text:
New LEED Guidance for Campuses and Multiple Buildings
LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser
BuildingGreen, Inc.
Oct 12 2010
LEEDuser Moderator
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4/2/14 Update: LEED Campus Guidance For Projects on a Shared Site (formerly the Application Guide for Multiple Buildings and On-Campus Building Projects) has been updated to include guidance for LEED v4 Rating Systems and reflect changes in LEED Online. Two additional appendices have been added as quick look-up tables for determining campus and group eligibility for v4 credits. Finally, additional credit-specific guidance has been added for several BD&C and EB:O&M v2009 credits.
2/25/14 Update: The links below have been updated in line with USGBC's new website. Also, LEED Online for Campus projects is now simply part of the new LEED Online.
4/17/13 Update: USGBC has launched LEED Online for Campus projects to facilitate easier certification of multiple building and campus projects. Read more about it on USGBC's website.
10/31/11 Update: USGBC has released complete "Guidance for Multiple Buildings and On-Campus Projects," for LEED certification of multiple buildings on the same site. Officially called the 2010 Application Guide for Multiple Buildings and On-Campus Building Projects Release 2, or 2010 AGMBC v2. for short, the document provides complete campus guidance for LEED 2009 projects for the first time. Part 1 of the guide was released last year and ever since, LEED users have been awaiting Part 2, which was supposed to explain how to certify buildings as a group. This new release includes Part 1 and Part 2, folding it all into one document.
However, LEED Online v3 functionality to support group certification is not yet available. It is anticipated in the 1st Quarter of 2012. Until functionality is available, all projects must be registered individually.
Download the Guidance Document
Download Appendix A: AGMBC Applicability for Credits and Prerequisites in LEED 2009 Design and Construction Rating Systems
Link to LEED Online Help for registering and submitting multiple building projects
Projects registered prior to 10/31/11 can elect to use v1, even though doing so is not encouraged: 2010 AGMBC Release. LEED v2 projects can still use the 2005 AGMBC guide
What do you think of the new guidance? Is it useful? Comprehensible? What questions do you have?
505 Comments
Art Kamm
Kamm Consulting, Inc.
Feb 17 2015LEEDuser Member141 Thumbs Up
dealership building and a detached carwash
Project Location: United StatesThe project in question consists of a dealership bldg, a detached carwash, and a fuel storage & generator building (3 separate buildings); do they qualify as multiple buildings or a single building for certification purposes?
Richard Barlow
Dir. of Sustainability
Dec 15 2014LEEDuser Member9 Thumbs Up
"Single Site" requirement for a Master Site?
Project Location: United StatesWe are working on a 30+ acre medical campus for a single developer. There will be a total of 9 buildings in this development, and all buildings will pursue LEED certification. I am trying to determine if this site would qualify for the LEED Campus Guidance and in particular a Master Site? The Guidance states "All buildings or spaces are located on a single site, as defined in the LEED Minimum Program Requirements for the applicable rating system." I'm trying to determine the meaning of the "single site" since each building will be on difference parcels each leased to different entities and not one contiguous site. This may be an exercise in terminology, but I wanted to be sure I am interpreting this correctly.
My understanding of Master Site, and it may be flawed, is that all buildings on the campus certify under the same LEED program. You mentioned this is a medical campus. If there is any inpatient program in the project? If yes, the project needs to follow LEED HC which has additional pre-requisites than NC. Under the Campus Guide, all buildings have to meet all pre-requisites. You have a similar problem with the Group Approach. It is going to depend on your program and the similarity or dissimilarity across all the buildings. If you have a blend of inpatient and outpatient functions, I would recommend a call to the GBCI.
Another thing to consider is length of time, our healthcare projects span years and years. We were just discussing that when a certain project started, the co-worker did not have any children. Now he has one in kindergarten and a two year old. The project in question is only half way done and the first portion is less than 8,000 s.f. Another co-worker's son will be 10 when her project is completed. It was underway when she started and he was a year old. Taking a considered look at the sunset dates for LEED is a very serious recommendation when working on large healthcare projects and with healthcare master plans.
Thank you, Susan! I found that up to three different LEED rating systems are permitted under one Master Site, but due to the project types, they will most likely be LEED HC. We're looking at a 5-6 year window for this particular developement, but I'm aware we may be "upgrading" to v4 in the middle of it all, and of course, projects change direction all the time.
My other concern is that the Master Site documentation is really wanting all properties to be at a schematic design level with footprints, GSF, and 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. calculated for each. I don't see how this will be possible since these buildings have not yet been realized. I'm wondering if this is the right path for this development since just a general masterplan with blocks and "potential" uses does not seem to be enough information to submit a Master Site for review.
Richard—I've not used the "Master Site" approach outlined in the latest (April 2014) "LEED Campus Guidance for Projects on a Shared Site," and I am more familiar with the "Group" approach. However, I have some observations:
1. Page 8 of the Guidance allows teams to wait to make their Master Site submittal along with the submittal for their first building. If you choose this option, by then, your schematics for the later phases may be better defined.
2. Page 7 offers some flexibility if campus and individual boundaries cannot be identified in the schematic site plan.
3. Page 9 says that it is possible (with additional expense) to revise the Master Site after the initial review.
4. The graphic on Page 5 show two Master Site registered under the same Campus. I would ask GBCI whether you could register your early phases under one Master Site and later phases separately.
5. That same graphic shows a Group Project registered under the first Master Site. If your campus includes a core cluster of buildings that will be constructed concurrently, it might be advantageous to document these buildings together under a single Group registration, separate from the rest.Finally, to address a concern raised in your original post, the MPR Supplemental Guidance document (http://www.usgbc.org/resources/leed-2009-mpr-supplemental-guidance-revis...) clarifies when non-contiguous parcels may qualify as a "single site." It also clarifies the other MPRs. These points may help you evaluate the best ways to delineate your Campus, Group, & individual project boundaries.
Mónika Egyed
Sep 05 2014Guest18 Thumbs Up
SSp1 in case of campus projects
Our project is a newly built industrial development where the majority of buildings will be industrial and not certified, but there will be office and administration buildings as well, from which at least two will aim LEED certification. We are considering campus registration. The two project sites probably will not be contiguous, the master site is planned to include all area developed by this project and falls under the same ownership.
There is no campus credit option in case of SSp1, however my question is if it was enough to develop one ESCAn Erosion and Sedimentation Control (ESC) plan is a collection of measures designed to reduce pollution from construction activities by controlling soil erosion, waterway sedimentation and airborne dust generation plan for the area of the master site, considering that the major site works will be done to the site as a whole. There is not a real chance to handle the little office buildings' area separately. How do you suggest to develop the ESC plan in this case? Is it eligible to develop a plan for the full site that falls under the same ownership and development? Thank you in advance!
Aug 19 2014LEEDuser Member119 Thumbs Up
Campus-Same master site- LEED NC v4 and LEED EBOM 2009
In a commercial campus 3 individual projects are pursuing certification under LEED EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating systems. 2009. In rwo years time a new building will be constructed on the same master site, and will be registered under LEED NC v4.The master site will be re-registered (must be according to the LEED Campus Guidance 4-1-2014). Will the certification of the 3 individual buildings be affected then? (because by that time they will be certified under LEED 2009) ?
Tamara Quiroz
Aug 14 2014Guest8 Thumbs Up
Industrial Condominium Certification
A real state firm ask us for a valid certification for a Industrial Condominium project of 400 hectares approx. that will be located in a suburban area, disconnected of existing public transportation or services. This area is far away from existing urbanized area. Then, the real state firm plans to sale sites for industrial buildings that could be LEED certified on future, however the firm is interested in a certification for the master plan.
Which suppose to be the adequate certification for this project? Does LEED have an option? If not, anybody knows about a sustainable certification for this kind of project?
Jeff Ross-Bain, PE, LEED Fellow
Ross-Bain Green Building
Aug 08 2014LEEDuser Member146 Thumbs Up
Do three multifamily buildings qualify as multiple buildings?
We have a project with three multifamily apartment buildings and each qualifies under the new-ish LEED for Homes Multifamily 2010 rating system. However, under the AGMBC, LEED for Homes Multifamily 2010 is not referenced as an qualifying rating system. Is this an oversight or do we have to do three individual certifications?
The AGMBC (now simply referred to as the 'Campus Guidance') is NOT applicable to any of the LEED for Homes adaptations (e.g. Lowrise or Midrise multifamily). However, if you contact a LEED for Homes Provider or Rater (which can be found through the usgbc.org website) they should be able to help you best investigate & coordinate the certification of these three buildings as a single project. Best of luck to you!
Celia Heneghan
Sustainability Specialist
Jul 10 2014LEEDuser Member2 Thumbs Up
Shared parking deck
We have a campus being constructed with 5 expected buildings and 1 parking deck to serve all. All buildings and deck will be individually metered. We are planning a campus approach. We are trying to determine how to account for the parking deck energy usage? Currently 3 buildings and the deck are being constructed. The other two will be constructed at a later date.
To account for the parking deck energy in the EA modeling credits we are planning to pro-rate deck energy usage by sq ft and assign that to each building. Is this the best way to calculate? For example: 1 building accounts for 46% of total campus sq ft and we will add 46% of the parking deck energy usage to this building's energy model.
Project Manager
Jul 01 2014LEEDuser Member479 Thumbs Up
3 Residential Tower + 1 Commercial Shop lot
Im confuse, on which path i should choose to register my project and it's fee.
Scenario :
the project has a huge parcel of land, and consist few building.We have 3 identical residential tower sit on a shared parking bayA bay is a component of a standard, rectilinear building design. It is the open area defined by a building element such as columns or a window. Typically, there are multiple identical bays in succession. (above grade - 4 storey) and facing a 4 storey commercial shop lot. All these building owned by a same owner and construct at the same time.
i read through the "LEED CAMPUS Guidance - Updated April 1, 2014" and felt that i can register as "Group" under LEED CS.
My inquiry is
1. Are we eligible to register under "Group"?
2.The registration fee and review cost is base on the number of building we have in the "Group" ?
3. can we category the residential building (3 identical residential tower building) as 1 building for review submission ?Please help.
I would think that you would register your projects as LEED for New Construction not Core and Shell since your buildings are residential. In answer to your questions as follows:
1. Yes, you are eligible for Group as all 3 buildings seem to be very similar.
2. Yes, 1 registration for each building and then you pay the review fees for each building separately - no discounts.
3. No, even though the building share a common parking deck the parking deck is not an enclosed space and therefore not considered a building connection. I would however take advantage of the common deck for your site credits.
Your efficiency will come in the documentation of the Group Credits. Keep in mind you only get 1 certification for all 3 buildings with Group.You may want to look at using Campus as there may be enough savings considering the size of the buildings to make it worth it and offset the cost of the Master Site and have additional savings. You get the 20% discount on the building review fees only. You also get 1 certification for each building - so 3 certifications total. You do not receive a certification for the Master Site.
Good luck,
Thanks Donald.
The reason we choose LEED CS, because each units in the building are meant to sale off. The building owner will not occupy any of this unit, and new tenant will do the fit out by themselves. That;s why we thought the best is LEED CS, am i correct?
