Hi everyone,
Working on a conference center, we are close to get to Gold Certification by 2 points. Our chance to get closer to it is to get 1 pt for Daylight, and most probably another one for Views.
The project has an underground ballroom which makes almost half of the project area and could or couldn't be considered as a regularly space area since this space type isn't mentioned in the LEED Space Types Matrix. This space is a renovation, has no windows and is meant for projections, seminars, meetings and even reception with no intent to use daylight.
Is this something arguable case so we can exclude the space, minimize our denominator in the calculations and maximize our chances to get a better ratio overall just accounting for daylight in the upper levels designed to be exposed to the exterior environment?
Thank you all for your feedback
Olivier.
Jill Dalglish, PE
Lighting EngineerMKK Consulting Engineers
LEEDuser Expert
440 thumbs up
January 28, 2016 - 12:29 pm
Unfortunately, I can't tell you what you hope to hear. I've seen many, many cases where teams have tried to argue that they don't want to use daylight in a space (even a military dark-room simulation space) and it does not fly for this credit. Since credits are optional, it makes sense not to give the daylighting and views credit to a building that is mostly underground (I know yours isn't, but I hope you can see my point.)
How confident are you in all of your other credits? I see teams trying to extend themselves to reach the exact number of credits for the next highest rating, only to have one or two of their credits not come through.
TODD REED
Energy Program SpecialistPA DMVA
LEEDuser Expert
890 thumbs up
January 28, 2016 - 1:09 pm
The activities of the ball room; meetings, receptions, seminars fall under space types in the Regularly Occupied Space Matrix that require those spaces to be included in EQc8.1. Spaces with AV and projections cannot be excluded, classrooms have AV. Only rooms whose only activity is video conferencing and labeled as such on the plans can be excluded.
Not every project can earn every credit and renovations make LEED harder to achieve than new construction because it is what it is.
Olivier Brouard
Sustainable Energy EngineerJanuary 28, 2016 - 4:37 pm
Jill and Todd,
Thanks for your replies, that helps to understand.
We are pretty confident in the other credits so the thought was to push to get the daylight ones since the project is made elsewhere to get as much daylight as possible on perimeter spaces. To that point, perimeter spaces are made of "prefunction areas", "lobby" and "terraces" which are used as an extension of the ballroom during events. One might think they are transient spaces which can be the case, but they have multi purpose functions.
Do you think they would fall under "regurlarly occupied space" per your experience? Our intent is that they should.
Thanks again for your reply in advance.
Olivier.
TODD REED
Energy Program SpecialistPA DMVA
LEEDuser Expert
890 thumbs up
January 29, 2016 - 9:52 am
Oliver,
Professionally we know that these spaces are used for things other than circulation and transitions. An so we should provide these spaces with views and daylights. Where do people go when they get out of the conference room after watching a power point presentation for an hour, to the window wall. Yes, from the professional side.
For LEED, its how the spaces are labeled on the plan. Lobbies are considered or not considered regularly occupied based on the type of the project. The regularly occupied space matrix shows this. Terraces, not listed in the matrix, but will be reviewed by the reviewer based on its location. So if you an area listed as Terrace in a large main corridor, it might be looked at as a break out area or it may not.
There is nothing that states you cannot include a space if it can be excluded as noted in the matrix, for most spaces. Circulation areas will get called out. But if you have provided daylight to the space, then include it. But you need to be consistent with it.
Hope that helps.
Olivier Brouard
Sustainable Energy EngineerJanuary 29, 2016 - 8:39 pm
Hi Todd,
Thank you for your in depth explanations, really appreciated. There are so much grey areas sometimes that this is hard to make a best judgment call.
I hope we will find a solution if we are short on getting 75% of daylight overall, otherwise, that might be a lost battle since I don't think we can make it with the ballroom being included. I will get back to this topic if I see hope in it!
Olivier