We recently submitted an Innovation in Design credit for the design and installation of a radon mitigation system at a recently completed project. The submission included the project narrative, system drawings, US EPA radon information as well as post construction air quality testing reports.
The ID credit was denied by the reviewer during our first submission. The review comments received were:
1. quantitative performance improvements (comparing a baseline and design case)
2. a comprehensive strategy (more than one product or process). The submitted strategy is not quantified using a baseline and design case. In addition, only those strategies that have significant environmental benefits beyond standard sustainable design practices are applicable to Innovation in Design credits.
Has anyone recently successfully submitted for a credit like this? If so, what additional information was provided to satisfy the reviewer?
Scott Bowman
LEED FellowIntegrated Design + Energy Advisors, LLC
LEEDuser Expert
519 thumbs up
August 9, 2016 - 10:50 am
Radon is now an indoor contaminant much like VOCs and other pollutants. You cannot sell a house now without a Radon test, and if it is high, a mitigation system has to be installed. My house has crawl space, and it is vented for moisture AND Radon, even though it is not occupied. In commercial construction it is not normally a problem due to predominance of slab on grade configuration, and if there is a basement, it is normally pretty tight and there is some sub-floor drainage system as well. So, you would need to show a baseline where mitigation is not normal or not required AND that your solution is an improvement over that system.
So it would seem to me that Radon mitigation is not within the goal of a innovation credit. But as I often say, I am not an employee or reviewer for GBCI.