Donald mentioned about using Campus. How can i register this project under campus?
Can you share me the link to LEED Campus?
manuel de jesus gonzalez duron
civil engineer
Jun 10 2014LEEDuser Member47 Thumbs Up
certification of a building inside of the leed campus
can one of the two buildings on a leed campus have the leed certification before the other one?
Donald Green
Project Manager
Sustainable Design Consulting, LLC
Jun 09 2014LEEDuser Member1347 Thumbs Up
Master Site and Campus Credits - LEED Boundary for Projects
The following was a post by K Kraft on Jan 2, 2014 that did not receive a response - I would like to ask the same question as well as an additional question as follows:
Where does "normal support" begin and end, on a campus most everything is shared between multiple buildings. I ask specifically with regard to site lighting - if you have a Master Site, the individual LEED project boundaries could be pulled back to eliminate the need to include all of the shared site lighting and therefore benefit those individual projects. Where then is that site lighting energy picked up?
From K Kraft - "Hello. I have a follow-up question to Deborah's: Is it possible that an individual LEED project boundary associated with a Master Site is simply 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.? Also, since the parking spaces are allocated in the Master Site application, is it feasible that the number of parking spaces provided for building users be 0 on the individual project PI form? Or does this contradict the language in the 2010 AMGBC document (p.8) that states "LEED project boundary must include all land that is associated with and supports normal project operations..." Are parking spaces for employees of an office building considered to support normal project operations? Thank you for any guidance."
Thanks for a response to both questions.
I have continued to look into this issue, the 4/1/14 Campus Guidance notes that you can prorate the site energy uses into the respective energy models. However if you have an existing Master Site and add a project does that mean you have to go back and adjust the energy models for all of the other LEED projects? - at the Owner's expense? I haven't found any document that provides clear language on this issue.
As well if you have an existing building with a Master Site and renovate it, there would be no reason to include site Lighting if you have no site work. The same could be said for new construction, only use the limits of disturbance and minimize any site energy use. So where does the site energy get picked up?
This seems like a gray area - any thoughts?
Thank you,
Can anyone help on these issues, we need to resolve this to allow the projects to move forward.
Thank you,
HI Donald,
I think this is a very grey area, I have a lot of questions with master sites and boundaries myself.
Regarding the parking - I assume that the shared parking should be included in the project form. Parking can be ouside the LEED boundary in "normal" projects, this should be relevant to Mastersites as well. I plan to submit parking as a master site credit, showing either the proportionate no. of parking spaces, or hte total no, in any case, submitting a narrative about this.
Donald, the LEED EB portion of the question is reasonably easy. If you are completing a LEED EB the parking areas are normally assigned to each building based on where the energy for the parking lighting is being delivered from. So a multiple building LEED EB will, from the electrical engineeringElectrical and electronics engineering is the practical application of electricity. Electrical engineers are concerned with electrical devices and systems and with the use of electrical energy. as built drawing, assign square footages of parking to each building. This then provides the site boundary for each building and (usually) assigns landscaping as well. In a master site landscaping can of course be assigned globally...but not the energy because each building must create it's own energy star.
Somsak Jidmon
Senior Architect and LEED Consultant
May 27 2014LEEDuser Member42 Thumbs Up
LEED NC for two buildings from 15
If the project comprise of 15 buildings in one site and the owner would like only two buildings to be LEED certified. Is it possible to have only two buildings certified without consider the other 13 buildings? The rest of 13 building are workshop and M&E equipment room. Only the control building and admin building that we would like it to submitted for LEED. Can we submitted two buildings together to be one project submission?
You cannot have more than 1 building per submission. You may submit the 2 buildings together as a Group Certification if they are close enough to have 1 LEED Boundary, however each building will have separate and full certification fees. The other option is to pursue a Campus whereby you would have a Master Site and then certify each building individually using the Campus credits toward each building. You should probably review the newly issue LEED for Campus document - there is a link to it in a previous thread - look for my name.
Lou Niles
Warranty Manager
Harper Construction Company
May 19 2014LEEDuser Member38 Thumbs Up
Campus vs Group vs individual buildings
Hello I have a project that is comprised of three different buildings that are actually on a college campus. A dining facility; a 6 story housing building and a 2 story multi-use and housing building; Three Buildings all are on the same project site same fenced in area. I am just trying to make a decision as to 1. pursue each building individually and completely separately for all credits; or 2. pursue each building + Campus Approach; or 3. each building + Group approach. i know it depends heavily on many factors but In General is there a pros and cons as to which is more efficient?
Hi Lou,
We have several campus projects. A Master Site with campus credits will yield different certs for each project (unlike group credits) and will provide some synergies for the site credits though likely much of the projects will remain separate. The primary benefit is typically the 20% discount off the certification fees of the individual projects by virtue of associating them with the Master Site. If the buildings are sizable, the savings can be significant.
Ghaleb El Mheirat
Mechanical Engineer
dar al-handasah
May 19 2014LEEDuser Member30 Thumbs Up
LEED Boundary
We are currently working on a project (Hotel) where there is a seperate utility building serving Hotel. The hotel is targetting LEED certificate.
I just have a small question; if the utility building serves only the hotel, shall we include it in the LEED boundary?
Ghaleb, I would strongly consider including it. The LEED boundary should include everything essential to the project's performance. I would post this question under MPR2 and review the guidance there.
LEED Consultant
Green Building and Alternative Energy
May 05 2014LEEDuser Member1703 Thumbs Up
EAp2 in campus project
Regarding EAp2 in a campus project: We have several processes going on within the campus, but outside of any building. Some of these processes (a water treatment plant) serve several buildings, they have pumps and other electrical equipment (they are all physically outside any building).
How is the energy of these systems accounted for in the several buildings (some of them with their own LEED Certification, some others not pursuing LEED Certification).
Emmanuel Pauwels
Green Living Projects s.l.
Apr 17 2014LEEDuser Member2578 Thumbs Up
hotel with cottages
We are looking at a hotel project (BD&C) that consists of a main building and separate cottages. It is my understanding that the cottages have to be treated as individual buildings since they are not physically connected to the main building. To certify this project, would a campus certification be allowed using BD+C for the hotel and LEED for Homes for the cottages? The cottages are not really residential units but sort of luxury bedrooms with bathroom. Anyone has any suggestions on how to treat this type of development?
Hello Emmanuel, Please see if the project will qualify to pursue a single, combined certification under LEED BD+C in accordance with LEED InterpretationLEED Interpretations are official answers to technical inquiries about implementing LEED on a project. They help people understand how their projects can meet LEED requirements and provide clarity on existing options. LEED Interpretations are to be used by any project certifying under an applicable rating system. All project teams are required to adhere to all LEED Interpretations posted before their registration date. This also applies to other addenda. Adherence to rulings posted after a project registers is optional, but strongly encouraged. LEED Interpretations are published in a searchable database at usgbc.org. (LI) 10203 (www.usgbc.org/leed-interpretations?keys=10203). It sounds as though this project may qualify to use that approach, but you will have to make sure it meets all the conditions/criteria listed in the LI. Please note that in LEED v4 there is a special 'Hospitality' adaptation of the BD+C rating system that you may wish to use (http://www.usgbc.org/articles/getting-know-leed-building-design-and-cons...).
Eduardo Straub
Straub Sustentabilidade
Apr 17 2014LEEDuser Member41 Thumbs Up
Campus Fees
I`m confused in how to calculate de fees for Campus projects. I have a project with 6 warehouses in the same site (LEED NC 2009). So, when I go to check the fees for Master Site, I have to pay $1,200 for registration (OK!) plus $ 2,000 for each building or overall (this is my doubt)?
I`m a bit confused because if I do this calculation for BD+C fees, the fee will cost $107,000.00 .
I`m not sure if I`m doing it right.
Anyone can help me?
Hi Eduardo,
Assuming you are doing a Master Site and campus credits for 6 warehouse projects (rather than one group), you would pay $1,200 to register the Master Site + $1,200 to register each of the 6 warehouses or $8,400 total.To calculate certification, it's the review fee for the Master Site which is $2,000 for combined review + the SF review fee for each warehouse X 20% discount on each one.
Head of Sustainability
Manens-Tifs s.p.a.
Apr 09 2014LEEDuser Member779 Thumbs Up
group certification - exclude an existing building
We are investigating if group certification approach may be suitable for a project that include within the same LEED boundary the following buildings:
- n1 Existing Building (Energy House) that was and will remain only for a mechanical and electrical technical spaces (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. and not occupabile spaces).
- n1 New Office Building
- n1 New Conference BuildingDuring the construction activities of the new buildings it is also planned the dismounting and supply and installation of newest mechanical systems and electrical system located inside the existing building.
May the Existing Building be excluded from the LEED group certification, whilst remaining within the LEED boudary?thanks in advance
GBCI really wants all buildings in a Group Certification to be very similar, that way the Group Credits can be documented easily. Otherwise you may have issue when trying to document if the buildings are too different. Sounds like a Campus approach with a Master Site may be the best way to go for this project.
The existing building can be excluded within a Master Site, don't think its possible for a Group Certification.
Review the new AGMBC issued on 4/1/14.
Gabriela Hernández Castillo
Architect, LEED AP BD+C
SYASA - México
Apr 03 2014Guest2615 Thumbs Up
LEEDBoundary 100%parking bassement Not all levels to be included
CAMPUS: Two office towers designed to meet LEED Core & Shell with three parking bassement levels, the parking structure occupies the 100% of the site, in addition there is a residential tower that will use two levels of the same structure and none of the residential use area will be considered to be LEED certified. Could we let out of the LEED boundary the two parking levels serving the residential tower?
If I understand the project from your description I would say No, because once you set the Campus Boundary or Master Site boundary, everything inside that boundary must be included for any campus credits whether it pursues LEED certification or not.
This is explained within the AGMBC - you should know a new version just came out as of 4/1/14. So if you haven't registered your project(s) this is the document you should go by.
Ran Zhang
Apr 01 2014LEEDuser Member225 Thumbs Up
LEED Options
A client of mine just bought a partial complete building, which is bascally a shell of concrete structure but intended to be a commercial office building for leasing after full completion. He wants to do something good and LEED is one of the first things that came to his mind. I told him it's too late to apply for LEED CS as it's already in late construction stage but he may consider doing LEED CI for two of the 20 floors he is going to occupany (the rest 18 will be for leasing). His question is if it's possible to do LEED CI for the common areas, basically lobbies, corrirors, and toilets. I told him I'm not aware of any precedent but will check and get back to him.
Is it possible to apply for LEED CI for two floors + all common areas of the building, or LEED CI for just all common areas of the building.
Sorry, just realized this may not be the right place to post my question. Please can you someone direct me to the right forum? Thanks.
Ran, this sounds like a question about LEED project boundaries. I'd post to our MPR3 forum.
Head of Sustainability
Manens-Tifs s.p.a.
Mar 31 2014LEEDuser Member779 Thumbs Up
Group Certification and Showers
our project is based on three buildings (A, B and C), with a common basement, dedicated to circulation and parking.
