SPECIAL REPORT
LEEDuser expert
Jenny Carney
LEED Fellow, RESET AP, Fitwel Ambassador
WSP
Vice President
SPECIAL REPORT
LEEDuser’s viewpoint
Frank advice from LEED experts
LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.
Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To preserve and improve ecological integrity while supporting high-performance building operations.
Requirements
Establishment
Develop a five-year site improvement plan that includes the following:- documentation of existing site conditions;
- site improvement objectives;
- performance standards to evaluate ongoing progress; and
- monitoring protocols.
- Hydrology. Protection and improvement of water bodies on-site, rainwater management and reuse opportunities, potable water-use reduction.
- Vegetation. Documentation of existing vegetation on-site, turf area reduction, management of native and invasive plants, protection of threatened, endangered or unique species.
- Soils. Documentation of general soil structure, preservation of healthy soils, remediation of compacted soils, identification of previously disturbed area.
Performance
Show that at least 5% of the site is vegetated. Implement all no-cost and low-cost measures. Develop a new improvement plan and implement all new no-cost and low-cost measures every five years. See all forum discussions about this credit »What does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
The credit states that all no-cost and low-cost measures must be implemented. What counts as low-cost?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
We don’t meet the 5% threshold but we really want to attempt this credit. What can we do?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Documentation toolkit
The motherlode of cheat sheets
LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.
Get the inside scoop
Our editors have written a detailed analysis of nearly every LEED credit, and LEEDuser premium members get full access. We’ll tell you whether the credit is easy to accomplish or better left alone, and we provide insider tips on how to document it successfully.
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To preserve and improve ecological integrity while supporting high-performance building operations.
Requirements
Establishment
Develop a five-year site improvement plan that includes the following:- documentation of existing site conditions;
- site improvement objectives;
- performance standards to evaluate ongoing progress; and
- monitoring protocols.
- Hydrology. Protection and improvement of water bodies on-site, rainwater management and reuse opportunities, potable water-use reduction.
- Vegetation. Documentation of existing vegetation on-site, turf area reduction, management of native and invasive plants, protection of threatened, endangered or unique species.
- Soils. Documentation of general soil structure, preservation of healthy soils, remediation of compacted soils, identification of previously disturbed area.
Performance
Show that at least 5% of the site is vegetated. Implement all no-cost and low-cost measures. Develop a new improvement plan and implement all new no-cost and low-cost measures every five years.
The credit states that all no-cost and low-cost measures must be implemented. What counts as low-cost?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
We don’t meet the 5% threshold but we really want to attempt this credit. What can we do?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
LEEDuser expert
Jenny Carney
LEED Fellow, RESET AP, Fitwel Ambassador
WSP
Vice President
