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Requirements
New Construction, Core and Shell, Schools, Existing Buildings: O&M, Retail – New Construction, Healthcare
- The LEED project boundary must include all contiguous land that is associated with and supports normal building operations for the LEED project building, including all land that was or will be disturbed for the purpose of undertaking the LEED project.
- The LEED project boundary may not include land that is owned by a party other than that which owns the LEED project unless that land is associated with and supports normal building operations for the LEED project building.
- LEED projects located on a campus must have project boundaries such that if all the buildings on campus become LEED certified, then 100% of the gross land area on the campus would be included within a LEED boundary. If this requirement is in conflict with MPR #7, Must Comply with Minimum Building Area to Site Area Ratio, then MPR #7 will take precedence.
- Any given parcel of real property may only be attributed to a single LEED project building.
- Gerrymandering of a LEED project boundary is prohibited: the boundary may not unreasonably exclude sections of land to create boundaries in unreasonable shapes for the sole purpose of complying with prerequisites or credits.
Commercial Interiors, Retail – Commercial Interiors
If any land was or will be disturbed for the purpose of undertaking the LEED project, then that land must be included within the LEED project boundary. See all forum discussions about this credit »What does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
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Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
See all forum discussions about this credit »Addenda
We are inquiring about MPR 3 - Must Use a Reasonable Site Boundary. The City owns the entire parcel of land, but not all of the site will support normal building operations. The project is a 12,000 seat event center connected to an existing convention center and arena. There is also a separate, but adjacent track and football facility to the north and a baseball stadium to the south all surrounded by parking and occasional green spaces. Site work for the project includes drives and parking immediately adjacent to the event center but also reworked drives and parking surrounding the existing convention center and arena. If the existing arena and convention center buildings are not included in the LEED boundary, disturbed areas (resurfaced drives and reworked parking) create a \'U\' shape. Further out from the resurfaced drives and parking areas are also strips of added parking that extend into existing parking lots along the edges creating \'finger\' shapes of disturbed area, while existing parking in between the fingers is only being restriped. Parking and drives are not dedicated to individual facilities, but shared. Our team is looking for guidance for the site boundary to avoid gerrymandering. What should be included in the site boundary? Does striping constitute \'disturbed\' areas? Are events outside of normal business hours considered \'normal operations\'?
First, the applicant is requesting clarification regarding how to define the LEED Project Boundary for a single project within a larger campus when the scope of work includes shared campus resources such as parking and drives. Project teams should use reasonable judgment in determining the LEED Project Boundary. The Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) state that the LEED Project Boundary should include all contiguous land that is associated with and supports normal building operations for the LEED project building, including all land that was or will be disturbed for the purpose of undertaking the LEED project. Please note that if the LEED Project Boundary includes all the land that is being affected by the scope of work, it is acceptable for the LEED Project Boundary to form an irregular shape; that would not be considered gerrymandering. The MPR Supplemental Guidance addresses under MPR #3 how to define land that is associated with and directly supports other buildings that are not seeking LEED certification, whether those buildings are new or existing, under common or separate ownership. If the parking that is being constructed that will serve both the LEED project building and other buildings that are not seeking certification, the project team may pro-rate the parking and associated hardscape area between the LEED and non-LEED boundaries. Alternatively, the project team may elect to include all the parking and hardscape in the LEED Project Boundary as long as it is part of the project\'s scope/contract, even if it partially serves other buildings. Please note that any area included or excluded from the LEED Project Boundary must be treated consistently throughout the project. Second, the applicant is asking if striping of parking lots or paved areas constitute disturbed areas for the purposed of LEED Certification. No, striping of paved areas does not constitute land disturbance and including parking areas that are only being restriped would be up to the project team. Third, the applicant is asking if events outside of normal business hours are considered normal operations. Yes, all events that would be considered typical functions of the LEED project building (regardless of the time of day or how often they occur) would be considered normal operations for the purposes of defining the LEED Project Boundary. Applicable Internationally.
If a free-standing parking garage owned by the project building owner is separately sub-metered, is it acceptable to exclude the garage from the LEED Project Boundary, as allowed by ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager?
The LEED EB: O&M rating system encompasses a broader range of operational and maintenance issues than the ENERGY STAR program, which is more narrowly focused on energy efficiency. Therefore, it is not acceptable for a LEED EB: O&M project to exclude parking from the LEED project boundary or any prerequisite or credit that is under the same ownership as, and which directly supports, the LEED project building. However, if the parking garage is separately sub-metered, its energy use and square footage may be excluded from EAp2 and EAc1 only, in alignment with ENERGY STAR. When submitting for review, include the monthly sub-meter data for the garage and explain how it has been excluded from EAp2 and EAc1. Ensure that the garage has been consistently included for all other prerequisites and credits. This ruling maintains the requirement expressed in Minimum Program Requirement 3 that "all contiguous land that directly supports normal building operations for the LEED project building" must be included within the LEED project boundary for that building, including on-grade and structured parking, while allowing for consistency with the referenced standard for EAp2 and EAc1. Applicable Internationally.
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
New Construction, Core and Shell, Schools, Existing Buildings: O&M, Retail – New Construction, Healthcare
- The LEED project boundary must include all contiguous land that is associated with and supports normal building operations for the LEED project building, including all land that was or will be disturbed for the purpose of undertaking the LEED project.
- The LEED project boundary may not include land that is owned by a party other than that which owns the LEED project unless that land is associated with and supports normal building operations for the LEED project building.
- LEED projects located on a campus must have project boundaries such that if all the buildings on campus become LEED certified, then 100% of the gross land area on the campus would be included within a LEED boundary. If this requirement is in conflict with MPR #7, Must Comply with Minimum Building Area to Site Area Ratio, then MPR #7 will take precedence.
- Any given parcel of real property may only be attributed to a single LEED project building.
- Gerrymandering of a LEED project boundary is prohibited: the boundary may not unreasonably exclude sections of land to create boundaries in unreasonable shapes for the sole purpose of complying with prerequisites or credits.
