Until last week I was pretty sure that all parking whether enclosed by the building, or on the roof of a building should be excluded from the Gross Floor Area number.
However we have a project where both the loading dock and the parking spaces are enclosed, and share the same drive aisle.
We requested clarification from GBCI and were told to INCLUDE the loading area, as well as any parking that abuts to it.
I'm looking at the PIf2 form with its instruction "Excludes all parking areas whether underground, structure, or at grade."
Extremely confused and hoping for some clarity in this forum....
thanks!
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Jon Clifford
LEED-AP BD+CGREENSQUARE
LEEDuser Expert
323 thumbs up
September 3, 2016 - 10:04 am
Deborah—I too am mystified. GBCI’s instructions seem to contradict the gross floor area definition directly. I could see including the “unloading” portion of the loading dock, since it might be considered interior, occupiable and conditioned space, but the GFA definition clearly excludes “area dedicated to the parking and circulation of motor vehicles,” and the PIf2 instruction are consistent with this definition.
I wonder whether your particular configuration gave GBCI reason to reach a different conclusion. Are you still in dialogue with GBCI so that you could ask a follow-up question noting the apparent conflict? They might explain their rationale or rescind their prior interpretation.
Jon Clifford
LEED-AP BD+CGREENSQUARE
LEEDuser Expert
323 thumbs up
September 4, 2016 - 5:39 pm
Come to think of it, I have had a couple of projects where the design team inadvertently included such areas when they calculated gross floor area. This caused big headaches during reviews. The LEED Review teams questioned why our area numbers differed so far from those reported in our energy models (which, of course, followed the ASHRAE definitions by excluding unconditioned parking and vehicular space). The reviewers where sticklers about this and required us to revise our PIf2 GFA entries to align with the energy models.
Unless your project includes some unusual, extenuating circumstances, GBCI’s advice seems out of line with the reviews that I have experienced.
Deborah Lucking
Director of SustainabilityFentress Architects
LEEDuser Expert
245 thumbs up
September 6, 2016 - 11:23 am
Jon,
thanks for the input. To further complicate things, the loading dock and adjacent parking areas, while unconditioned, are mechanically ventilated; so they DO figure in the energy model. And we have roof top parking, which count as tradable areas....I'll continue our back-and-forth with the LEED review team to get to the bottom of this. And hopefully, will have some clear conclusion to report to this forum!
Jon Clifford
LEED-AP BD+CGREENSQUARE
LEEDuser Expert
323 thumbs up
September 6, 2016 - 6:00 pm
Deborah—Keep us updated on your dialogue with GBCI.
It seems unusual that the mechanical ventilation in your garage would make a difference. In ASHRAE-90.1, the definitions of the various types of enclosed “space” to be included in the gross floor area include the note, “Crawlspaces, attics, and parking garages with natural or mechanical ventilation are not considered enclosed spaces.”
This note suggests that, while energy models would include power for garage ventilation and lighting, ASHRAE would not include these areas in the GSF. Very odd…I would love to better understand GBCI’s rationale.