We have an existing parcel of land with one small existing restaurant on it (not LEED Certified). We are building a large hotel/inn (that will pursue LEED NC Certification) on the same parcel that will be attached to the restaurant. The two buidlings will have seperate identities and signage. There is an opening such that you can move from the new buidling to the old, but otherwise, all systems are seperate - HVAC, Electric, structural, etc. Except for some minor painting, there is no renovation scope within the existing building. Per my review of the MPR Supplemental Guidance, we should not include the existing building within our project boundary. However, I am not certain how to treat the site. The site is shared by the two buidings and has outdoor recreational areas with walking paths and an outdoor pavilion. As I read it, we have two options. We can draw our boundary to break the site in two pieces, including only site area impacted by construction but not including site areas that "support normal building operation." Or we could certify the whole site as a "campus boundary" per AGMBC and then define another project boundary within the campus boundary as indicated above. But it is not clear to me which approach is appropriate - or are both acceptable?
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David Posada
Integrated Design & LEED SpecialistSERA Architects
LEEDuser Expert
1980 thumbs up
November 14, 2011 - 1:28 am
Yes, you could follow the latest AGMBC guidance which allows you to exclude a building from the campus boundary, but that seems more touble than it is worth since that leaves only one building, the hotel. Not much of a campus there. In your case, the connection between the restaurant and hotel doesn't sound that important, especially since all other systems are separate.
I dont have all the guidelines in front of me, but you could try starting with the assumption that you'll exclude the existing restaurant and only certify the new hotel. Set aside a portion of the site for the restaurant and exclude that from the hotel's LEED boundary. Make sure the number of parking spaces set aside is appropriate to serve the restaurant; this may be set by the zoning code. Then go back through the most recent MPR Supplemental Guidance and see if the new site boundary makes sense or causes any conflicts with the MPRs. Post back here if you see any red flags, or if that works for your scenario.