Hello,
We have a project that is considering to install an olive tree in the atrium of the building. To sustain the tree, artificial lighting is required daily, for several hours. We have been reading the requirements for the credit “Interior Lighting” and nothing specific is said about lighting requirements or exceptions for plants. We are pursuing option 2 of this credit and we wanted to know if lighting for plant growth or maintenance counts as an exception for this credit.
If not, does interior lighting for a tree count as “Any other specific application” for the exceptions mentioned on strategies “A” and “B”? Are there special requirements to follow for the other strategies?
Matt Latchford, PE, IALD, MIES, LC, LEED AP BD+C
Associate PrincipalLam Partners
1 thumbs up
November 15, 2016 - 3:47 pm
Technically speaking, I don't think there is anything in the Interior Lighting credit language that would keep you from illuminating plant life. It would more likely have an effect on the lighting energy usage of the building, but that's a separate issue.
That being said, it doesn't seem to be in the spirit of LEED to use electricity to keep a tree alive in space that doesn't have enough natural light to do so. Using a little bit of electric light to enhance the visual quality of the space at night sounds reasonable but ramping it up to the levels necessary for replacing daylight (think grow-house) will likely draw a lot of energy.