shown that they CAN......" ?
Dear Tristan
If I may add more information on this project ...the commercial tenants areas are about 25 percent of the total gross floor areaGross floor area (based on ASHRAE definition) is the sum of the floor areas of the spaces within the building, including basements, mezzanine and intermediate‐floored tiers, and penthouses wi th headroom height of 7.5 ft (2.2 meters) or greater. Measurements m ust be taken from the exterior 39 faces of exterior walls OR from the centerline of walls separating buildings, OR (for LEED CI certifying spaces) from the centerline of walls separating spaces. Excludes non‐en closed (or non‐enclosable) roofed‐over areas such as exterior covered walkways, porches, terraces or steps, roof overhangs, and similar features. Excludes air shafts, pipe trenches, and chimneys. Excludes floor area dedicated to the parking and circulation of motor vehicles. ( Note that while excluded features may not be part of the gross floor area, and therefore technically not a part of the LEED project building, they may still be required to be a part of the overall LEED project and subject to MPRs, prerequisites, and credits.) of the airport. It is not part of the base airport building scope, though some tenant fit outs may be completed at the same time as the airport
The project is going for LEED NC , my question is does the tenantfit out areas need to be included for the calculations and submission of the credits .. There are 200 or more tenants in this project....
Is that interpretation for CS projects? I had a similar situation on an NC project with tenants and GBCI required tenant guidelines as part of the lease to ensure that the building as a whole maintained it's LEED certification.
Hello Michelle
Thanks for your response,
No, its an interpretation for NC projects.
Can i conclude from your reply that at the time of LEED final submission for such NC projects , we do not necesarily have to includes calculations such as water and energy savings, recycled content in MR credits, compliance to VOC limtis etc etc into the credit calculations of the base building.
In other words, the tenant guidelines as part of the lease is sufficient?
Another question is would GBCI require a certain verification that the tenant areas are separate in scope to the base building
In this project, the base areas itself have offices which are part of its ID scope, but the tenant areas are in the commercial scope
which the owner does not have control over?
As long as you can document credit achievement for greater than 50% of the building spaces - the threshold between an NC and CS project, that should be sufficient. I haven't had an experience with GBCI requiring verification as to what is tenant vs base building.
Dear Michelle
The position you stated seem to make sense,because of the argument that if the tenant areas is not part of the scope of the NC project, then it is not necessary to include them in the calculations
Can i conclude from your statement also that if credit achievement is documented for greater than 50 percent of building spaces- then the LEED parts to tenant lease agreement is also not necessary?
For CS projects, project teams can claim efficiency improvements and addtional points for measures by the tenant is such are enforceable by owner through the lease agreement
Meaning that if more then 50 percent of spaces already comply, and the project team do not want to claim efficiency to the tenant areas, then incoporating such measures in the lease agreement and enforcing them on the tenants is not necessary?
Michelle
What you mentioned would also agree with another LEED interpretation i found related to LEED NC
'...".... The inquiry is seeking clarification on what measures tenant guidelines must require from tenants for fitting-out their spaces in the building. Based on previous LEED-NC v2.1 Administrative Inquiry CIRs concerning tenant guidelines, project teams need not require any particular measures for tenant fit-out spaces. Per LEED-NC v2.1 Administrative Inquiry CIR ruling dated 2/22/2005, the tenant guidelines should ensure that future tenant fit-outs CAN meet LEED prerequisites and requirements for the credits pursued by the project...'
Hope to know your response?
That makes sense. Now that I think about it, I think for our NC project we were required to have tenant guidelines, but not necessarily have them in the lease for spaces except for the 50% minimum area. Unlike CS you don't get a point for tenant guidelines.
LEED CI and Complying with Environmental Law
How formal or informal a process have you done to ensure compliance with all environmental laws for a LEED CI project where the client is not the owner of the entire building?
Patricia, the following text appears in the LEED MPR supplemental guidanace doc. I think this answers your question!
Special consideration for LEED for Commercial Interiors projects: Only the
gross floor areaGross floor area (based on ASHRAE definition) is the sum of the floor areas of the spaces within the building, including basements, mezzanine and intermediate‐floored tiers, and penthouses wi th headroom height of 7.5 ft (2.2 meters) or greater. Measurements m ust be taken from the exterior 39 faces of exterior walls OR from the centerline of walls separating buildings, OR (for LEED CI certifying spaces) from the centerline of walls separating spaces. Excludes non‐en closed (or non‐enclosable) roofed‐over areas such as exterior covered walkways, porches, terraces or steps, roof overhangs, and similar features. Excludes air shafts, pipe trenches, and chimneys. Excludes floor area dedicated to the parking and circulation of motor vehicles. ( Note that while excluded features may not be part of the gross floor area, and therefore technically not a part of the LEED project building, they may still be required to be a part of the overall LEED project and subject to MPRs, prerequisites, and credits.) within the LEED project boundary of a LEED CI project must omply with this MPR, NOT the building that the project is located in.
