The LEED Pilot Credit Library Webinar I participated in today was long overdue and much appreciated. I applied for the Pilot Credit program back on 11/18/2009 and it took until 8/6/2010 before I received confirmation of participation. It appears with the webinar, and the documentation recently updated on 9/15/2010, the Pilot Credit Libary is officiallly available for use. Visit this website for all the details - http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=2104
I pursued Pc5 on a school project where LEED certification was required because the project received state funding. Because The Neenan Company is a design-build architectural firm, our integrated design process helped us meet the requirements of this credit. My one frustration with the requirements is that they appear different between what is stated in the Pilot Credit Library posted on July 2010 and what I see on LEEDuser. For instance, no mention is made of the Owner’s Project Requirements on LEEDuser, where it is clearly stated in the credit requirements. This is similar to what happens between submittal templates found on LEED Online and the requirements as stated in the reference guide. It is imperative that requirements of a credit are fully understood at the beginning of a project. Hidden surprises usually add costs to the project, can jepordize credit attainment and make for unhappy clients.
I look forward to continued use of the Pilot Credit Library on future projects. I think attaining all of the Innovation in Design points should be possible on any project if you pursue a few of the Pilot Credits. Don’t let LEED Online fool you, you can pursue more than one pilot credit on a project. One more tidbit of information, currently you only need to document the process to achieve a pilot credit point. You do not need to meet the requirements, though you should make a good faith effort to do so.