I read the referrence guide and saw an example posted under documentation toolkit and neither really match with the form that is used for the credit. This form asks for number of zones, daylight zoned width and depth, etc. THere is nothing about bays. Can someone explain the zones and does anyone have an example of the actual form using the online table"sidelighting"? Also, how do you account for rooms that are corner rooms and have windows on too sides?
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Seema Pandya
Sustainability ConsultantSLP
150 thumbs up
June 25, 2010 - 3:42 pm
It looks like the Reference Guide and the LEED Online forms for 2009 are unfortunately using different terminology and semantics for what seem like the same thing. The calculator example that is in the LEED User toolkit is based off of the example chart on page 558 of the BD&C reference guide. From what I can gather, it looks like "bay" and "zone" mean pretty much the same thing. The RG uses the term "bay" and the LEED Online form uses the word "Zone". The LEED addendum defines "bay" as "A bay is a component of a standard, rectilinear building design. It is an open area defined by a building element such as columns or a window. Typically there are multiple identical bays in succession." The LEED Online calculator defines "zones" as; "The side-lighting zone floor area is the area of the zone. Zones can not overlap and are user defined based on the windows in the space. The zone sizes can be reduces as needed to increase the window to floor area ratio." Both definitions still are a little vague. The way the LEED Online calculator is set up, makes it seem like you should enter the entire sf of a room as a zone and then enter the entire the entire sf of all the windows that are applicable to the room, regardless of which wall they are on, with the VLT of the glass. If the whole room doesn't comply, you would reduce zone sf until it complied. In the end it shows you the sf of you room that complies. LEED Online form also doesn't seem to let you take a room and divide it up into a bunch of bay/zones since it gives you only one slot for zones. I would say that the LEED Online form is the one you should use and would take corner rooms with multiple windows on multiple sides into consideration. It is unfortunate that the LEED Online form and the Reference guide show completely different ways of getting to the same conclusion.