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CI-v4 EQc2:Low emitting materials

Furniture Category required to comply

In the Step by Step guidance for Option1, one of the bullets says "furniture must be included, regardless of who specified or provided it." So does this mean that to achieve any low emitting pts, furniture is a prerequisite and must be one of the compliant categories?

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Profile picture for user severine
severine secret
Sustainability expert
Go2 Design Studio
LEEDuser Basic Member
10 thumbs up

Tue, 04/10/2018 - 00:55

Hi Michelle, Yes, 90% of the furniture needs to comply with Indoor Air quality limits and be tested according to ANSI/BIFMA M7.1 standard testing methods.   

Tue, 04/10/2018 - 17:27

Hi Severine, I haven't talked to you in a while. Thanks for the response. I am still trying to wrap my head around this. We've gone from systems furniture as a purely optional low emitting category to 90% of all free standing furniture must have third party emissions testing as a mandatory step to pursuing any low emitting measures? The reference manual is pretty understated on this, and the low emitting calculator indicates that furniture cost is "required if pursing points under the Furniture category". What points are you pursuing if this is mandatory? There's nothing on the online form that indicates the Furniture category is not optional, except for a mild statement that only comes up if you check that box indicating that furniture should be included if it's part of the scope of work. What tenant improvement project is not going to have any furniture provided by someone by the time of occupancy? And by what mechanism does the reviewer vet that appropriate furniture has been included? I see no references to any of this on this forum's FAQs either. I've just spent a whole day taking all the low emitting requirements out of project specifications because the combination of difficult categories in sufficient numbers to achieve points, particularly if furniture is mandatory, make the pursuit of the others not worth the trouble to the team. This doesn't feel like a step forward; it just seems wrong. I'm still hoping that someone will correct me on this. Am I the only one who's head is spinning?
Profile picture for user emily.purcell
Emily Purcell
Sustainable Design Lead
CannonDesign
LEEDuser Expert
379 thumbs up

Tue, 04/10/2018 - 22:16

Hi Michelle, I don't believe furniture compliance is mandatory for this credit. The way I read it, furniture is assumed to be in scope for LEED-CI projects, in scope or not at the team's discretion in BD+C projects. So I see in the BD+C ref guide that furniture must be counted if it's in scope, which affects the point thresholds for those projects. BD+C projects including furniture must include all furniture, even if a separate interior designer is specifying/supplying it. And this language is repeated in the ID+C ref guide even though it's just built into ID+C, rather than being optional based on scope.   I'm not seeing anything implying that any particular category is mandatory.   Does that line up with how you're reading it? I'm right there with you on the head spinning, but it reads to me more like a bit of careless wording left in the ID+C guide than a very well hidden requirement.
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Nancy Henderson
Managing Member
ArchEcology, LLC
LEEDuser Basic Member
67 thumbs up

Tue, 04/10/2018 - 23:50

Hi Emily, so do you think it is intended to be more like, "if you are pursuing points under the furniture category, then all furniture must be included, regardless of who specified or provided it"? That would be consistent with the calculator at least.  How do we determine what is careless wording and what is a requirement?
 
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Nancy Henderson
Managing Member
ArchEcology, LLC
LEEDuser Basic Member
67 thumbs up

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 00:24

By the way, the instructional videos "Low-Emitting Materials Calculator Walkthrough" Parts I and II both say in the beginning that furniture is required to be included in the calculations for ID+C projects.
Profile picture for user emily.purcell
Emily Purcell
Sustainable Design Lead
CannonDesign
LEEDuser Expert
379 thumbs up

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 14:30

The way I'm reading it, the intent is to say that 1) all ID+C projects are assumed to include furniture in scope and 2) if pursuing points for furniture, all furniture must be included. (Maybe not fair of me to say it's careless wording left over from BD+C - that's a worthwhile clarification for ID+C, right?) But every reference to the point thresholds for this credit - in the RS language, the form, and the calculator - just says "X points for Y compliant categories" - nothing about any particular category being required. I see where the gray area is coming from and I definitely don't want to say I know what I'm doing here 100%, but it seems like a big stretch to get to furniture compliance being required for any points here. At least, it would be a VERY easy to miss requirement that would have been a big change from v2009, and as much as we're used to interpreting gray areas I'd think this would have been made more explicit. 
Profile picture for user severine
severine secret
Sustainability expert
Go2 Design Studio
LEEDuser Basic Member
10 thumbs up

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 15:09

Yes, it is a big change in V4 that is going to shake the industry. It's fascinating! All furniture now needs to comply.
Profile picture for user emily.purcell
Emily Purcell
Sustainable Design Lead
CannonDesign
LEEDuser Expert
379 thumbs up

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 16:39

Thanks for setting the record straight! Is this spelled out somewhere more clearly than the sentence Michelle highlighted? I've been going through these credit requirements pretty thoroughly over the past few months, and I'm struggling to see where this requirement is stated clearly enough for such a big change from the last version. Not in the point tables, or the calculator, or the Changes from v2009 section...is it really as understated as Michelle says, or am I missing some key thing?

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 17:12

Hi Emily, It's just too ambiguous to be sure of what is intended or what they mean. I am querying a LEED coach and will reinforce the question through Proven Provider to get confirmation on this and will post the answer I get.

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 17:35

Hi everyone- The general requirement to include furniture in the scope of your CI project is unchanged from v3/ v2009.  It must be included in the budget, the total materials cost, etc. They are attempting to make it clear that regardless of who designs or pays for or installs it, it's part of the LEED-CI scope. This seems to have backfired ;-) They're NOT saying it must be compliant with the Furniture category of this credit, but that furniture must be considered for all categories you choose to go after for this credit.  So, if  any furniture is coated on-site (a rarity), that paint/ coating must be included in the Paints and Coatings category.  If an adhesive is used to assemble some furniture on-site, that should be included in the Adhesives and Sealants category. But, note that the Composite Wood category states "100% not covered by other categories" which means that you don't have to include the composite wood work surface furniture substrates. The RG does NOT required that the Furniture category be pursued and satisfied to earn the credit or certification.

Wed, 04/11/2018 - 22:22

Hi all, The LEED coach confirms Rebecca's comment. Furniture does not need to be pursued as a category to comply with this credit. Thank you.
Profile picture for user emily.purcell
Emily Purcell
Sustainable Design Lead
CannonDesign
LEEDuser Expert
379 thumbs up

Thu, 04/12/2018 - 15:13

Thanks Michelle & Rebecca! This felt really off to me but "the rating system doesn't seem to say this" isn't always the same as "the rating system isn't trying to say this." :) 

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