Furniture Donations and Reuse

January 16, 2012

Kasey Kudamik

Sustainability Engineer
ERG

LEEDuser Premium Member

5 thumbs up

January 16, 2012

We have a client that is building out a LEED-CI certified office space in a new location and will move from their current offices after the build out is complete. Almost all of the furniture from the office's current location will be donated after they move to the new location. The LEED Reference Guide indicates that calculations for MR Credit 2 may include salvaged furniture that is donated to other buildings. However, since the donated furniture is from the current office not the LEED project site, can we still include the donated furniture in our MR Credit 2 construction waste management calculations?

Secondly, the project is reusing a high-density filing system from the current location in the new location. We understand that this filing system would qualify for MR Credit 3.1: Materials Reuse; however, if we are not pursuing MR Credit 3.1, can we include the filing system in our MR Credit 2 construction waste management calculations?

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Jeremy Kuhre

Sustainable Buildings & Operations Manager
Sustainable Solutions Corporation

LEEDuser Basic Member

37 thumbs up

January 18, 2012 - 9:02 am

Matt, I think the fact that your client wants to reuse their furniture is great, but I do not think that this could be applied to MRc2. The reference guide states that this credit addresses "how much waste material leaving the site is diverted from landfills." LEED precedent has shown that work performed outside of LEED project boundary (e.g. waste diversion) does not typically contribute to the relevant LEED credit. Similarly, I do not believe the filing system would contribute to MRc2.

However, it sounds like you would have sufficient reused furniture to achieve MRc3.2 - Reuse Furniture and Furnishings. This would especially be true if you can make a case that the high-density filing system fits under Division 12.

Jaclyn Whitaker

Director, Project Manager
Delos Living

LEEDuser Basic Member

February 5, 2013 - 4:10 pm

Would the donated furniture (if significant enough) be eligible for an ID credit? My client is decommissioning and donating (or diverting) all office furniture, carpet, partitions, ceiling tile in their current space.

Anyone have insight on whether this would qualify for a LEED CI ID credit for meeting the EBOM MRc3?

Thanks!!

RETIRED

LEEDuser Expert

623 thumbs up

February 5, 2013 - 4:56 pm

Jaclyn - My gut reaction is no - this donated furniture could not count* but your question might be better asked in the EBOM MRc3 forum or the CI IDc1. Did you check either of those forums?

* I looked at the GBCI LEED Project Submittal Tips for LEED-CI v2009 (http://www.gbci.org/Libraries/Certification_Resources/LEED_Project_Submi...) and MRc3 is not noted under EBOM for IDc1 on page 24, but I’m not sure that that resource is definitive. Also the requirements in MRc3 in LEED-EB:O&M state: “Materials considered furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) are not considered base building elements and are excluded from this credit.”