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Explore this LEED credit
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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To minimize effects on microclimates and human and wildlife habitats by reducing heat islands.
Requirements
Option 1. Nonroof (1 point)
Use any combination of the following strategies for 50% of the nonroof site paving (including roads, sidewalks, courtyards, parking lots, parking structures, and driveways).
- Use the existing plant material or install plants that provide shade over the paving areas on the site within 10 years of plant material installation.
- Install and plant planters, either at grade or raised. Plant material cannot include artificial turf.
- Provide shade with structures covered by energy generation systems, such as solar thermal collectors , photovoltaics, and wind turbines, that produce energy used to offset some nonrenewable resource use.
- Provide shade with architectural devices or structures that have a three-year aged solar reflectance (SR) value of at least 0.28. If three-year aged value information is not available, use materials with an initial SR of at least 0.33 at installation,
- Provide shade with vegetated structures.
- Use paving materials with a three-year aged solar reflectance (SR) value of at least 0.28. If three-year aged value information is not available, use materials with an initial SR of at least 0.33 at installation.
- Use an open-grid pavement system (at least 50% unbound).
OR
Option 2. High-reflectance and vegetated roofs (1 point)
Use roofing materials that have an SRI equal to or greater than the values in Table 1.Meet the three-year aged SRI value (if three-year aged value information is not available, use materials that meet the initial SRI value) for a minimum of 75% of the roof area of all new buildings within the project, or install a vegetated (“green”) roof for at least 75% of the roof area of all new buildings within the project. Combinations of SRI-compliant and vegetated roofs can be used, provided they satisfy the equation in Option 3.
Table 1. Minimum solar reflectance index value, by roof slope
OR
Option 3. Mixed nonroof and roof measures (1 point)
Use any of the strategies listed under Options 1 and 2 that in combination meet the following criterion:
| Area of Nonroof Measures | Area of High-Reflectance Roof | Area of Vegetated Roof | Total Site Paving Area | Total Roof Area | ||||
| —————— | + | —————— | + | —————— | ≥ | + | ||
| 0.5 | 0.75 | 0.75 |
Alternatively, an SRI and SR weighted average approach may be used to calculate compliance.
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
See all forum discussions about this credit »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.
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To minimize effects on microclimates and human and wildlife habitats by reducing heat islands.
Requirements
Option 1. Nonroof (1 point)
Use any combination of the following strategies for 50% of the nonroof site paving (including roads, sidewalks, courtyards, parking lots, parking structures, and driveways).
- Use the existing plant material or install plants that provide shade over the paving areas on the site within 10 years of plant material installation.
- Install and plant planters, either at grade or raised. Plant material cannot include artificial turf.
- Provide shade with structures covered by energy generation systems, such as solar thermal collectors , photovoltaics, and wind turbines, that produce energy used to offset some nonrenewable resource use.
- Provide shade with architectural devices or structures that have a three-year aged solar reflectance (SR) value of at least 0.28. If three-year aged value information is not available, use materials with an initial SR of at least 0.33 at installation,
- Provide shade with vegetated structures.
- Use paving materials with a three-year aged solar reflectance (SR) value of at least 0.28. If three-year aged value information is not available, use materials with an initial SR of at least 0.33 at installation.
- Use an open-grid pavement system (at least 50% unbound).
OR
Option 2. High-reflectance and vegetated roofs (1 point)
Use roofing materials that have an SRI equal to or greater than the values in Table 1.Meet the three-year aged SRI value (if three-year aged value information is not available, use materials that meet the initial SRI value) for a minimum of 75% of the roof area of all new buildings within the project, or install a vegetated (“green”) roof for at least 75% of the roof area of all new buildings within the project. Combinations of SRI-compliant and vegetated roofs can be used, provided they satisfy the equation in Option 3.
Table 1. Minimum solar reflectance index value, by roof slope
OR
Option 3. Mixed nonroof and roof measures (1 point)
Use any of the strategies listed under Options 1 and 2 that in combination meet the following criterion:
| Area of Nonroof Measures | Area of High-Reflectance Roof | Area of Vegetated Roof | Total Site Paving Area | Total Roof Area | ||||
| —————— | + | —————— | + | —————— | ≥ | + | ||
| 0.5 | 0.75 | 0.75 |
Alternatively, an SRI and SR weighted average approach may be used to calculate compliance.
