IEQc6 Theater/auditorium controls

Hi Cristian,
For an auditorium it would make sense to meet the lighting and HVAC controls requirements for shared multi-occupant spaces. In this case, the theater staff should have access to the controls, not necessarily the audience.

Thanks for your valuable USGBC input, Larissa! Yes, according to the IEQ Space Matrix, "Theatres and Movie Houses" are considered multi-occupant and regularly occupied for the 'viewing auditoriums and areas" and multi-occupant and non-regularly occupied for the 'concessions'.

Which leads me to a few questions that come up continuously on EQc6.1 and EQc6.2. Any help you can provide on these questions would be greatly appreciated on this LEEDuser forum. Thanks!

-The IEQ Space Matrix states that you must include regularly and non-regularly occupied spaces for EQc6.1 and EQc6.2. This is confusing because it conflicts with past guidance that suggested that non-regularly occupied spaces could be excluded.

-Is it just FTE or staff that are included or visitors too? This is something that causes a lot of confusion. Your response above suggests that project teams should generally consider and focus on staff and not the visitors in the multi-occupant space but some project teams have faced reviewer comments where all occupants (not just staff) were required to have controls.

Please see here for a discussion that highlights the confusion and ambiguities: http://www.leeduser.com/credit/NC-v2.2/EQc6.1?page=0#comment-30869

This CIR also raises confusion about including or excluding transients as well as including only regularly occupied or including both regularly occupied and non-regularly occupied.
CIR 5071:
"The CIR is requesting clarification on the definition of building occupants, as pertaining to EQc6.1 & EQc6.2. The determining factor is not WHO uses the space, but HOW the space is being used. It is not sufficient to ignore the needs of transient/visitors to a building and to provide lighting and thermal controls only to full time employees. (The credit requires individual control for occupants, not just FTE's). Instead, the e expected building use should be analyzed and control systems should be provided to serve all users as appropriate. As a guideline of typical library uses, we can look at the likely classifications of public areas in a library: 1) lobbies and circulation: these areas are defined as not being "regularly occupied" and therefore not required to have individual control 2) book shelf "stacks" areas: depending on use and function, these areas would not typically be classified as "regularly occupied" 3) reading/work areas: these areas are not dissimilar to an open office environment, and depending on use and function, would typically be considered "regularly occupied". System designers should apply reasonable discretion and be prepared to support the decisions they make regarding these classifications of space. In a library setting some of the patrons will likely spend long periods of time inside at specific spaces, and will be performing tasks (reading, writing) that are similar to those of workers or employees. Spaces that serve these functions should meet the requirements of EQc6.1& EQc6.2, regardless of whether they are intended for staff or library visitors. The implementation of these credits is left to the discretion of the designers, though for building types that do not "neatly" fit the credit as written in the reference guide, a description of the individual spaces and their respective functions should accompany the calculations and LEED Submittal Template to support the design decisions. Please note that the quantity of individual workstation and shared multi-occupant spaces must be consistent between the credits."