We pursue a group certification.
Showers and changing rooms are located in the basement and shared for the three buildings (showers and changing rooms are located in two adjacent spaces -one for males and one for females-, close to the stairwell of building A, with free access form circulation area.
1. Assuming that the distance between Shower & changing rooms and each building's main entrance is less then 200yr, is this solution compliant with the requirement?
2. For WEp1 calculation, in which we have to submit 3 separate forms, one for each building under certification, may we charge the whole number of 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. (related to building s A, B and C) on building A, in order to calculate shower water use?
Thank you.
Since you are doing a group certification I understand the 3 buildings will be certified as one whole. The water calculations are based on FTEs so you should use the FTEs of each buillding in order to make the calculations. Where the showers are located is not relevant, as long as they are accesible for everyone. Hope this helps.
Be careful, there is an LI out there whereby when the showers are in a remote location the reviewers have requested that the applicant prove that the shower count can handle the amount of use for the host building occupants as well as those occupants from the adjacent buildings. Sorry I do not know the LI # off hand, I believe there has been discussions on that issue as well within LEEDuser. In this case I think that the shower use would have to be counted for all users within building A as well as from those adjacent proposed users.
I will see if I can find that LI...
Ann Palermo
Mar 27 2014Guest296 Thumbs Up
Multiple buildings with common basement
I just want to know your opinion regarding the possibility of applying campus credits on multiple buildings with common basement.
Have any of you experienced certifying this type of development?
The three (3) office tower wants to apply for LEED certification, however the tower shares its basement parking to the podium retail (the tower sits above the retail roof deck). How do you go about this and is the multiple building the best approach?
Appreciate your feedback - thanks.
We have certified a similar project. It consisted of 3 seperate buildings on a block. We decided to certify them as one building based on the following conditions:
a) Spaces 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 project serves a purpose other than parking or the circulation of people is contiguous throughout the structure. We showed that the common parking below the buildings included also showers and technical rooms that are shared between the 3 buildings as well as one common entrance that gave access to the 3 buildings once inside the property. We also showed that several equipment serves all 3 buildings.
b) All building components of the LEED project that are addressed by LEED prerequisites and pursued credits (systems, materials, etc) can be treated as one, such that separate reviews of the same issues are not required for different portions of the superstructure. We managed to justify all of the credits and prerequisites counting the project buildings as one.
In case you do not meet these conditions, you should either certify as campus or go for individual building certification. Hope this helps
Thanks Emmanuel,
Follow up question - what if the development is consisting of basement parking, retail podium and single office tower (sits at the podium deck) can we opt to certify just the tower portion?
I think you can certify only the single office tower if you are able to demonstrate that it is seperate from the rest. That would mean separate owner or management, seperate physical borders and sepatate systems. You would then need to include those parts that service the building, in this case, the parking lot for instance.
Feb 28 2014Guest142 Thumbs Up
Best strategy for an existing campus
An existing campus with no LEED certified buildings, no similar buildings except the dorms. What would be the best strategy: certify a group of buildings first then pursue a campus master site. Understanding that existing buildings will take time to upgrade and likely it will be done in phases as funding is allocated - what is the best way forward?
If you are going to do a Master Site - do that first so you can take advantage of those credits for your individual projects. You can do the Master Site in conjunction with a project as well from a timing stand point. Be careful now as GBCI is still mulling over how a v2009 master site and projects will turn over into v4 or if they can be mixed together as long as they are all BD&C etc. I have not heard if that decision has been made. You may have to have a v2009 Master Site and then upgrade it or have a separate v4 Master Site. I feel you should get an answer to that question then you can set your course.
Laura Charlier
LEED Services Director
Group14 Engineering
Feb 28 2014LEEDuser Member394 Thumbs Up
Group/Campus Projects
Hi Everyone,
We have a project that includes three dorms, a dining hall, and a master site -- we were interested in transitioning this over to the new platform but we weren't sure if a project can be BOTH a group and campus project. Is it possible for the three dorms to pursue group certification while the master site and dining hall pursue campus certification? Also, to take a step backwards, can you do both a master site and group certification?Thanks!
It is my understanding that you can do a Group Certification within a Master Site - the 2011 AGMBC has images that show this. There would be some documentation efficiencies to go that route especially for the Group. I would then believe the Group Certification could take advantage of the Master Site credits as well. However from a review fee standpoint just doing the Master Site with each individual project under that would be the more efficient way to go. I do not know if GBCI would grant the 20% review fee discount on the Group Certification if it were to be within the Master Site - that would be a question to ask.
Hi Laura, Yes, you can combine the Group certification and Campus credit (aka Master Site) approaches from the AGMBC. However, Donald is correct that only individual building "Campus Projects" are eligible for the 20% discount on the review fees. "Campus Group Projects" do not receive that discount.
Zuokui Ning
Feb 28 2014Guest133 Thumbs Up
Can't open LEEDonline forms for each building in campus project?
We are certifying a campus project with the new leed online: https://www.usgbc.org/leedonline.new
For some credits we are asked to fill in forms for each building, such as IEQp1, etc.
The credit form says: Project building with which this form is being completed:
However, I can only open one form for that credit, does anybody know how to open new forms for more buildings?
Please use the following procedure for prerequisites & credits that must be documented on an individual building (or space) basis and, thus, require multiple forms:
a) Complete the LEED Online form as normal for the first building/space that is part of the project.
b) Save copies of this form to your personal computer for all subsequent buildings/spaces that are included in the project. If the "Save a Copy" button is not already visible in the Adobe toolbar above the form, it can be added by right clicking on the toolbar, selecting "More Tools," scrolling to "File Toolbar" and selecting "Save a Copy."
c) Complete all copied forms offline.
d) Upload copied forms and accompanying documentation to the "Special Circumstances" section of your online form. Be sure to name files in such a way that it is clear to which project building/space each document or form pertains. There is also usually a field at the top of these non-Group credit forms where the name of the particular building (or space) for which the form is being completed should be entered. These should match the individual building (or space) names/IDs entered in PIf2 & PIf3.NOTE: Adobe Reader may not allow you to save changes to the offline forms you have downloaded. Therefore, you may either use Adobe Acrobat, which will allow you to save your edits, or you may complete the form(s) on your computer and print a copy to PDF (or print a hardcopy & scan as PDF), which you can then upload to the Special Circumstances section of the main (live) form in LEED Online.
Samantha Wolf
Feb 27 2014LEEDuser Member63 Thumbs Up
Submitted 3 buildings as group- but 1 did not get a permit
We are in the process of submitted the design phase for 3 residential buildings as a group under the LEED for new construction but one of the buildings seems to have problem's getting a permit. Does it mean that if the 3rd building will not be build the whole group can't be certified? Would you advise us to ask GBCI to exclude this building from certification and to change the LEED boundary accordingly (if it is at all possible)? Thank you very much for a much needed help :)
Generally, if you have not yet completed your Design review, you could simply revise the LEED project boundary & application to eliminate the third building, but if the Design review has already been completed, and you have a major change in scope like this special coordination & instructions may be required. Feel free to contact GBCI using our Contact Us form (http://www.gbci.org/org-nav/contact/Contact-Us/Project-Certification-Que...) to request a call with staff to discuss your situation if you are already into the review process.
Kent Liu
Feb 20 2014Guest41 Thumbs Up
Group project boundary for two buildings that are separated
Hi all,
I am pursing a multiple building submission for 2 NC buildings. I am currently trying to draw a group project boundary for the 2 buildings which are separated by a project boundary of another ongoing LEED group project. I understand from this guideline that the campus boundary must be continuous, but nothing was mentioned regarding group boundary.
Is it possible to have my group project boundary marked as two separated parcels of land, each containing one of the buildings?
For group projects, the same MPR 3 criteria apply as for individual buildings (except that there can be more than one LEED-certifiable building within the LEED Project Boundary). Therefore, the criteria outlined on page 24 of the LEED 2009 MPR Supplemental Guidance (http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Archive/General/Docs6473.pdf) regarding when non-contiguous parcels may be included would apply. Of course, a single, contiguous LEED Project (site) Boundary is preferable.
Isabel Santos
Feb 18 2014LEEDuser Member49 Thumbs Up
LEED EBOM group certification
Dear all,
I have a question about LEED EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating systems. group registration and certification fees. My company is analyzing two office buildings that are very similar and we are trying to understand what could be the advantages (in terms of costs) of joining these two buildings in a single Group Project Certification. We have analyzed the "Registration and Certification Fees" section (http://www.usgbc.org/cert-guide/fees#campus) and we couldn't quite understand the fees applied. There is a registration fee "$1,200 per building or space within group" in section Group Certification Approach (for Organizational Level or Non-members). Regarding certification fees, how do we calculate the fees applied for these two buildings?
I haven't followed the fees in a while, but when they finally released the Group Project Certification fees there was no discount - I assume that this has not changed. Essentially, the cost is the same as certifying the buildings separately, the benefit is to the project team as you can save on documentation - they will only question you once on your plans, policies, etc. if I understand correctly. By the time they released the group program the two identical buildings I was certifying were well advanced in the process.
That is correct, no discounts... GBCI proposes that you can save documentation time but that saved time is not reflected in the saved review time - i.e. a discount in the fees. Group can help if you have a problem site and can't create multiple LEED Boundaries to meet the MPR's or you have issues with documentation of SS credits. You must also have similar building types or you need to look at a Master Site.
Donald Green
Project Manager
Sustainable Design Consulting, LLC
Feb 03 2014LEEDuser Member1347 Thumbs Up
SSp1 fo contiguous sites
If you have several sites within the Campus Master Site whereby the projects are to be constructed at the same time and the project sites are contiguous, is there any way to not have a separate ESCAn Erosion and Sedimentation Control (ESC) plan is a collection of measures designed to reduce pollution from construction activities by controlling soil erosion, waterway sedimentation and airborne dust generation for each site? Thereby having 1 ESC surrounding all of the sites to allow the contractor to move freely between sites and minimize entry points.
Thank you,
Donald, I don't see any issue with having one ESCAn Erosion and Sedimentation Control (ESC) plan is a collection of measures designed to reduce pollution from construction activities by controlling soil erosion, waterway sedimentation and airborne dust generation plan for multiple projects in this way. I would just make sure that it has the specificity to apply to all and be sufficiently rigorous.
Yukari Treible
Project Coordinator
Ashley McGraw Architects, D.P.C.
Jan 31 2014LEEDuser Member56 Thumbs Up
K-12 Project Using LEED for Schools 2.0 & AGMBC 2005
I am looking for some answers regarding a K-12 Project we are submitting to LEED that involves certifying the ADDITIONS ONLY to two separate buildings on a shared campus site. We already have both school buildings registered on LEED Online with two separate Project ID's under LEED for Schools 2.0 and we are referencing the LEED AGMBC 2005 for the project so we can certify the building additions for the two separate schools separately instead of as a group of buildings receiving one certification.
