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3 floors + Attic: LEED Homes or LEED NC?

Mario S.

LEEDuser Basic Member

26 thumbs up

April 3, 2014

Good day, I have a residential development project outside the U.S which consists of several low-rise buildings of 3 stories + Attic (3rd floor hence consists of a duplex). The attic, being the 4th floor, doesn't have a separate entrance however and hence could not be considered as a separate floor. In that case, would this development be considered suitable for LEED Homes or LEED NC? Your prompt feedback is highly appreciated

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Emmanuel Pauwels

Owner

Green Living Projects

LEEDuser Premium Member

107 thumbs up

Thu, 04/03/2014 - 14:02

Mario, where do you get the definition of "floor" from? Is there some definition that states that a floor needs a separate entrace? Are all floors residential? My guess would be that, in case the attic has a serious height, it would qualify as a habitable space and the floor on which you have habitable space could be considered a floor. That would mean LEED NC . But would be good to get confirmation from some other professionals with experience in residential development.

Mario S.

LEEDuser Basic Member

26 thumbs up

Thu, 04/03/2014 - 15:21

Thanks for your reply Emmanuel. Well, the Attic is below a pitched roof that has a steep slope of 34 deg, a maximum height of around 2.9 m at the middle and takes around half of the 3rd floor roof area. My own assumption is that a floor is a separate apartment, but i might be wrong about that! The bottom line is: can this attic qualify as a "habitable story" and thus end up with a "4 habitable stories" building suitable for LEED NC?

Javier Garcia Jones

Valladares Ingenieria

LEEDuser Basic Member

2 thumbs up

Thu, 04/03/2014 - 15:30

Hi Mario, Remenber that if you are going to use ASHRAE 90.1 stories under grade are not considered as story

Emmanuel Pauwels

Owner

Green Living Projects

LEEDuser Premium Member

107 thumbs up

Thu, 04/03/2014 - 20:30

Mario, I do not think Mario´s project has any under grade stories. I think the attic could be considered a 4th floor but it would be nice if someone could confirm that.

Mario S.

LEEDuser Basic Member

26 thumbs up

Thu, 04/03/2014 - 21:03

True, the buildings dont include any under grade stories. And to be more specific concerning the roof, it's a hipped roof not a gable one! Has anyone dealt with such a case before?

Mario S.

LEEDuser Basic Member

26 thumbs up

Mon, 04/07/2014 - 08:59

Seems this case is not quite common, is it?! Can anyone please advise on Emmanuel's guess?

Tristan Roberts

Representative

Vermont House of Representatives

LEEDuser Expert

7780 thumbs up

Mon, 04/07/2014 - 14:54

Mario, it sounds like you are splitting hairs. From your description, the "attic" is a fourth floor that is habitable.If you are trying to exclude it just to qualify for a different LEED rating system, I would keep in mind that USGBC/GBCI are generally a bit flexible about choice of rating system. I would contact them for advice on what you should use.

Mario S.

LEEDuser Basic Member

26 thumbs up

Wed, 04/09/2014 - 07:30

Thanks for the reply Tristan! I'm not trying to exclude anything, Im just exposing the case as is with as much details as possible! Personally, i would find LEED for Homes to be more logical in this particular case, however im seeking other professional advice such as yours for confirmation. In all cases, i have contacted USGBC and am awaiting their reply now.