EBOM PIf3 - Partially Occupied vs. Vacant Space
We are hoping to get some additional guidance on filing in Table PIf3-2 Minimum Occupancy Compliance for a LEED EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. Project. This project is a multi-tenant high rise office building located in an urban area and has already been through the Preliminary Review Phase of Certification . The occupancy has fluctuated over the performance period (at times there were floors that were completely vacant and other floors that have both vacant and occupied suites). We are struggled with breaking out the partially occupied space vs. vacant space. We have been unable to find a definition for partially occupied space in either the reference guide or the Reduced Occupancy Guidance document issued by USGBC on 10/08/09. The SF of the vacant suites can be determined by the stacking plans, but it is unclear if we can simply total the vacant space for all vacant suites or if a floor with both occupied and vacant suites is considered partially occupied.
This is a bit of a confusing situation that is giving a lot of project teams a challenge. My understanding is that vacant space is (obviously) space that is completely unoccupied, whereas partially occupied space is space that is occupied by fewer occupants than designated by the ASHRAE 62.1-2007 default value for occupant density. This information can be found in the "Minimum Ventilation Rates in Breathing ZoneThe breathing zone is the region within an occupied space between 3 and 6 feet above the floor and more than 2 feet from walls or fixed air-conditioning equipment. (AHSRAE 62.12007)" table in the ASHRAE document. For example, the default value for occupant density in office space is 5 people per every 1,000 square feet. So, if you have a 10,000 square foot tenant office space, ASHRAE standards tell you that the default design occupancy is 50 people. If that tenant had a round of recent layoffs and only has 25 employees working in it, that space would be considered partially occupied. Different space types have different occupant density default values, so be sure to check the ASHRAE document and carefully determine occupancy for each space.
EBOM Certification for Connected Buildings
In a three tower building complex, the towers are connected by a shopping mall at their bases. Am I correct to assume that the towers are "horizontally connected" with each other, while the shopping mall would be "vertically connected" with the towers?
Additionally, would it be possible to certify one of the towers (which is separately managed from the other towers and the mall) unders EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems.?
Thanks,
Omer,
Is the mall the only thing connecting the towers? And how do the building's major systems (lighting, HVAC, plumbing etc.) function? Independently or centrally?
In order to certify one tower you'd have to have the necessary data points to prove it is a physically distinct building--i.e utility bills and mechanical systems descriptions highlighting this as such beyond the management aspects of the project.
Best,
Marc
Discrepancy with gross square footage
When completing PI forms through LOv3, gross sqft is required but net area may be more appropriate. If a space is leased (overall project NC), and it is only the net area leased, then the sum of the sqft does not equal what was input on the previous PI form. The owner has a lease agreement for the net space, yet here we are stating it is for the gross area.
Any thoughts?
This sounds similar the the issue we ran into on a LEED EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating sytems. project - you can see the post & comments below under the heading: "MPR Form 3 - Occupant & Usage Data"
The gross square footageSum of the floor areas of the spaces within the building including basements, mezzanine and intermediate-floored tiers, and penthouses with headroom height of 7.5 ft or greater. It is measured from the exterior faces of exterior walls or from the centerline of walls separating buildings, but excluding covered walkways, open roofed-over areas, porches and similar spaces, pipe trenches, exterior terraces or steps, chimneys, roof overhangs, and similar features. is required, however the other forms address the issue of leasable space and gross versus net areas.
CI P1F1 Energy and Water Data Release Form - Upload Where???
It states on the P1F1 Form: NOTE: The Data Release Form must be on project owner letterhead, signed by the project owner and uploaded to LEED Online.
However, when I go to upload it, it states: There are no file uploads required for this credit.
Is there another section in which I am supposed to upload it?
I seem to recall something unique about this form where you actually upload it when the building is certified and you are accepting your certification—or something like that.
In other words, I am pretty sure they will ask for it when they want it.
If you want to double-check I would recommend asking GBCI. Please let us know what you learn.
I think Tristan is right, but if you have the form ready and want to upload it during your Preliminary submittal, you can check the Alternative Compliance path box near the end of the Credit Form. The dynamic form will then display a text box and an upload button that you can use for the data release form.
That's right. You don't need to upload the Data Release Form until the end of the process, when you complete your certification acceptance form. I found this information in the USGBC's FAQ document for MPR6. You can download this document from LEED Online, by going to the PIF1-MPR 'credit', then clicking on 'Credit Resources' under Quick Links. It's the document titled "MPR6 FAQs...". See FAQ #8. In fact, it says Project Teams should NOT upload this form when submitting PIf1 for review.
Dear all,
My project is outside the US and is pursuing LEED C&S 2009.
When filling the PL1 form, I have 3 options for MPR #6:
1) Energy & Water Data Release Form
2) Commitment to Apply for LEED for EB
3) Commitment to manually Track and Submit Energy & Water Data
Can someone please advise on what the first option requires (i.e., what is a release form)?
I'm not sure whether I must select option 1 or option 3.
Many thanks,
Unoccupied, uncondtioned building
We have a federal building, that due to their requirements, will be attempted to be LEED Silver. However, this is a fish rearing building which will not be occupied, will not need to maintain a temperature above 55 degrees F, will not have water supply (until posibly a second phase in the future) and so on. Basically a warehouse with empty fish tanks. Can or should this even be approached as a LEED building? And if not, what exception can we use to not comply with the federal regulation?
David, I don't see any obstacle to certifying this building. According to the Minimum Program Requirements, a building with less than 1 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. can be certified, but it has to meet IEQp1 and IEQp2 and cannot earn any other IEQ points.
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