I had a few questions regarding the proper way to submit these buildings through LEED online. We would like to ensure we are able to benefit from the Sustainable Sites credits (along with some select other credits) being applied to both projects since we designed the site elements (parking, community connectivity, etc.) using a holistic campus design approach. I am a LEED AP who is new to the AGMBC process and would like some suggestions and explanation regarding how to go about submitting the site credits for a shared campus under the AGMBC submission process. Another LEED AP I know suggested that we submit the Middle School first with all the SS credit material and just note in the templates for each credit that we are seeking approval for these credits as "shared campus credits". Then following certification of the first building we should submit the second building and note in the templates that the credits for the SS categories were already reviewed and approved under the Middle School's Project ID. Is this the correct approach to this unique situation under the AGMBC 2005 guidelines?
Are there any other things we should be making sure we do during the submission process to ensure that it's easily understood by the reviewers and we can submit everything correctly the first time? Please let me know!
I'd actually recommend submitting them together at the same time (if the timing of the projects work out that way). That way if there's any issue that comes up, you can deal with it on a campus-basis. For example, if an approach in Bldg A gets approved but then something in Bldg B contradicts it, you'd have to redo all that credit work in Bldg B and/or possibly change your strategy. Seeing both projects together at the same time will provide reviewers with a better, more holistic understanding of your project.
The best approach I know of for v2 projects:
1) In Bldg A: Include all of the campus documentation and calculations for the credits you'd like to attempt at a campus level. I'd recommend including a narrative for each prerequisite/credit that you are attempting via a campus path stating: "This prerequisite/credit has been attempted at a campus level. The documentation included here applies to both ABC School Campus Bldg A and Bldg B." That will make it clear to reviewers when you have attempted something at a campus level vs. when you have attempted something on a project-specific level.2) In Bldg B: For the credits that you are attempting at a campus level, I'd recommend including a narrative stating "This prerequisite/credit has been attempted at a campus level. Please see the documentation within ABC School Campus Bldg A."
3) In both projects: In the general documents section, it would be helpful to include an overall drawing showing the campus plan and each of the individual LEED project boundaries. Additionally, include a brief narrative that outlines the occupancy information for the both buildings in the campus and includes a list of which specific credits/prerequisites you are going to attempt at a campus level. Generally, this document would be identical in each project.
4) In advance of submitting for your first review: Contact GBCI probably about 2 weeks before you would like to submit for your first review. Let them know that these are related campus projects that you would like sent to both projects sent to the same review team. In your request, make sure to include the LEED project numbers, LEED project names, and the date when you would like to submit the projects. It is helpful if the projects have related/similiar names in LEED Online so reviewers can easily recognize them in their project lists as related (such as "ABC School Campus Bldg A" and "ABC School Campus Bldg B").
5) After GBCI confirms that both projects can be sent to the same review team: I would then make sure that both projects are submitted on the same day. You wouldn't need to re-contact GBCI when you need to provide clarifications/resubmit later phases, however, I would recommend continuing to send both projects in at the same time for all future reviews. That way, reviewers will always get all the information together so that they can look at the campus-credits in the context of both individual projects.
GBCI Contact Us Page: http://www.gbci.org/org-nav/contact/Contact-Us/Project-Certification-Que...
Robert Phinney
Director, Sustainable Design Solutions
Jan 30 2014Guest450 Thumbs Up
Phased major renovation
I have a client that is phasing the major renovation of their facility due to the need to keep it in continuous operations. Each phase is separated horizontally (one long building) with firewalls and a single contractor will be performing all phases. it is anticipated that the five phases will be constructed over a 3-4 year period but subsequent phased construction cannot occur until the previous phase is complete - no concurrent construction of phases.
We wish to pursue a single LEED NC certification for the entire project but are wondering if there is any issue doing so because of the phasing plan and length of time for certification.
I don't think the phasing should be an issue but I would call the GBCI about the length of construction. Are you worried that the program will sunset on you during construction? When you talk to the GBCI, I would make sure you can articulate the % of construction per phase. The worst case I can see is if the last phase is also the largest phase and you are coming up on a sunset. Then it may be best to move to a different program.
Heather DeGrella
Sustainability Coordinator
Opsis Architecture
Jan 29 2014LEEDuser Member913 Thumbs Up
LEED v4 and v2009 projects and On-Campus Approach
The AGMBC has a section titled "New Versions of LEED" that states : If the version of LEED changes (for example from LEED 2009 to future versions of LEED) all campus credits must be re-submitted for review at the expense of the project team before the campus credits may be used on projects under the new version of the rating system." Does this mean that some individual buildings may be registered under 2009 and others under v4, but all the campus wide credits will have to update to LEED v4? Or will the original campus credits for 2009 still apply to buildings under 2009, and only v4-registered projects use the campus credits submitted under v4? If all the projects have to use the LEED v4 campus credits, would we need to cross-reference the list of acceptable LEED v4 credits for substitution (http://www.usgbc.org/resources/2009-v4-credit-substitution-bdc) to determine which campus credits from LEED v4 would be accepted for v2009 projects?
Hi Heather, That's a great question. I don't believe the fine points of this transition for AGMBC projects from v3/2009 to v4 have been worked-out in full detail, but the simplest way to deal with this would be to register a new v4 Master Site within the existing Campus in our New LEED Online platform (usgbc.org/leedonline.new). Then, after all the 'campus credits' that the v4 projects would like to utilize have been approved in the v4 Master Site, all new v4 projects would draw credits from the v4 Master Site. All v3 projects could draw approved/awarded credits from the existing v3 Master Site until that rating system version is Sunset. Thanks for asking.
Werner Maassen
Jan 06 2014LEEDuser Member24 Thumbs Up
Senior Living Community - Multiple Registrations really needed?
Our project entails an existing Senior Housing and Care Campus in California consisting of 10 buildings.
Our client/owner/operator wants to achieve LEED Silver for 6 of the buildings which will be going through significant enough renovation that they will fall under LEED – NC rating. All the buildings are of similar construction type (Type V) wood frame. The other 4 buildings are going through minor cosmetic work and will not go for LEED certification at this time.
3 of the buildings are for Assisted Living Care, 2 will be for Memory Care and one is a Commons/Community function. Timing and phasing of construction will be driven by the important needs of continued and uninterrupted housing and care of the various groups of residents which will entail shifting them from building to building. This is a significant part of the logistics of keeping the campus operating smoothly during a little over 26 month construction period
We are looking to take full advantage of LEED AGMBC. The goal is to have all 6 buildings under a one Group Certification and thus share a single certification,.
Our primary question is whether or not a 3 year time period of completion of all buildings is allowable under one single certification even though obviously not all buildings will be under construction at the same time? As we read the AGMBC Application Guide of 10.31.2011, we see that all buildings "that comprise the group must be under the same construction contract and constructed at the same time."
The 6 bldgs will be under the same construction contract - the question is how "constructed at the same time" is to be interpreted? - literally? Simultaneous construction of all 6 bldgs is simply not possible due the phasing required by housing and caring of the residents and this will mean one building at a time.It seems that this project's unique phasing is preventing our client from the advantage of the group approach and forcing them to go through the added effort of 6 separate registrations.
Any advice or direction would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I would look at a Master Site so you can take advantage of the 20% discount on the review fees for each building. Yes you have to pay for the Master Site registration and Review fees, but if you do the math I think you will find that the 20% savings on the review fees for the buildings will far out weigh the Master Site cost, especially if any of the buildings are over 50,000 sf. You would also not have to deal with the phasing as once the Master Site is in place you can certify the other buildings as they are completed with no worries on a time line. The only catch is they all have to be the same LEED rating system: i.e. all v2009 NC which is sounds like they are.
It also sounds like, from your description, that the project buildings may not be a good fit for Group Certification as the Commons Building is not very similar to the other 2 building types. Group Certification wants all the buildings to be very similar.
Jan 02 2014LEEDuser Member269 Thumbs Up
proceed to post-certification on master site application?
I have a Master Site application that is currently in Design and Construction application decision. When I go to the "Overview" tab in LEED Online, I have (4) button options, one of which is "Proceed to Post-Certification". Does anyone know if I need to hit this button to "accept" the application decision and make the allocated credits available to the associated individual LEED projects to be certified? Any clarification is appreciated!
James MacMillan
VP - Director of Sustainability
Karpinski Engineering
Dec 31 2013LEEDuser Member146 Thumbs Up
Prerequisites for campus projects
I am working on a campus project that will have two distinct buildings - an office building and a hotel with an attached convention center. I have concerns with how to document certain building specific prerequisite for the master site because I cannot delete the prequisites from LEED Online. For example, the energy models for EAp2 Minimum Energy Performance will be different and perhaps not even both complete when we submit for design review, as the master site must be submitted before or at the same time as the first building on the campus.
My question is, how do we document the prerequisites for instances like this? Do we use the information from building one and then upload the new models/water use calcs/other building specific credits under that buildings project title and not master site?
deborah lucking
fentress architects
Dec 24 2013LEEDuser Member1377 Thumbs Up
Group Certification - must buildings be "substantially similar"?
An April 16 2013 article on the USGBC website, regarding multiple building certification, mentions "Group Certification, which allows project teams with separate buildings that are substantially similar to certify as one project that shares a single certification."
I am unable to find any other reference to the need for buildings in a group to be "substantially similar".
Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of this requirement?
Many thanks!
Deborah, I found the article you are referring to here.
It looks to me like Group Certification is a distinct certification path from Campus certification. You can certify a group of buildings under one LEED project, with this approach, which is different from the Campus approach in which distinct buildings use shared attributes of the campus to contribute to their individual LEED certifications.
In terms of better understanding the meaning of "substantially similar," maybe you could give an example of what you're working with.
Amy Hood
Project Architect
BHDP Architecture
Dec 04 2013LEEDuser Member87 Thumbs Up
Should Campus approach be used?
We currently have two project seeking certification separately on a single campus. The two projects have completed all of the forms and have just not yet submitted for review. We now have an additional two buildings on the same campus that will be renovated and will be seeking certification. Would it be in our best interest to transition these four buildings into a campus certification approach? Would previous documentation need to be completely revised? Or could the previous two buildings be submitted as is and a new approach be taken with the two new buildings currently in concept design?
Amy, I hope that someone with more experience in the campus system will answer your question, but my understanding would be that you cannot transition your existing documentation to LEED Online for Campuses, so replicating that would be a bit nutty. I think if you started working from a campus point of view going forward with these two projects and any in the future, that would make sense.
Eric Anderson
Technical Customer Service Specialist
Dec 02 2013Guest1471 Thumbs Up
Need suggestion on a multiple building site
(Dear H.K.C.B. Heendeniya - Sorry this is not stacking as a reply under your original comment, but I was unable to get the 'reply' button to appear there.) Since each of the three buildings you described appears to contain more than 1,000 square feet of '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 general rule of thumb would be to treat them each as a separate LEED-certifiable building. Then, the team would have the option of applying one or both of the approaches outlined in the AGMBC (http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Archive/General/Docs10486.pdf). In particular, the 'group credit' (aka group certification) approach may make sense in a situation like this if all three buildings will be built under a singe construction contract/scope of work.
