We have a Self Storage facility undergoing major renovation that includes the complete demolition and reconstruction of new structures, totaling 5-7 individual structures. The project includes an office and residential component, as well as the non-refrigerated storage, all typical of a Self-Storage development. The city requires that the facility be LEED Certified as a condition of its permit, and upon a quick search, found that there are several LEED Certified Self Storage Facilities throughout the U.S., all certified under the LEED BD+C Warehouse and Distrubution Center designation. While this project seems like it would be straight forward, the more we dig in, it is not.
Having multiple structures, is the project required to certify as a "Group", or would this simply be certifed as a single project, similar to a K-12 School? The issue I find is that some buildings exceed the max. 25K Sq. Ft. allowance for a K-12 school, suggesting that each structure would need to go through individually in the Group. Given the nature of a self storage facility, it seems unreasonable for each building to be reviewed separately, and given the very minimal scope of actual constrcution for the storage units, seems that the lowest common denominator would make it quite difficult for the propeorty to get certified to the minimum level required by the city.
As this is a new project type for us, any input anyone has to clarify how one might certify a Self-Storage facility would be greatly appreciated!
Umesh Atre
Sustainability LeadParkhill
10 thumbs up
July 28, 2023 - 4:56 pm
Hi Levi,
At first glance this does look like a group project. With that said,
- how many buildings will this project have?
- is there any physical connection between the buildings?
- what is the exterior design aesthetic for the overall project?
We have not done a self-storage facility, but we were allowed to use the 'programmatic dependency' and 'architectural cohesiveness' as reasonable arguments on a project that included 2 separate buildings but were under same ownership, built at the same time, had a number of shared spaces, and from the outside looked cohesive.
From the LEED Reference Guide:
" If the project consists of multiple structures physically connected only by circulation, parking or mechanical/
storage rooms, it may be considered a single building for LEED purposes if the structures have programmatic
dependency (spaces, not personnel, within the building cannot function independently without the other
building) or architectural cohesiveness (the building was designed to appear as one building)."
Not sure if this helps your case, but thought would share our experience.