LEED reference guide said that in Option 1 compliance should be demonstrated through computer simulation of all regularly occupied spaces. Is it necessary to perform the simulation for absolutely all the regularly occupied spaces in the building?
We are working with 7 floor office building that consists of 1 floor of restaurant and lobby and 6 floors of office spaces. The first floor of office floors has different floor area but the rest of the floors have almost the same floor area and shape. We don´t know the real tenant fit outs layout because the tenants are not already known. We have drawings of 2 floors of office floors with the sample tenant fit out layout from architects – one sample floor of separate enclosed office rooms and one floor of open offices.
Our building is very large, the simulation of all of the spaces would be very expensive and the results for all of the 5 floors of office spaces will be almost the same. Is it possible to perform the simulation only for example for our 1st, 2nd floor and one sample floor of both separate and open space offices to show compliance with this credit? Or is it possible to perform the simulation only for the worst cases of space with low daylight illuminance and if this space fulfils the requirements can we assume that the other spaces will fulfil the requirements too?
Thanks!
TODD REED
Energy Program SpecialistPA DMVA
LEEDuser Expert
890 thumbs up
May 31, 2012 - 9:35 am
Lucie, you do not have to perform calculations for every floor that is the same. I would simulate the ground floor, the 1st floor of offices, and then a simulation of to show the results all the similar floors.
If three sims is too much of an expense, the worst case scenario approach could work if documented properly and if the reviewer understands daylight and simulations. If you do not document this approach clearly and the reviewer has to do a lot of comparison and extrapolation on their own, they could easily request the simulations. How much time and money for this approach versus just one more sim should be compared.