Occasionally, a different approach might be warranted due to the disposition of integral functions amongst related buildings or other such special circumstances. Teams facing complicated scenarios like this are encouraged to use the Contact form (http://www.gbci.org/org-nav/contact/Contact-Us/Project-Certification-Que...) to explain their situations and obtain feedback directly from USGBC/GBCI before registering their projects as this will help ensure a smoother certification process.
Joanna Switzer
Dec 02 2013Guest555 Thumbs Up
LEED Campus/Group web browser/adobe plug-in issues.
Joanna, yes this is an 'on-going' problem in three segments. 1. Up to now (and unless GBCI jump in here) Safari is the only browser that successfully can 'get in' to LEED on Line, plus it can only be a certain level, (10.1.4 if I remember right)...so that auto upgrade button on your computer needs deactivated as Safari is already at 11.4!. Another problem is that if you have inadvertently upgraded then finding the correct software to down grade is very problematic. 2. If you run MAC..then you are in a world of your own. The only positive way of overcoming the work around on MAC is to down load 'Parallels' and then install a single version of Microsoft, with the right browser format, see above, and then run it. 3. Finally, when oh when will GBCI modernize the system so we don't get these problems. Being restricted to older versions of a browser on a multi-million dollar business platform seems a little daft. All other comments and help from LEED User would be very useful!
Hi Joanna, My apologies for any difficulties you are having with LEED Online for Campus. I just tried to post a longer reply, but when I hit Submit it disappeared. So, rather than retype it in its entirety and risk a completely redundant posting if my earlier comment decides to show-up later, suffice it to say, I suggest you look at this earlier comment (http://www.leeduser.com/topic/new-leed-guidance-campuses-and-multiple-bu... ) and the associated thread for the basic system requirements & some limited trouble-shooting ideas. If they don't work (or, if you are using a MAC, and Barry's helpful suggestions don't resolve your problems either), I would suggest using the 'Feedback' button (which can usually be found in the lower right of most screens in LEED Online for Campus) to report your problem directly to our IT staff. Please be sure to include you contact info, project ID, and the best way & times to reach you.
NOTE*** This pertains to the discussion thread/item immediately below, "Need suggestion on a multiple building site". I'm posting it here, because I don't see the 'Post a Reply' link under that discussion thread/item.
H.K.C.B. Heendeniya,
Since each of the three buildings appears to contain more than 1,000 square feet of '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 general rule of thumb would be to treat them each as a separate LEED-certifiable building. Then, the team would have the option of applying one or both of the approaches outlined in the AGMBC (http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Archive/General/Docs10486.pdf). In particular, the 'group credit' (aka group certification) approach may make sense in a situation like this if all three buildings will be built under a singe construction contract/scope of work.Occasionally, a different approach might be warranted due to the disposition of supporting functions amongst related buildings or other such special circumstances. Teams facing complicated scenarios like this are encouraged to use the Contact form (http://www.gbci.org/org-nav/contact/Contact-Us/Project-Certification-Que...) to explain their situations and obtain feedback directly from USGBC/GBCI before registering their projects as this will often ensure a smoother certification process.
H.K.C.B. Heendeniya
Co-Energi (Pvt) Ltd.
Nov 29 2013Guest138 Thumbs Up
Need suggestion on a multiple building site
Dear all,
I have a NC 2009 project that is located on a site of 216315 sq.ft. The project boundary includes 3 physically separated buildings viz. a production plant of 42,152 sq.ft, a canteen building of 7882 sq.ft and a toilet block of 3950 sq.ft. The generator room and the compressor rooms are attached to the toilet block and the boiler room is attached to the canteen building.
By looking at the description do you suggest we should apply for a campus registration? In my opinion for this kind of set up campus registration does not make sense because 3 buildings are not mutually exclusive in terms of occupancy, operation and resource sharing.
Please give me your ideas and if you need more information about the site to make a judgement please reply and I will provide the additional information .
Thank you very much.
Since each of the three buildings appears to contain more than 1,000 square feet of '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 general rule of thumb would be to treat them each as a separate LEED-certifiable building. Then, the team would have the option of applying one or both of the approaches outlined in the AGMBC (http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Archive/General/Docs10486.pdf). In particular, the 'group credit' (aka group certification) approach may make sense in a situation like this if all three buildings will be built under a singe construction contract/scope of work.
Occasionally, a different approach might be warranted due to the disposition of supporting functions amongst related buildings or other such special circumstances. Teams facing complicated scenarios like this are encouraged to use the Contact form (http://www.gbci.org/org-nav/contact/Contact-Us/Project-Certification-Que...) to explain their situations and obtain feedback directly from USGBC/GBCI before registering their projects as this will often ensure a smoother certification process.
Henrique Mendes
Green Domus
Oct 09 2013LEEDuser Member802 Thumbs Up
New to AGMBC
Hi there.
We have a client that has 6 projects of buildings to be constructed at different location. But all this 6 projects are the same.
I´d like to know if it´s possible to get any advantages from this similarity of the projects. I´ve looked at this AGMBC but seems like we cannot fit them into Group certification. Is there any other way to get the credits for them all at once?
Hi Henrique, Unfortunately, if the buildings are not all located on a shared site/campus, the AGMBC would not be applicable (see requirement at top of pg 5 of the AGMBC document: http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Archive/General/Docs10486.pdf). Though it would not make sense in this case either, it is worth mentioning for future reference that the LEED Volume program (http://www.usgbc.org/leed/certification/programs/volume) is intended to help streamline documentation and certification costs for multiple buildings of a similar type even if they are located on separate sites. That program only starts to become cost-effective when there are at least 25 projects (bldgs) or more involved. If you'd like to provide more details regarding this project via the Contact page of usgbc.org, we may be able to provide you with some additional suggestions or assistance.
Noriko Yasuhara
Woonerf Inc.
Oct 09 2013LEEDuser Member2000 Thumbs Up
Tenant design and construction guidelines- CS Sc9
Hi All,
Th Appendix A - AGMBC Applicability for Credits and Prerequisites in LEED 2009 Design & Construction Rating Systems describes a Mater Tenant Design and Construction Guideline for SSc9 Tenant Design and Construction Guidelines for LEED CS using the group certification scheme as:
"One Master Tenant Design & Construction Guideline may be used that includes a section for each building type and/or design included in the project."Does the each building type stated above means: office, retail, residence? Is it correct to say that if I have two office buildings in one group certification I don't have to change anything from a normal Tenant Design & Construction Guideline?
Thanks in advance,
Hi Noriko, Your assumptions are basically correct. If the building types are the same they may not need any separate/different guidance, but another factor to consider is whether the designs of the buildings within the group differ in any way that would make a substantive difference to the project-specific guidelines you would provide to future Tenants. For example, the base building's HVAC system can have a considerable effect on the tenant fit-out, and if one building's HVAC system differs substantially from the other's, the Tenant Guidelines should have separate sections to help the future tenants of each building optimize their fit-out for each building's HVAC system, even if they are both Office buildings.
John McLean
Senior Associate
Watson Tate Savory Architects
Oct 03 2013Guest65 Thumbs Up
Group Project Grandfathered in as a single building
We registered a project in 2009 as a single building prior to the publications of campus/multi-building application guide even through it is three buildings. The project has come back and we found out the fees have tripled to re-register now as a Group Certification and some credits will be much more stringent now that each building must stand alone on the IEQ credits. Is there a president to "grandfather" the project in as it was registered in 2009 prior to the publication of the campus/multi-building process.
John, This needs unraveling. I'm assuming that even though you registered the project as a single building that you never completed the forms and uploaded the same to the GBCI...Correct?. You say the building has 'come back' and again I'm assuming the client has decided to go forward with the project. Are the three buildings connected in any way?. Are they all separately metered? I really don't hold out a lot of hope that you will get this project through as a single building without some more information. You're welcome to call me if that would help?
In 2009 we only registered, no forms submitted. The project has "come back" meaning it was put on hold for some time and we are working to upload our design submission and documents are done, ready for bidding. All three buildings are totally separate on same tight lot, same leed bountry but not connected in any way. They will be separately metered.
Main question; is anyone aware of a pathway to allow three non-connected buildings to be treated as a single building and not use the Campus Guide?
Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham
Senior Facilities Planner
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Oct 02 2013LEEDuser Member134 Thumbs Up
LEED for Campus Master Site registration
My campus is considering registering our entire campus site (1400+ acres) under LEED for Campus. To whom do I issue the registration fee check - to USGBC or GBCI? Is there any advice from other campuses that have already worked through the process and can advise?
We have 2-3 building in various phases of the design process and many teams are asking for us to submit our site credits under the LEED for Campus registration. I have not seen the actual documentation requirements for LEED for Campus and would appreciate links to resources.
Ludmilla, Apply first to the GBCI by direct email and get the finer details sorted out. They may well want to get a clear understanding of building numbers, those that EB against those that are NC, those where you might want to complete CI..
The new usgbc.org/leedonline website has the links to 'campus' and 'group' and from there the billing will be created. But start first by explaining to GBCI what you are trying to accomplish with your campus. Good luck
deborah lucking
fentress architects
Sep 23 2013LEEDuser Member1377 Thumbs Up
Project LEED Boundaries within a Master Site
What is the purpose of defining Project LEED boundaries when all the buildings are part of a Master Site application?
I'm stymied (already!) by the requirements to provide the basic information required on the individual project's PI forms - number of parking spaces? Area within LEED boundary? Do we provide the Master Site numbers, or the numbers derived specifically within the Project LEED boundary? If the latter - for what purpose? If the former - isn't this information redundant - it should be on the Master Site PI forms.
Any guidance is greatly appreciated!
Deborah, you need to show that individual LEED buildings meet LEED requirements, and this will require LEED project boundaries that define the areas relevant to their credit achievement.
Hello. I have a follow-up question to Deborah's: Is it possible that an individual LEED project boundary associated with a Master Site is simply 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.? Also, since the parking spaces are allocated in the Master Site application, is it feasible that the number of parking spaces provided for building users be 0 on the individual project PI form? Or does this contradict the language in the 2010 AMGBC document (p.8) that states "LEED project boundary must include all land that is associated with and supports normal project operations..." Are parking spaces for employees of an office building considered to support normal project operations? Thank you for any guidance.
Anthea Ng
Sep 05 2013LEEDuser Member157 Thumbs Up
One building, two certificates?
E.g. a project has a building which includes Hotel and offices. The owners / operators shall be two different parties and they want separate certificates.
Yet, they will share the same car park, same landscape, same bicycle storage... etc. Would it be possible that I apply certificates separately but they share the same facilities?
If not, does that mean I must awkwardly draw LEED project boundary to separate the the carpark/ landscape/ bicycle storage?
Or whether the multiple building rules (campus) could be applied, so I can share these facilities under two certificates?
Many thanks!
