LEED v4 BD+C NC WE Outdoor Water Use Reduction implies the use of a calculator (Oudoor Water Use Reduction Calculator) that must be used to calculate savings against LEED beseline.

This calculator allows the definition of the following plant types:

  1. Trees;
  2. Shrubs;
  3. Groundcover;
  4. Turf grass.

Area occupied by each of the above plant types must be introduced in the LEED calculator.

When we ask design teams (landscape architects) to provide us the above referred information, they always ask us which criteria they shall use to calculate trees area. Most of the times trees are not alone (below trees there is also turf grass and/or groundcover), so it is not clear how to spit the area of these mix landscapes (trees plus grass and/or groundcover) into the different plant types required by the LEED calculator.

Can you please provide us some guidance?

Regards,

Denise Pinho