Choose a LEED compliance path to verify that the daylighting meets the footcandle requirements of 25–500 footcandles for 75%–90% of regularly occupied spaces.
Hold an integrated design meeting with the architect, interior designers, mechanical engineer, lighting designer and the end users to discuss daylighting-related tradeoffs. Optimize glazing area while preventing excessive heat gain and glare; and use open space planning that allows for greater light transfer while preserving privacy.
Find out the Visual Light Transmittance (VLT) value of the glazing and enter it on the LEED credit form for each occupied space. The VLT is usually included with the glazing specifications.
Identify regularly occupied spaces that need to be included in the LEED daylight calculation. Locate these spaces near perimeter glazing, courtyards, or other daylight sources.
When programming, identify occupant lighting needs that could be met with daylight. The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) has prescribed footcandle levels for project types, occupant types, and tasks.
Focus on optimizing building orientation. Look for opportunities to optimize the glazing on each orientation to account for varying heat gain and lighting angles. When selecting a site, look for potential obstacles to daylight such as neighboring buildings, vegetation, and topography.
The architect or responsible party drafts a narrative describing the project’s approach to building reuse, including the selection of preserved elements, and any outstanding project features.
Before completing LEED documentation, the architect or responsible party revisits the tabulation of existing and reused elements to confirm that the percentage of reused building elements is above the threshold required for LEED.
