SPECIAL REPORT
LEEDuser expert
emily reese
LEED AP BD+C, GGP, GPCP, ENV SP, Fitwel Ambassador, GCP
Jacobs
Senior Sustainability Coordinator
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 minimize effects on microclimates and human and wildlife habitats by reducing heat islands.
Requirements
Choose one of the following options:
Option 1. nonroof and roof (2 points except Healthcare, 1 point Healthcare)
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.
Use any combination of the following strategies.
Nonroof measures
- Use the existing plant material or install plants that provide shade over paving areas (including playgrounds) on the site within 10 years of planting. Install vegetated planters. Plants must be in place at the time of occupancy permit and cannot include artificial turf.
- Provide shade with structures covered by energy generation systems, such as solar thermal collectors, photovoltaics, and wind turbines.
- 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).
High-reflectance roof
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.
Table 1. Minimum solar reflectance index value, by roof slope
Vegetated roof
Install a vegetated roof.
OR
Option 2. parking under cover (1 point)
Place a minimum of 75% of parking spaces under cover. Any roof used to shade or cover parking must (1) have a three-year aged SRI of at least 32 (if three-year aged value information is not available, use materials with an initial SRI of at least 39 at installation), (2) be a vegetated roof, or (3) be covered by energy generation systems, such as solar thermal collectors, photovoltaics, and wind turbines.
SITES-LEED Equivalency
This LEED credit (or a component of this credit) has been established as equivalent to a SITES v2 credit or component. For more information on using the equivalency as a substitution in your LEED or SITES project, see this article and guidance document.
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 »Documentation toolkit
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© 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
Choose one of the following options:
Option 1. nonroof and roof (2 points except Healthcare, 1 point Healthcare)
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.
Use any combination of the following strategies.
Nonroof measures
- Use the existing plant material or install plants that provide shade over paving areas (including playgrounds) on the site within 10 years of planting. Install vegetated planters. Plants must be in place at the time of occupancy permit and cannot include artificial turf.
- Provide shade with structures covered by energy generation systems, such as solar thermal collectors, photovoltaics, and wind turbines.
- 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).
High-reflectance roof
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.
Table 1. Minimum solar reflectance index value, by roof slope
Vegetated roof
Install a vegetated roof.
OR
Option 2. parking under cover (1 point)
Place a minimum of 75% of parking spaces under cover. Any roof used to shade or cover parking must (1) have a three-year aged SRI of at least 32 (if three-year aged value information is not available, use materials with an initial SRI of at least 39 at installation), (2) be a vegetated roof, or (3) be covered by energy generation systems, such as solar thermal collectors, photovoltaics, and wind turbines.
SITES-LEED Equivalency
This LEED credit (or a component of this credit) has been established as equivalent to a SITES v2 credit or component. For more information on using the equivalency as a substitution in your LEED or SITES project, see this article and guidance document.
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 »LEEDuser expert
emily reese
LEED AP BD+C, GGP, GPCP, ENV SP, Fitwel Ambassador, GCP
Jacobs
Senior Sustainability Coordinator