Hi,
I'm supporting the Police Regional Training Center project here in Northern Colorado (not yet registered for LEED v4 BD+C: NC ). The project team is attempting to verify that our project will comply with MPR2: Must use reasonable LEED boundaries. The construction scope will consist of a development of 44 acres and will incorporate the following items:
1. 4 Mile driving track
2. 400’ x 600’ concrete skills pad
3. 21 lane indoor firing range that will include motor vehicle use
4. Admin building which will have classrooms, restrooms, office, storage and other spaces to support the firing range and driving track.
The facilities departments from both city governments hope to certify only the Admin building and the site adjacent to the Admin building, including the parking lot. They would look to excluded the remaining portions of the construction (1-3, see list above) from LEED certification to maintain a cost effective approach but make these portions energy efficient. We are aware that we may exclude portions of construction when it serves the LEED project, IF at least one of the following two conditions is met:
(1) The facilities are not a part of the LEED project construction scope.
(2) The facilities are physically separate from the LEED project by land not owned by the LEED project owner (or, if on a campus, physically separate such that the inclusion of the facilities in the LEED project boundary would be difficult or unreasonable).
The indoor firing range will have a separate HVAC system. Is our logic sound and are there any further steps we would need to take to justify our planned LEED boundary to exclude the 4 Mile driving track, 400’ x 600’ concrete skills pad, 21 lane indoor firing range?
Thanks for your time,
Summer Minchew
Managing PartnerEcoimpact Consulting
LEEDuser Expert
170 thumbs up
December 31, 2018 - 2:52 pm
On projects with similar programs we have been advised that it is reasonable to draw a LEED project boundary to exclude physically distinct structures and site elements if certification is not desired for the entire development area. As in your example, the public facing administrative building and associated parking would be within the LEED project boundary and everything else would be excluded. You'll need to pay close attention to how this is managed from a LEED documentation perspective however because it can be difficult to differentiate construction cost for only a certain portion of the overall project (ex. construction waste management, building products/cost) especially when completed together under one construction contract.
The only thing that I'm not sure of in your scenario is the firing range. Is the firing range a physically distinct structure? You might want to check out USGBC's guidance on "Projects with Several Physically Distinct Structures" and brush up on your understanding of the "Group Approach" before you make your decision. https://www.usgbc.org/guide/bdc
Dustin Norton
Sustainability Program ManagerPrimus Design Services, LLC
40 thumbs up
January 2, 2019 - 9:13 am
Agree with everything Summer says above. Regarding the firing range, you say that it has a separate HVAC system, but I think you'd need to go a little beyond that and explain how it (including all energy uses - HVAC, plumbing, lighting/electric) can be metered and modeled completely separate from the main building. If you can justify the separation and confirm that it can be metered and modeled separately, I think you will be fine to exclude it.
Kara White
Executive Associate - Lead DesignRushing Air Treated Air Systems
January 5, 2020 - 10:22 am
Good Morning! Imagine my luck and surprise to find a post specifically about an indoor shooting range on this site! My name is Kara White - I am a long time design professional who now works solely in the Indoor Shooting Range industry. I am LEED AP, BD+C and have a passion to elevate the way indoor shooting ranges are currently built. Historically, the shooting range industry is extremely antiquated. There has been little to no innovation in the past 40 years. I was recently involved in a project located in Austin, TX that accomplished LEED Silver Certification and their project boundary absolutely included the range itself. Would you mind if I asked why the client is wanting to exclude the range portion of the project from the certification boundary? It absolutely can be done! My company supplies the biggest energy draw for that building, the HVAC system. My team has engineered and implemented an HVAC system specifically for indoor shooting ranges that drastically reduces energy and filtration consumption for indoor shooting ranges. Our reduction in energy and consumption boasts no less than a 65% savings over typical range HVAC systems. No other provider in our industry can provide the system we have developed. I would be happy to talk with you and put you in contact with the professionals that made it happen. Perhaps we can give you some specific insight onto how we tackled our LEED Certification for our indoor shooting range. - Kara:) kara@rushingair.net
Kara White
Executive Associate - Lead DesignRushing Air Treated Air Systems
January 5, 2020 - 10:34 am
When constructing an indoor shooting range the building itself can be attached to other structures by hallways and what not, but the shooting range itself absolutely is a distinct structure in and of itself. It is very common for ranges to be constructed as buildings within a building. The reason for this is that is the indoor shooting range has highly specialized building functions. It must be completely ballistic (this level of protection varies depending on a full tactical vs. fixed firing position range), and have its own super specialized HVAC system. The HVAC system has to push toxic metal dust out of the breathing zone down to a highly customized filtration system. There are only a handful of manufactures who make systems that handle such a unique HVAC condition. Additionally, there are separate acoustical, ceiling, fire suppression, ballistic catching, and dimensional requirements for an indoor range.