We are pursuing a daycare center under LEED NC v2009. We are proposing to use the LEED for Schools requirement (5% or more of all building staff and students above grade 3 level) and some additional daily visitors for calculation of the number of bike-racks needed . As the parents will be dropping off and picking up the young children (most of them not older than Pre-K), we feel it is reasonable to exclude the parents and young kids from the calculation. I am aware of the LEED Interpretation #2422 exclusion criteria however wanted to check If any of you had pursued this credit specifically for a day/child care center before and used a similar calculation route. Thanks.
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Michael Miller
Project Architect236 thumbs up
April 24, 2013 - 3:14 pm
I have no specific experience with the credit around a day care center (or schools for that matter). However, I would question the exclusion of parents from the calcs -- is there a reason that no parents could drop off their children by bicycle?
Lauren Fakhoury
Research Assistant85 thumbs up
May 16, 2013 - 2:59 pm
Komal,
Did you ever get an answer for this? I'm working on a day care project now and we are wondering if the parents who drop off the kids need to be included as visitors. Thanks!
komal kotwal
June 21, 2013 - 10:36 am
Lauren,
We eventually ended up not attempting the credit for the project, however had decided to include parents in the calculations considering the scenario that they could drop off their children by bicycles. Thanks!
Kathryn West
LEED AP BD+C, O+M, Green Globes ProfessionalJLL
154 thumbs up
December 12, 2013 - 4:44 pm
if they're "dropping off" they're not parking their bike? right? I think you should only count people who actually park and come into the building.
Maybe Starbucks knows the answer... do they count their drive-through customers as visitors? Seems like a similar situation. You're just driving by the LEED project to pick up/drop off something... with no intention of parking to enter the building.
Michael Miller
Project Architect236 thumbs up
December 12, 2013 - 5:25 pm
Kathryn,
"If they're 'dropping off' they're not parking their [car]? right?"
If, as I would assume, there is provision for automobiles to be used to drop-off/pick-up children, then why wouldn't the same provision be made proportionally for bicycles? Or are you assuming that pre-K children are walking to and from their parents' automobiles on their own, i.e. that the parents do not "park" their vehicle - even if only for 3 minutes, even if only in a drop-off lane - in order to walk into / out of the facility with their children?
If parents are able to leave their automobile to accompany their children in/out of the facility, then bicyclists need the same accommodation, i.e. somewhere to secure the bicycle so that they can take their child into the facility. Granted, the count should presumably be lower than what would be provided for typical visitors who are expected to spend longer periods of time in a building.
Kathryn West
LEED AP BD+C, O+M, Green Globes ProfessionalJLL
154 thumbs up
December 12, 2013 - 5:41 pm
do they walk their kids to the door? I'm ignorant of pre-k set ups (too old to remember and too young to have kids yet)
In my mind I was picturing schools for older children. ... Good point. If they are so young that the parents have to walk them in then yes definitely give them bike racks.
Kathryn West
LEED AP BD+C, O+M, Green Globes ProfessionalJLL
154 thumbs up
December 12, 2013 - 5:46 pm
I was thinking along the exact same lines "If parents are able to leave their automobile to accompany their children in/out of the facility, then bicyclists need the same accommodation"
That seems to be the best guiding principle for interpreting this.