Anthea. A lot of questions but the basic facts are this: Under MPR rules two buildings must be able to be 'separated' in very distinct guidelines. I ask you to review fully the requirements for vertically attached buildings and horizontally attached buildings in the MPR. Leaving aside the parking/landscaping/bike storage for the moment, if the two buildings cannot be 'separated' into two distinct portions it is very unlikely that you can provide for the two separate performance periods within the two buildings. Here's an alternative suggestion. Once the 'building' is certified as a single building purchase several of the translucent logos (They are an exact picture of the plaque) and mount these on every entrance door to the building. We have done this on several buildings that have multiple entrances, The logo looks like it has been sandblasted into the glass, and as they are on all entrances everyone entering the building has the knowledge that the whole building is certified.
Pg 22 of the MPR Supplement (2011 revision) has a provision for "Multi-party ownership:
a) Multiple-party ownership of a certifying building or space is acceptable. Proper accountability for MPR and rating system conformance must be in place."What is unclear (of course) is what "proper accountability" means. You may want to approach GBCI directly and get guidance on how to input the Owner information. e.g., whose initials go on the LEED Online forms?
Good luck, and please post any more information you may get on this question.
If the MPR guidelines are not clear enough for your particular project, I would suggested submitting 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. When you submit, make sure to include plans that clearly show where the dividing lines between the projects are and how MEP systems are separated.
The project also seems like a good candidate for the Campus Approach, with one Master Site and two individual building certifications (if the building is allowed to be separated into two projects).
Thanks everyone.
I think the hotel and office can have a clear cut boundary within building while office is on lower floors and hotel takes the high zone, totally separate floors. A cut line should be easily laid in the building. And the vertically attached hotel is more than 20% 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 overall structure plus separate ownership, so I think two certificates should be ok.I feel embarrased to cut the shared facilities, the landscape, carpark... etc. These two types of properties are actually in one building, so I am not so sure if "Campuses and Multiple Buildings" approach could be applied.
Anthea, OK, with this extra information we can now start to dig in with details. To separate the buildings vertically you will really need to show them separate...that's separate ownership (and really helps to have separate operational companies running the two parts). They must have separate metering, energy, gas and water. They must have separate HVAC systems....and if at all possible separate or clearly defined, entrances to the two parts. However they can share, fire systems, fire escapes and common roof (which of course they have). In terms of landscaping we find it better to assign all the landscaping to one part and the submeteringSubmetering is used to determine the proportion of energy use within a building attributable to specific end uses or subsystems (e.g., the heating subsystem of an HVAC system). is better able to handle the difference. This of course will mean that one building will gain different credits from another. As far as CMB, the cost benefit of using the system is not worth it...stick with separate certifications.
I have a similar situation as Anthea, where in a single site I have a shopping mall, with a hotel building and separately an office building, both on top of the mall. They all share an entrance and below both the hotel and office buildings is the mall. This site forms part of a Master site where other buildings will be separately certified, but how to define a LEED boundary for each seems unclear. Can a single site have 3 separate certifications? Anthea, have you been able to figure your project out? Thanks!
Rosamaria, This is getting complicated. No a single site cannot have 3 certifications (unless they were EB, NC and CI, which is not what you are asking)...unless you are able to clearly define the operations of the three spaces as I mentioned to Anthea above. In your case I can see that the hotel would have a separate operating company (Hilton for example) who would not be operating the mall and the office. But the mall and office block may well have the a common operating team (CBRE, Cush for examples). The swing gate here if having as few shared services as possible. Contact GBCI direct for clarification.
Robert Wichert
Aug 28 2013Guest404 Thumbs Up
Water Efficiency
I am actively searching for guidance on how to input water efficiency for a two building group project. Does anybody know where that might be found. It is NOT in the Leedonline Resources.
Robert Wichert
Hi Robert, I assume you may be referring to how to submit info for each building separately for WEp1 compliance documentation purposes. If so, please use the following procedure for prerequisites & credits that require multiple forms (i.e. those credits not listed as "Group credits" in the Tables at the front of AGMBC Appendices A or B, whichever applies):
a) Complete the LEED Online form as normal for the first building/space that is part of the project.
b) Save copies of this form to your personal computer for all subsequent buildings/spaces that are included in the project. If the "Save a Copy" button is not already visible in the Adobe toolbar above the form, it can be added by right clicking on the toolbar, selecting "More Tools," scrolling to "File Toolbar" and selecting "Save a Copy."
c) Complete all copied forms offline.
d) Upload copied forms and accompanying documentation to the "Special Circumstances" section of your online form. Be sure to name files in such a way that it is clear to which project building/space each document or form pertains.
Thank you very much. I understand completely, BUT WAIT!!!! The "+ADD FILE" button isn't working. Oh No! Now what?
Sorry to report that the "+ADD FILE" button on Water Efficiency for Group Projects done via www.usgbc.org/leedonline still doesn't work.
Is anybody else having this problem, and yes, I have used the "FEEDBACK" link/frowny face/ input.
Lara Branco
Aug 22 2013Guest34 Thumbs Up
University Campus Buildings Connected
I'm having some difficulty in figuring out if my project should be certified as one single building, or different building (and certifications) on a campus.The project is of an university campus, that has 3 buildings in a row, 2 of which will be demolished and 1 (the one in the middle) will be maintained.
In the place of the 2 demolished buildings, will be constructed new buildings. They have a shared underground parking lot and are also connected by a bridge on the 4th floor.
The building that will be maintained is between the 2 new buildings, under the bridge and over the parking lot and will not be renovated or connected to the new buildings.My question is, if the new buildings are connected to each other (sharing the underground parking lot structure) but not to the existing building, can I pursue a singular certification and exclude the existing building or do I qualify for a Campus approach?
Lara. The 'swing gate' is if the 'connections' can be classed as robust enough...to be honest I doubt it but in any case please call USGBC and get a written, definitive reply to your question.
Buildings connected only by parking structure or circulation cannot count as one building, per LEED MPR supplemental guidelines. They are separate buildings in LEED's eyes. So you have a couple options:
1) Group Certification (this is the equavalent to a single certification for multiple buildings)
2) Two individual certifications; or
3) Two individual certifications within a Master Site.I would take a look at the site credits and see if it would be beneficial to use a Master Site (aka, Campus Approach).
Robert Wichert
Aug 22 2013Guest404 Thumbs Up
Using the Group EAP2 Spreadsheet
Does anybody have any experience with the Excel spreadsheet for group energy analysis? It is available here: http://www.usgbc.org/resources/eap2-whole-building-energy-simulation-sum...
I get all sorts of error messages and I'm worried that the output is going to be compromised.
Any assistance or ideas would be appreciated.
deborah lucking
fentress architects
Aug 15 2013LEEDuser Member1377 Thumbs Up
Master Site - recycled content in landscape material
Intrepid LEEDusers,
The AGMBC indicates that MRc4 is not applicable for Master Site. How would we account for landscaping material that contains recycled content? Do these materials not figure at all in the project cost? What about locally-sourced (i.e. regional) landscape material? Or can we assign them to one or more of the building projects? Has anyone had experience with this?Thanks!
Robert Wichert
Aug 12 2013Guest404 Thumbs Up
How to assign credits to team members in GROUP projects
It looks like V.3 allowed assigning credits to individual team members, but USGBC/LEEDONLINE GROUP PROJECTS does not.
Am I missing something?
You are correct Robert. LEED Online for Campus, the new platform for AGMBC projects, does not require (or allow) credits to be assigned to individual team members or roles. Any team member may work on any credit. This is a change from LEED Online v3 that is meant to streamline the interface, but if you feel that it is a feature you would like to have back, please feel free to note that in reply to this posting, and I will pass along your feedback to our development team. Thanks!
Thanks Eric, but on another issue... Group LeedOnline does not work at all right now for the following browsers:
Safari 5.1.7
Chrome Version 28.0.1500.95 m
Firefox 22.0Am I the only one having trouble? Is there a fix?
Robert, Yes we have the same problem..especially if you download Adobe Acrobat Pro onto your computer...it pulls the Reader plugin from the browser. OK, so this may be an Adobe problem but as it's happened three times on three different computers I'm not so sure. Currently we have one computer dedicated only to LEED on Line....which of course is a total pain.
I have my fingers crossed that USGBC's software upgrade, scheduled for this weekend might...MIGHT...have a fix that will either:
1. Solve the compatibility problem
2. Have a diagnostic link to help us through the problems
3. Decide that we're going back to the paper version...where we KNOW the process works.
UUUggg, talk about the cost of LEED...if I have to pay another dollar to the IT department to sort this again!!!
Thanks for the hint, Barry. I went after AdobePro, since I have it on my computer. I "solved" it like this...
1) Use Mozilla Firefox. The others don't seem to have the option to bypass AcrobatPro.
2) Try to make AcrobatReader the default reader for Mozilla Firefox. This is done at Firefox>Options>Applications. You can change it, but it won't really work.
3) When you go to access a form using Firefox, it will give you an error message "To view the full contents of this document, you need a later version of PDF viewer..." Well, I think that is because my AcroPro is X and they want XI HOWEVER it also has a banner at the top which says "This pdf document may not be displayed correctly" and a button with "open with a different viewer". If you punch that button and pick AcrobatReader XI, the form comes up, but after a few seconds, Adobe Acrobat Reader crashes and you are left with a ghost of the form. : (
4. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! Now, open Acrobat Reader alone, without any files open and go to Edit>Preferences>Security(Enhanced) and turn off PROTECTED MODE and turn off ENABLE ENHANCED SECURITY and turn off ENABLE PROTECTED MODE AT STARTUP.
Voila! You can now use Mozilla Firefox to access forms if you try once and then pick Adobe Acrobat Reader XI and there you go!
Or so it works for me.
Hi Robert & Barry, My apologies for the inconveniences this incompatibility is causing. At the moment LEED Online for Campus works on IE 9 & IE 10 browsers and Firefox 21.0 The problem you are experiencing with (MS) IE 10.0.9200 is likely due to having the 'compatibility' setting turned-on. This IS a necessary setting for LEED Online v3, but not for LEED Online for Campus. You may use the 'Feedback' link in either version of LEED Online to request more detailed assistance if you are having trouble with browser compatibility.
Note: Firefox 22 created some problems with saving data in LEED Online for Campus (as well as issues with other software) that can be fixed by stepping back to version 21 for the time-being.
The problem with the LEED forms is they use proprietary Adobe coding. The USGBC needs to switch to open code forms. HTML5 is what the browsers are using these days. Yes, it is a huge task to switch over the forms. Eventually, everyone will switch over to HTML5, Adobe included. The bullet has to be bitten at some point.
Thanks to Eric, I am now able to use the system. The trick was getting compatibility mode turned OFF!
Thanks Eric!
Many thanks for jumping in. As a company using 100% MAC, we will need to take alternative routes...backing out of Firefox is one, but it still doesn't cure the incompatibility with Adobe Acrobat XI Pro. We'll try a few more routes and re-post later. Thanks
Well, Compatibility OFF seems to get me to the forms OK, but now the +ADD FILE function in the upload area doesn't work at all. Is anybody else having this problem?
Hi Robert, I'm sorry you're still having some trouble with this. At this point, I'd recommend that you use the 'Feedback' button in LEED Online for Campus (usually found in the lower right of the screen) to report your problem to our IT staff. Please include the particular form(s) that you're having trouble with and how best to reach you, as well as information about the browser you are using. They should be able to help you through it.
