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NC-2009 IEQc8.1:Daylight and Views—Daylight

IEQc8.1 Day Lighting exempt spaces

I am trying to determine if a specific room can be excluded from the day lighting calculation. For the measurement path, it states that exceptions for areas where tasks would be hindered by daylight will be considered on their merit. The room in question is within a new 12,300 sf office building located in Oklahoma. The 1100 sf room, with an open office layout is located at one corner of the building. It will also serve as a safe room for the building occupants, so the floor, walls and ceiling have been hardened to resist the forces of a tornado per FEMA 361. For safety reasons, there are no windows into this space. Can this room be excluded from the day light calculation?

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Profile picture for user treed74
TODD REED
Energy Program Specialist
PA DMVA
LEEDuser Expert
626 thumbs up

Thu, 01/10/2013 - 13:56

It could be if you put a good narrative together explaining why you have to have a safe room and exactly why it is designed the way it is. If you just say it is excluded because of FEMA 361, i believe the reviewer would question that since in FEMA 361, windows are allowed as long as they meet a certain criteria and are protected accordingly. It's a really big document that not alot people know about and probably not alot of reviewers do either. There are many other questions with this that you'll need to clarify, such as why is a regularly occupied space deemed a shelter; also, why can;t a separate space in the basement be the shelter, why does this building have to have a shelter, why isn;t it located in the core of the building, etc. etc. Is this building required to have a shelter and what authority is saying that it has too.

Thu, 01/10/2013 - 14:57

Todd, Thanks for your comments. This is a project for the U.S. Army, and the Hardened Room per FEMA 361 was a project requirement. In addition, a basement was not preffered by the governement because of the site's agressively expansive soil and the associated costs. FEMA does allow windows but it also states that "Testing indicates that glass windows in any configuration are undesirable for use in tornado safe rooms" especially in the highest hazard region where our building is located, and it recommends that windows not be included. For safety reasons we were working to reduce the number of openings into the space. The remaining spaces do very well with day lighting, and there are FEMA doors that open into the room from adjacent offices that if left in the open position, offer borrowed light to the space. We will provide a complete narrative. I am just trying to get a sense of what is reasonable. Thanks for your input!
Profile picture for user treed74
TODD REED
Energy Program Specialist
PA DMVA
LEEDuser Expert
626 thumbs up

Thu, 01/10/2013 - 15:35

You wont be able to use any borrowed light that comes through an open door, doors must be closed and borrowed light must come through any door glazing or side light. Based on your further response, I'd say that this space is going to have to be included. Reason being is that the shelter could have been in the basement, but because of finances was not, financial issues do not take precedent over LEED requirements. The other reason is that you are using an office space as the shelter and why would you place people in a work space without any windows, especially in just an office. If it were a clean room or some other critical task sure, but an open office does not make sense. It actually goes against the intent of the credit. Yes , the shelter was a requirement, but could another space been used or the the building been designed so that an open office space did not have to be used? Sometimes, a project just can;t earn a credit. You can still make your argument but i would suggest that if you truly need this space to be excluded to earn the credit, that you approach GBCI with your narrative prior to submitting this. This would be done in the credit LEED Interpretation.

Thu, 01/10/2013 - 18:07

Todd, Agreed. Sometimes a project just can't earn a credit. We may choose to pursue this and present our argument, or we may not. I was just trying to figure the liklihood, given the FEMA 361 aspect. I will put that point in the "?" column. Thanks!

Thu, 01/10/2013 - 20:49

I tend to agree with Todd here. I think that if you are using this space primarily as an open office, it is very unlikely that using the FEMA requirements will exempt it. Primarily because of the dual use. The FEMA requirements don't indicate that you must have an open office space in a safe room, therefore you have the option of separating the uses and providing daylight to your open office occupants. Great question! Now, are you sure you don't want to give those occupants some daylight?

Thu, 01/10/2013 - 21:50

Uff.. Well, the building is nearly complete so we are looking at the Measuremnt Path for this credit. Several design solutions were offered early on in the design process to provide daylight/views to this space, but none fit the bill. Due to secure access and use, this was the only adequately sized space available in the building for the FEMA requirement. We understand that the FEMA doors can't be held open for the measurement (so this room will achieve 0 sf regularly occupied daylit area) I just mentioned it because that is what the user will do, and so things will lighten up a bit for that space. Thanks for your input!

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