regularly occupied areas

Storage and mechanical room NO; conference room YES
We always include the copy rooms in the regularly occupied areas, but you could however argue that they don't get used more than 4 hours.

That's more so a good rule of thumb. Some say it one hour or more. Me personally I would definitely include the copy room. You will have a hard time arguing your case with the reviewers otherwise.

Please note that LEED Reference Guide for Green Building Design and Construction, 2009 defines regularly occupied spaces as areas where workers are seated or standing as they work (or perform regular tasks) inside a building, and as such it is not necessarily the duration of time occupants spend in a space that determines whether or not a space qualifies as regularly occupied.

Carlie is correct. I have had reviewers specifically state that the time spent in a space is not relevant to its classification as a regularly occupied space or not. (Despite what all of us might normally think the term "regularly occupied" would mean.)

I would include the copy room.

Have any of you received comments from GBCI stating that you needed to add the copy room as a regularly occupied space? We have never included it as a regularly occupied space and they have never called us out on that.

Interesting. No, I've never been called out on it either, but I've always included it as a better-safe-than-sorry method. I have heard that it might matter as to what type of copy room. For example, if it is a copy room that it available to all workers for their copies, it might not count as regularly occupied, but if it is a copy office where a person is regularly stationed as their job, it will count. I've never wanted to take the risk. Thanks for the info.

I agree with Jill - determining whether or not to include this space really depends more on the type of copy room provided for the project.

I have worked a lot of LEED CS and CI projects and we always included the copy rooms in the regularly occupied spaces, because for LEED CS you really can't tell what the actual use is going to be. For LEED CI it is more because the copy area/room is a mostly more so a work/copy area, open to the surrounding spaces and our clients tend to change things around even during construction, which means your really don't want to be to specific in case of changes. I suppose if you have a definite furniture layout, one might be OK with calling it non-regularly occupied. But I agree with Jill better-safe-than-sorry.

I agree that it would depend on what type of room. Ours have always been a separate room (not open to other spaces) that is usually a combo copy/mail/recycling room. The room is open to all employees and does not have anybody stationed in it. Any given person would likely not stay more than just a few minutes in it each day. We saw it as more on par with a storage room than an office. In addition, these have all been for NC applications, not CI.

Christi, If you can get the credit by including them and you think their ROS status is in question, I say include them. I would rather not offer the reviewer reasons to scrutinize my submittal (as one discovered error seems to invite more), than to factor them in later.

More questions on regularly occupied spaces:
* In an underground supermarket under an office building – what areas do I have to include as regularly occupied? Cashier area? Deli area (fish, cheese, etc), where 1-2 persons work? Not the whole shop right?
* In a bowling-restaurant under an office building – Do I include kitchen and bar, but not guest dining area?
* Break room in office buildings – Do I include these areas where people sit down for 30 minutes for a coffee and maybe eat their brought lunchboxes?
Thank you!

Go by the meaning of Regularly occupied spaces. Any space occupied for more than one hour a day is regarded as a Regularly occupied space.
Better see yourself in LEED NC 2009 Reference Guide (Page 404), and accordingly judge which can be regularly or irregularly occupied spaces..

I agree with common sense regardless of the credit language. I'm sorry, but if a space is occupied by any same person for less than one hour (copy room included), I refuse to include it as regularly occupied space...and that goes for spaces where people work or not. A spectator in a theatre is not working but sits there for 2-3 hours. That space is regularly occupied. Damn the credit language.

Jean, I think the LEED definition would agree with you that a theatre is a regularly occupied space. The definition was revised last year, so check it by rolling over the green text above.

Are the dressing rooms in the back of house of a performance venue considered regularly occupied? If it were just a couple small rooms, I wouldn't ask the question, it think it would be no. But we have almost an entire floor of them of varying sizes and types. The users don't want natural light (makeup, etc.), and all of the support functions for the spaces occupy the wall spaces (mirrors, rods, shelves, etc.). Would it be a legitimate (and successful) argument to leave these spaces out of calculations for regularly occupied spaces? I assume theater/performance spaces are typically difficult building types to pursue daylighting and views credits because of their function and limitations? Thanks for the advice.

In a manufacturing facility project, Production/Assembly area, Incoming Material Inspection and Storage, and Finished Goods Storage will be regularly occupied or not?