Hi all,
we are pursuing group certification for project with 5 separated above ground buildings (section A,B,C,D,E) connected with underground parking garages.
Each section has different number of employees (and peak visitors) and separated entrance.
Please, is anyone experienced with group approach in certification when having this type of project?
E.g. - when calculating and placing short-time bike racks - does each section have to have exact number of racks, adequately placed within 30 meters to each exact entrance, or can I place the total number of bike racks (calculated from the TOTAL amount of TOTAL number of peak-visitors) within 30m to any entrance?
What is the purpose of the credit - to allow the visitor to arrive by bike and lock it safely, or to allow the visitor to reach the designated building by bike within a maximum distance of 30m?
There is no on-groung connection between the buildings. Buildings are connected only by underground garages, from which vertical roads (stairs, elevators) lead to individual sections.
Thank you very much for response.
Barbora Cicvárková
Dave Hubka
Practice Leader - SustainabilityEUA
LEEDuser Expert
532 thumbs up
November 7, 2019 - 3:16 pm
each building will be required to be provided with short term bike storage that meets the quantity and distance requirements. If a central location does not meet the distance requirement for each building then you would not achieve this credit through the group approach.
Hope this helps.
Barbora Cicvárková
Ing.Skanska a.s.
1 thumbs up
November 8, 2019 - 3:59 am
Ok thanks you a lot for response. This clarifies the problem.
Please, I would have one more question important for the project and group certification approach.
Please, should we apply the same logic when placing long-term bicycle racks? The project proposes one shared long-term bicycle storage for all sections within the building - in the basement (within 30 meters from the entrance - we are considering garage ramp as entrance for bikers). The basement connects all sections together, so you can go to each section from the basement. From the shared long-term bike storage, the distance to the furthest above-ground building section (vertical communication leading up) is 180m.
Please, do you think does this meet the credit criterias? Should we again calculate number of bicycle racks separately for each section and then sum it together, even if it is placed at one place, in one shared space? Or provide 5% racks for the sum of employees of all sections together?
Thank you very much. It is little bit complicated for us to understand "group certification" approach correctly - project has more sections then 1, with related separate entrance and number of employees, but it is togetner still considered as one building.
Thank you very much,
Barbora Cicvárková
Dave Hubka
Practice Leader - SustainabilityEUA
LEEDuser Expert
532 thumbs up
November 8, 2019 - 11:58 am
The same logic applies to long-term bicycle storage. Also, the distance requirements apply to bike storage locations within the building and within the parking garage. Each storage location must be measured to the subsequent building entrance, not garage ramp.
David Posada
Integrated Design & LEED SpecialistSERA Architects
LEEDuser Expert
1980 thumbs up
November 8, 2019 - 12:34 pm
Barbora, to follow on David's comments, you might consider pursuing this credit under the v4.1 requirements, since the distances have changed. Under v4, both short- and long-term bike parking have to be 100 feet (30 meters) from a building's main entrance, but now in 4.1 short term is 200 feet (60 meters) and long-term is 300 feet (90 meters).
We only have to calculate the horizontal distance from the entrance to the bike racks, so if the long term spaces are in a garage below ground you can show the distance in a plan view drawing and not calculate the vertical distance someone would travel by elevator, stairs or ramp. Typically, this would be showing the distance from a ground floor main entry door to an elevator, and then on the parking garage level showing the distance from that elevator to the long-term racks and adding the two distances.
Barbora Cicvárková
Ing.Skanska a.s.
1 thumbs up
November 11, 2019 - 7:20 am
Ok guys, thank you very much! Your suggestions helped a lot, hope this communication will also help other people with doubts about group certification calculations and approach.