LEEDuser expert
Batya Metalitz
USGBC
Technical Director, LEED
LEEDuser’s viewpoint
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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
This is a pilot credit. To use any pilot credit on your LEED project, be sure to register here. Documentation requirements and additional questions are listed below.
To preserve and improve ecological integrity while supporting high-performance building operations.
Pilot Credit Closed
This pilot credit was closed to new pilot credit registrations on 3/1/2015. It is now available in the LEED Innovation Catalog for ongoing use by project teams as an innovation point rather than a pilot credit.
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.General Pilot Documentation Requirements
Register for the pilot credit- Participate in the LEEDuser pilot credit forum
- Complete the feedback survey:
Credit specific:
Establishment Provide the following:- A copy of the Site Improvement Plan addressing the areas listed in the requirements. If an area is not specifically addressed, explain the reason(s) why.
- A drawing of the existing site conditions
- Calculations showing compliance with the 5% threshold
- A list of professionals consulted for the development of this plan
- A list of all no-cost and low-cost measures implemented
- Every 5 years: the items listed above under Establishment
Additional questions:
- The goal of this credit is to improve upon existing site conditions and support high-performance operations by evaluating sustainable site management options. Do you believe that these requirements achieve this intent? Why or why not?
- Did you encounter difficulties in gathering the information for the improvement plan? If so, in what ways?
Changes::
- Changes as a result of 5th Public Comment (01/15/2013): Updated with SSc6 EBOM - Wording changes- rewording for clarification
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.
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
This is a pilot credit. To use any pilot credit on your LEED project, be sure to register here. Documentation requirements and additional questions are listed below.
To preserve and improve ecological integrity while supporting high-performance building operations.
Pilot Credit Closed
This pilot credit was closed to new pilot credit registrations on 3/1/2015. It is now available in the LEED Innovation Catalog for ongoing use by project teams as an innovation point rather than a pilot credit.
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.General Pilot Documentation Requirements
Register for the pilot credit- Participate in the LEEDuser pilot credit forum
- Complete the feedback survey:
Credit specific:
Establishment Provide the following:- A copy of the Site Improvement Plan addressing the areas listed in the requirements. If an area is not specifically addressed, explain the reason(s) why.
- A drawing of the existing site conditions
- Calculations showing compliance with the 5% threshold
- A list of professionals consulted for the development of this plan
- A list of all no-cost and low-cost measures implemented
- Every 5 years: the items listed above under Establishment
Additional questions:
- The goal of this credit is to improve upon existing site conditions and support high-performance operations by evaluating sustainable site management options. Do you believe that these requirements achieve this intent? Why or why not?
- Did you encounter difficulties in gathering the information for the improvement plan? If so, in what ways?
Changes::
- Changes as a result of 5th Public Comment (01/15/2013): Updated with SSc6 EBOM - Wording changes- rewording for clarification
In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit, for premium members only, saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:
- Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
- Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
- Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
- Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
- Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
- Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.
LEEDuser expert
Batya Metalitz
USGBC
Technical Director, LEED
