I am looking for some answers regarding a K-12 Project we are submitting to LEED that involves certifying the ADDITIONS ONLY to two separate buildings on a shared campus site. We already have both school buildings registered on LEED Online with two separate Project ID's under LEED for Schools 2.0 and we are referencing the LEED AGMBC 2005 for the project so we can certify the building additions for the two separate schools separately instead of as a group of buildings receiving one certification.
I had a few questions regarding the proper way to submit these buildings through LEED online. We would like to ensure we are able to benefit from the Sustainable Sites credits (along with some select other credits) being applied to both projects since we designed the site elements (parking, community connectivity, etc.) using a holistic campus design approach. I am a LEED AP who is new to the AGMBC process and would like some suggestions and explanation regarding how to go about submitting the site credits for a shared campus under the AGMBC submission process. Another LEED AP I know suggested that we submit the Middle School first with all the SS credit material and just note in the templates for each credit that we are seeking approval for these credits as "shared campus credits". Then following certification of the first building we should submit the second building and note in the templates that the credits for the SS categories were already reviewed and approved under the Middle School's Project ID. Is this the correct approach to this unique situation under the AGMBC 2005 guidelines?
Are there any other things we should be making sure we do during the submission process to ensure that it's easily understood by the reviewers and we can submit everything correctly the first time? Please let me know!
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Kristina Bach
VP of InnovationSustainable Investment Group
151 thumbs up
January 31, 2014 - 3:01 pm
I'd actually recommend submitting them together at the same time (if the timing of the projects work out that way). That way if there's any issue that comes up, you can deal with it on a campus-basis. For example, if an approach in Bldg A gets approved but then something in Bldg B contradicts it, you'd have to redo all that credit work in Bldg B and/or possibly change your strategy. Seeing both projects together at the same time will provide reviewers with a better, more holistic understanding of your project.
The best approach I know of for v2 projects:
1) In Bldg A: Include all of the campus documentation and calculations for the credits you'd like to attempt at a campus level. I'd recommend including a narrative for each prerequisite/credit that you are attempting via a campus path stating: "This prerequisite/credit has been attempted at a campus level. The documentation included here applies to both ABC School Campus Bldg A and Bldg B." That will make it clear to reviewers when you have attempted something at a campus level vs. when you have attempted something on a project-specific level.
2) In Bldg B: For the credits that you are attempting at a campus level, I'd recommend including a narrative stating "This prerequisite/credit has been attempted at a campus level. Please see the documentation within ABC School Campus Bldg A."
3) In both projects: In the general documents section, it would be helpful to include an overall drawing showing the campus plan and each of the individual LEED project boundaries. Additionally, include a brief narrative that outlines the occupancy information for the both buildings in the campus and includes a list of which specific credits/prerequisites you are going to attempt at a campus level. Generally, this document would be identical in each project.
4) In advance of submitting for your first review: Contact GBCI probably about 2 weeks before you would like to submit for your first review. Let them know that these are related campus projects that you would like sent to both projects sent to the same review team. In your request, make sure to include the LEED project numbers, LEED project names, and the date when you would like to submit the projects. It is helpful if the projects have related/similiar names in LEED Online so reviewers can easily recognize them in their project lists as related (such as "ABC School Campus Bldg A" and "ABC School Campus Bldg B").
5) After GBCI confirms that both projects can be sent to the same review team: I would then make sure that both projects are submitted on the same day. You wouldn't need to re-contact GBCI when you need to provide clarifications/resubmit later phases, however, I would recommend continuing to send both projects in at the same time for all future reviews. That way, reviewers will always get all the information together so that they can look at the campus-credits in the context of both individual projects.
GBCI Contact Us Page: http://www.gbci.org/org-nav/contact/Contact-Us/Project-Certification-Que...