Right, Eric...
I already did that. I can use, update and save the forms, but the upload area +ADD FILE button is not working at all.
Have a great holiday!
You too, Robert.
Although I doubt this is the problem here, please note that the +ADD FILE feature only works once the credit has been "Attempted" in the scorecard. It sounds like you are dealing with credits that have already been Attempted, but I figure it can't hurt to mention this possible solution here, as it may be of use to someone else. I anticipate our IT team will be able to help you get this fixed soon. Thanks!
Thanks Eric,
Yes, we have ATTEMPTED the credit, but you don't mean we have to use the "I'M DONE" feature, do you? I'm not done.
Hi Robert, No, I didn't mean that the credit has to be marked "I'm done" in order to have the +ADD FILE button work. There must be something else causing the problem. Sorry about the inconvenience. If you'd like to indicate which particular prereq/credit & upload is causing the trouble, which rating system you're using, and whether it is a Group or a Campus project, I can try to do some additional research in the meanwhile, but even if I cannot provide any more useful input, I'm sure the IT team will help get it all sorted it out for you. Thanks for your patience and feedback.
Hi Robert and All, It appears that the cause of +ADD FILE not working in cases like this may be the use of a version of internet browser that is not supported by LEED Online for Campus. As noted above, LEED Online for campus works with IE (Internet Explorer) 9 and 10 as well as Firefox 21.0. Using other browsers, or other versions of these two browsers, may cause problems in LEED Online for Campus functionality.
Thanks again for taking the time to weigh in on this, Eric. Your insight is very important. As a GBCI staff member, you are in a position to affect the system much more than we are. I appreciate it.
But to the point...
There is no "SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS" document for Leed Online For Campus. If there was, we could make sure that we had what it takes. As it is right now, we are left to just trial and error. And I mean "ERROR"! : )
I received some direction to use Firefox 23.0.1 but to change several settings in OPTIONS OPTIONS APPLICATIONS such that "Adobe Acrobat Forms Documents" and "Adobe Acrobat XML Data Packages" are always set to USE ADOBE ACROBAT IN FIREFOX. This was good advice, since it made uploading files possible, but saving the form was not possible by pushing the SAVE FORM button. Today uploading no longer works. The inability to save the form was overcome by using MSIE 10 with "Compatibility" turned OFF. This mixture allowed me to work with the forms.
But is that what we really want? I mean, talk about taking the long way around the barn!
I will try Firefox 21.0, as you suggested.
Wish me luck!
Robert Wichert
+1 916 966 9060
Rob, etEvapotranspiration (ET) is the loss of water by evaporation from the soil and by transpiration from plants. It is expressed in millimeters per unit of time. al...you realize that this is all pretty crazy...sorry but we gave up and installed Parrallels on our Macs with windows 7. Can't keep spending IT dollars trying to remove Firefox 23 and reinstalling Firefox 21. (And they say LEED doesn't cost...Ha!)
Robert Wichert
Aug 07 2013Guest404 Thumbs Up
Two Buildings on One Site
We have two apartment buildings on one site. It meets all the requirements for a group since they are being built at the same time and by the same contractors and owned by the same owner. How do we register it? From what I can tell, we should be able to just add up all the areas for the site and for the building, but then I hear that if you check "two buildings" you get bounced. I have read everything available, but I still don't know how to proceed.
It is NOT a campus. We are only building two buildings, both of which we will try to certify.
Robert, register your project in the new Campus LEED Online platform. It was developed for both Individual Projects with a Master Site and Group projects (with or without a Master Site).
Yes, that sounds great, but the project is already registered as Project ID 1000032243. Although we haven't done a lot of work already, we have paid our fees and started the scorecard. Is all of that lost?
Is it registered in the new Campus LEED Online platform or LEEDonline v3?
Either way, if you need to set up a new Group registration, the information you have already input will not transfer to the new project. I would save pdfs of your LEED forms offline so that have a record of all in project info and can re-enter the information in the new registration.You need to contact USGBC directly to cancel your old registration and transfer the registration payment you've already paid to the new project. USGBC will give you instructions on now to proceed.
Marcio Alberto Casado Pereira
Aug 02 2013Guest3968 Thumbs Up
Master site credits applicabilty
We have a campus with 9 buildings elegible to seek LEED but only some of them will seek the certification (we are still deciding which ones). I have 2 questions:
1) If not all buildings from this property (same owner, same construction contract, it's a set of residential buildings) are seeking LEED, can we still go ahead and seek some credits via master site? Or is the master site strategy only applicable when all buildings from the property are going to be certified?
2) In case it's possible to use the master site strategy, can the LEED Campus boundary coincide with the property line (which will include the other not to be certified buildings)?Thanks
1 - Yes, you can still use the Master Site strategy even if not all the buildings within the site (aka LEED Campus Boundary) will not be seeking certification.
2 - Yes. Please refer to the guidance on pages 7-8 and the third diagram on page 9 of the AGMBC document (http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Archive/General/Docs10486.pdf). These resources confirm that such an approach is acceptable and explain (in general terms) how/when to account for the non-certifying buildings in the campus credit calculations.
Thanks Eric, this is very helpful information.
However, we still have an issue as far as registration goes. Since this is a residential complex of buildings, there are some buildings that have exactly the same floor plan for all levels, same sections and elevations. They are essentially the same project that repeats itself 2 or 3 times.
For those buildings, is it enough to make one single registration within the block and just inform in PIf2 "Number of buildings as a part of this LEED application" how many buildings of that type are seeking LEED? We highlight that this project has already been registered before the new platform that supports campus and group projects launched in April 2013: https://www.usgbc.org/leedonline/user/login.
Also, we wonder if there's a way to roll over the old registration to this new platform...
Unfortunately, there may be only one building per project in LEED Online v3, even for projects that registered prior to the release of LEED Online for Campus. You cannot certify a 'prototype building' and then extend that single certification to additional 'copies' of that same building, either, no matter how similar they are. So, just entering some number higher than 1 in the field you identified in PIf2 will not solve the problem; in fact, it will generate an error message that basically directs you to use the AGMBC if you wish to certify multiple buildings as a single project.
Your inquiry about rolling the project registration over from LEED Online v3 into the new LEED Online for Campus platform to seek Group certification hints at doing just that, and it is an option that may be a good approach to for LEED certifying this project as long as each building individually qualifies for the same LEED rating system, and they're all being built as part of one construction project/contract on a shared site by a single Owner entity, etc. per the Group certification eligibility requirements explained in the AGMBC document (http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Archive/General/Docs10486.pdf).
Please see our FAQ on this topic for more information about how to request such a roll-over/transfer (http://www.usgbc.org/help/can-i-transfer-individual-building-registratio...). Essentially, the project administrator for the existing projects in LOv3 just needs to submit a request via the Contact Us page of the GBCI website (http://www.gbci.org/org-nav/contact/Contact-Us/Project-Certification-Que...) and we'll guide you through the process.
Thanks Eric! We will inform the client about the roll over possibility and decide what to do.
As far as that field in PIf2, I'm curious now...if the number always has to be 1 since there can only be one building per application, what's the point of asking the question? Or is there any scenario that the number is not 1? What would be this scenario?
Brendan Molony
Jul 01 2013Guest85 Thumbs Up
LEED EB&OM Hospital
When LEED EB certifying a hospital with multiple buildings that are all interconnected with tunnels, energy, water, one address, and waste, operating as one building. Would it be necessary to sub meter and monitor each building or because of the interconnectedness could it be classified under a single project?
Tricky question. Hospitals are often in a gray zone when it comes to the one building definition as your question points out. The GBCI is aware that hospitals typically only have one address that covers multiple buildings. Don't sweat that 'test'. What does your owner want you to do with the EB+OM? Is there any renovation associated with this?
If your hospital is small or is relatively new, you can probably do the entire campus under one project. But that isn't typical in my experience. Personally, I wouldn't EB+OM the entire campus as one building or project. There are percent thresholds for earning credits in EB+OM that you won't make without breaking down the buildings, especially if they aren't fully up on EPPEnvironmentall preferable products (EPP) are those identified as having a lesser or reduced effect on health and the environment when compared with competing products that serve the same purpose. protocols or have an active green team. Second, your owner's facility manager likely manages and monitors these buildings individually (or probably should operationally). It makes sense to submeterSubmetering is used to determine the proportion of energy or water use within a building attributable to specific end uses such as tenant spaces, or subsystems such as the heating component of an HVAC system. to some degree. But it can also be difficult to determine building boundaries, especially at lower levels. My advice would be to open an dialog with the GBCI on the boundary issue.
Thank you, for the advice. I will start to open a conversation with the GBCI and determine what steps that would be necessary to move forward with our project.
As of right now there are no plans for any renovations. In the past we have renovated one building that we tracked to see how many LEED points we could get but because we are so integrated it was not possible to fully certify. Our goal is to certify as many buildings as possible without large amounts of construction or capital.
Noriko Yasuhara
Woonerf Inc.
Jun 26 2013LEEDuser Member2000 Thumbs Up
Group project certification and PIf2
The following message appears if a total of more than one building is selected in "Number of buildings attempting certification as part of this LEED Application:" at PIf2:
"At present, only one building may be included in a LEED 2009 project registration. For more information about multiple building LEED projects, visit us online. For definitions of separate, distinct buildings for the purposes of LEED, see the Supplemental Guidance to the MPRs."Is it OK to input 2 buildings and write down it is a group certification on the additional details tab?
Thanks in advance,
Hello Noriko, It sounds as though you may be trying to input a Group project in the standard LEED Online v3 platform. Group certification functionality only exists on our new LEED Online for Campus platform (www.usgbc.org/leedonline). More information about that platform can be found here: http://www.usgbc.org/articles/new-and-improved-way-certify-multiple-buil... . If you require additional assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us (http://www.gbci.org/org-nav/contact/Contact-Us/Project-Certification-Que...).
Brian Leet
Freeman French Freeman
Jun 25 2013Guest53 Thumbs Up
New Campus Tool
I am having a great deal of trouble finding any indication of how the campus side of the new site works. (For that matter, it took some scouring to even find the new site. Why is it not hosted by GBCI?)
Does anyone have experience or feedback on using it?
Is there a way to download the credit forms which are apparently modified for the application guidance?
I can find a too-brief video showing how the group side works. Is there a more extensive one showing how master site and individual projects link and work together on the site?
I need to make a decision soon whether to migrate over. I had a project that got burned by migrating too early to LEED2009 and dealing with buggy forms and incomplete site, so I'd like to use this but I'm shy without some way to see exactly what I'd be working with.
Hi Brian, Thanks for your interest, patience, & feedback as we roll-out additional resources to support this promising new platform for the Campus program. Your request for the publication of additional instructional materials concerning the Campus (Master Site) side of the platform has been passed-along to our development team. In the meanwhile, if you wouldn't mind submitting your request through our Contact form (http://www.gbci.org/org-nav/contact/Contact-Us/Project-Certification-Que...) we will be glad to provide you with additional assistance. You may include a note to route the request to my attention, and I'll try to address it as quickly as possible. Thanks again!
