EAp2

So you own the whole building? I would check to see if it qualifies as a CI project. For 90.1 compliance you only typically need to bring up to code the systems you are changing. So if you are not touching the walls or roof (beyond cosmetic work) then they do not have to meet 90.1. If using CI you are not required to do an energy model.

I registered a CI project in November 2011. It is a 3,500 sq. ft. single story dental bldg. owned by 2 dentists. They are the only tenants. Each will have his own side of this rectangular shaped building. It is an Interior fit out and Improvement. The exterior walls and roof have not been touched. This is my first LEED project. Because the owners are the tenants, does this disqualify the project as LEED CI?

In the introduction in the CI Reference Guide it states that "tenants who lease their space or do not occupy the entire building are eligible". If the building is 100% owner occupied it sounds like an NC project to me.

Not sure what to do about this.

Perhaps the dentists pay rent to a separate entity that purchased the property? Or, did they buy the property 50/50 with their personal finances?

If this doesn't trigger any exceptions, you can contact GBCI and discuss the project and address your confusion with certification type (I think this is a CI project, but many issues related to 'within the tenants scope of work/control' could be a problem). They can usually help confirm project type, but LEED does allow you to choose which certification you feel is most relevant if more than 1 is viable.

Lastly, look at the checklists of both NC and CI and see which credit scorecard is more relevant to the project.

Hope this helps!

Thank you. When I read about the different certifications CI seemed the most relevant and within the scope of work. They do own the building but I don't know how they paid for it (they are married). They provide different services so each side of the building is different from the other.

As Taylor says sometimes this can go either way.

Another consideration is that this sounds like two separate tenant spaces which could imply two separate certifications if using CI. CI is typically not applied as a single certification to a whole building. If you used NC it could all be done under one certification.

Again, thank you. However, can this be re-registered as NC w/o paying all over again? Nothing has been submitted yet.

my final thought is that you should confirm that this is a CI project with GBCI. I think it is, and should not be a problem that there are 2 dentists sharing the building, so long as they both abide by the same strategies/implementation of LEED-related requirements. There are always gray areas in LEED and it is up to the submitting team to define the project to the best of their ability and apply the credits accordingly.

If you have any need to discuss this further, don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Very helpful. Thank you. I will contact GBCI right away, and contact you directly as well.

Yes the registration could be changed at no additional cost.

Personally I don't have enough information to say for sure whether it is CI or NC and it could qualify under both. Best of luck sorting through the details.

Thank you Marcus,
I've emailed GBCI. I'll let you know what they say.