Blake Thames
Project Coordinator
GFF Architects
Jun 20 2013Guest26 Thumbs Up
Phased Project Executed Under Different Construction Contracts
After having registered our project (LEED NC for Schools) it was determined that the building would be constructed in two phases, one right after the other, with Phase 1 being occupied while Phase 2 is under construction. Additionally it is possible that the two phases will be completed by different contractors under different contracts.
If the two phases are constructed under different contracts, can the building still be registered as a single project? Or will we need to register a group project and document each phase individually?
Thanks for your help,
Simon S.
SL+A International, Taipei
May 29 2013LEEDuser Member4665 Thumbs Up
Campus with Already Certified Building
We're in a situation where two existing buildings, Building A and B, are in the same campus. Building A is already LEED EB:O&M certified as an individual project (no campus credits) while we're currently working on LEED EB:O&M for building B. Is it possible to implement the EB:O&M campus approach at this point? For instance, if Building A, as an individual project, has already claimed most of the surrounding landscape in its boundary, is it possible to reclaim the same landscape in the campus boundary shared by Building A and B?
Simon, A bit late to reply no doubt, but this reply (and hopefully a reply from you) may help others. Several problems come to mind as you undertake the second EB. 1. Double dipping-If you've already gained credits for landscaping, as an example, in one building, you can't reuse those credit again in another building. 2. At the stage you were I can't see GBCI giving campus approach to the second building. My path would have been -continue with individual, even though you'll gain less points, get the project completed, then re-certify under campus approach.
Jason Biondi
Managing Director
Energy Cost Solutions Group
May 29 2013LEEDuser Member309 Thumbs Up
Campus Site Boundaries and Group Building Certification
Good afternoon. Thank for the forum. I would like to know if four buildings being built on four individual parcels, seperated by public right of way and roads (the four corners of an intersection) can be certified as a Group Project under a single Master Site.
All parcels are owned and being developed by the same group and construction will be simultaneous.
I think that I would like to encumpass all for sites in the Master Site Boundary and certify the buildings as one group. Is this a reasonable approach? Also, would I be able to deduct out area(s), consistantly across credits, owned by the local jurisdiction?
Your input is much appreciated.
Jason Biondi
Jason- I have not encountered this situation personally on any LEED projects. But, according to MRP Supplemental Guidance Rev 2 pg 13 (Including non-contiguous parcels in the LEED project boundary), a Master Site boundary the encompasses the 4 parcels should be allowed. You might be able to exclude the public right-of-way areas the LEED boundary area.
However, if the roads are being constructed as the result of the project development, they may have to be included as part of the LEED project, because they directly support the function of the building(s).
Aditi Padki
Project Architect, LEED AP BD+C
May 28 2013Guest124 Thumbs Up
Single building or multiple buildings?
We are working on a manufacturing plant outside United States. The project consists of the manufacturing area which includes 6 buildings, these 6 buildings are placed in 3 rows and 2 buildings per row, all of these buildings are continuously connected with a 3 story circulation spine. which runs in the middle of the site connecting all of the different manufacturing buildings. There is an additional building which houses the admin and staff support spaces like cafeteria, lockers etc. This Admin building is not connected with the circulation spine instead only a covered walkway connects this admin building to the manufacturing area. the goal is to pursue LEED gold under NC, but with preliminary analysis seems like the manufacturing area can get LEED silver and the admin building can get LEED gold.
My questions are
1. Is it possible to pursue LEED certification for this project as one single building where we pursue LEED NC silver for the whole project? since the admin building is merely an extension of the manufacturing part and functionality wise both parts are interdependent.
2. do we consider this as two different buildings, the manufacturing plant and the admin building and go with the master site where we can get diff levels of certification for the two buildings, LEED-NC silver and LEED NC gold under different project registrations with common campus credits.
Thanks in advance.
For a project like this, there are generally two options: pursue Group Certification OR Individual Bldg Certifications using the Campus Approach/Master Site. The project cannot pursue certification as one large building because the Admin building is only connected by circulation to the manufacturing plant (see MPR Supplemental Guidance Rev 2, pg 22 on "Defining one building"). Even if the buildings serve each other and are fucntionally connected, they are physically separate (by LEED standards) and therefore are considered separate buildings. It is also possible that the manufacturing building is actually a series of separate buildings that must be treated distinct, for LEED purposes. But, without see the plans, I couldn't say for sure. At a minimum, the Admin Building and Manufacturing Building must be treated as two distinct buildings. It is up to you whether a Group Certification or Individual Certifications with a Campus Approach makes more sense for the project.
While it is clear our associate EH knows how to read the MPR Supplemental Guidance Rev 2, I encourage you to question the Guide and its interpretation. You have a single project, none of it is sufficiently unique to stand alone on its own merits.
Your arguments for this would be enhanced if 1) the "3 story circulation spine" includes conveyors, if 2) you are treating it in the building code as a single building (your phrase "6 buildings" is really an area description), and if 3) the owner is planning to use a single general contractor (or manager) for the entire project.
My suggestion is to directly engage the USGBC/GBCI in this discussion.
Thanks Louise for bringing that up, I definitely agree with your advice to engage USGBC/GBCI on how to proceed.
Aditi, it sounds like you project is complex and it would be benefit from getting approval/guidance from GBCI/USGBC on your certification approach before you register your project.
My advice is previous comment is based on experience I have had with similar manufacturing campuses. In many cases, the Admin building is treated separately from the manufacturing building.
Thanks for your replies, the whole project is under one single general contractor and going to be started and finished at the same time.....in all architectural and construction aspects this is one single entity.
It just seems like the the individual building campus/master site approach will work better here since under group certification we will have to pursue one rating system and one certification level for all the buildings that means we will only be able to reach LEED NC silver, where as with individual bldg certifications under campus/master site we will be able to pursue different levels for manufacturing and admin buildings i.e. LEED NC silver and gold respectively.
Louise: I have read your previous threads and totally agree with you but just not sure if the team is willing to spend the time, and anyways the USGBC route works better for us in this situation.
Henrique Mendes
Green Domus
May 09 2013LEEDuser Member802 Thumbs Up
Master Site and different buidings certifications
We´ll start to work on a project seeking LEED certification for multiple buildings inside a factory´s plant.
Is it possible to create and submit a master site, register one building project now, and after a couple years register another building under the same master site?
Yes! I am doing this for a couple projects. Where is gets tricky is when new LEED 2009 registrations are cut off, and LEED v4 comes into play. For v4 projects, you will have to create a new v4 master site.
Thank you for that.
And regarding this v4 issue, if we register all buildings now, under the LEED 2009, and just hold the performance period to start in different years. Will that work? Or do we have a limit due date to start our performance period once we register the building?
That should be fine. I am not as familiar with EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating systems., but each should be able to have it's own performance period within LEED 2009 as long as you get them registered in time. I am guessing projects will have at least a year after v4 is released to register projects under 2009. But . . . who knows.
Thank you Very Much!!
I´ll go through the EB_OM book and forum to find out more about the performance period.
Any individual EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating systems. building project you register now, or at any time before v3 registration ends, will have until the sunset date for EBOM 2009/v3 (which occurs at least six years after the close of the rating system) to submit for review and take advantage of campus credits earned in the v3 Master Site project. See the Certification Policy Manual for additional detail on Registration policies (http://www.usgbc.org/resources/leed-certification-policy-manual). Please note that EBOM initial performance period requirements may dictate additional limitations for when each project must be submitted, but as noted on pg 13 of the AGMBC (http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Archive/General/Docs10486.pdf), EH is correct that the performance periods for each certifying building project do NOT all have to be the same when using the master site/campus credit approach. Also, you may register the project before you start the performance period.
Muhammad Faisal Azizullah Jaffar
Sustainability Consultant
Apr 24 2013Guest142 Thumbs Up
invidually buildings ceritifcation vs multiple buildings/ campus
My project is based in Qatar and the total site area is around 13,000748 m2 of GFA comprising of 10,654 sqm of retail, 78,563 sqmof commercial office space including, 132sqm of atrium circulation, 7018 sqm of medical facilties, 21,580 sqm of residential and 11277 sqm of hotel, 524 sqm of community spaces and various levels of dedicated and public undergroun basement level parking. The most recent addition to the development, of the project is the inclusion of the metro stations at three different locations which would be underground . The entire development is comprised of 4 super blocks with individual buildings in it. One of the super blocks has 6 basements and the metro box would be included within it. My question is how would these 6 basements be taken into consideration. would they be taken part of the individual buildings or separately certified. Secondly , the cleint is opting to certify each individual building sepaartely to acheive LEED GOLD. they ahve also asked to consider LEED for multiple buildings/ campus as there could be potential benefits from phase wide credits taht could be used repeatedly for individual building submissions.there are a total of 12 buildings within the development. Could you give me the best approach to certify these 12 buildings individually. how would it affect the over all LEED rating if the metros are now included. And some tips to the over all project. Please ask me any questions if i have missed any important information. this is my first leed project which i will be handling by myself and i dont want to take a wrong decision which would effect the project . Please advise.
Tristan Roberts
LEED AP BD+C, Editorial Director – LEEDuser
BuildingGreen, Inc.
Mar 21 2013LEEDuser Moderator
what are your AGMBC Part II questions
LEEDusers, I have the opportunity next week to speak with the team at USGBC that has been working on AGMBC Part 2. Yes, the long-awaited Part 2.
I'd like to ask them for information on anything that you're wondering about, in order to share that with you. Please let me know what questions you have about AGMBC Part 2, and multiple building certification in general.
And yes, I will ask when it's coming out.
The obvious question is what documentation rules are being developed that are not specifically identified in the AGMBC documents.
Almost all of the LEED Online Forms ask for documentation that is not specifically required by the rating systems or the reference guides.
Sorry for the delay, guys—I wasn't able to share much information until now, because LEED Online for Campus projects is here!!!
USGBC has an article about it on their website. Basically, there is a LEED Online platform that is new and different from the existing LEED Online platform. We can also hope it is better, and it should be. I was told by USGBC staff that part of the delay with this project was extensive testing to ensure good functionality. This platform is built for campus or multiple building LEED certifications. I'll post more details in a bit.
The USGBC needs to define what they mean by "separate buildings that are substantially similar."
From the article Tristan posted:
"The first is Group Certification, which allows project teams with separate buildings that are substantially similar to certify as one project that shares a single certification."
Tristan- was there any indication that this new LEED Online for Campus platform could be a first iteration that will eventually become LEED Online v4?
It is continually frustrating that v3 requires outdated versions of Adobe and Safari (Mac users).
Taylor, there are hints of that, but that's all at this point. Logically I would think they would go in this direction unless the new platform turns out to be buggy.
Hi Tristan, was there any word on v3 implementing group certification projects under 1 registration, without using Campus master site?
I know this is absurdly basic, but how do I upload the forms to the Group Projects site? There is no "upload" button that I can find. I have been able to download the forms and save them, that was a struggle but by the grace of Adobe I did it. Now how to upload them?
I apologize for asking.
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