Does anyone know how we are to calculate 'regularly occupied gross area'? If I am using 1/2 of the interior walls and all of the exterior walls as part of my gross area, but then I calculate the views based on the area where views are possible - the floor - that is net sf. You can't be standing in the wall and see a view out the window. Actually, you can't even be standing in th wall in the first place. This doesn't seem like an apples - to - apples ratio. Why don't they use net sf??? Comments? Solutions?
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Emily Catacchio
Sustainability SpecialistWight and Company
610 thumbs up
November 17, 2011 - 11:39 pm
Hi Dana,This is sort of a grey area, but we usually exclude the wall widths in this calculation.
TODD REED
Energy Program SpecialistPA DMVA
LEEDuser Expert
890 thumbs up
November 18, 2011 - 8:17 am
You do not need to consider wall thickness or other structural elements, or spaces that are not being included in the calculations. The calculations are based on the total regular occupied area and not the overall sq footage.
Dana Murdoch
144 thumbs up
November 18, 2011 - 9:20 am
If you exclude the wall widths, how do you complete PIf3?? The form asks for the gross area of the building and all the gross areas of separate occupancy types need to add up to the total gross area. Gross area includes all the wall thicknesses. Am I supposed to use net area for this form?? Have you?
Then, when we calculate the floor area that has views, it is definitely net area. It just doesn't correspond.
TODD REED
Energy Program SpecialistPA DMVA
LEEDuser Expert
890 thumbs up
November 18, 2011 - 9:28 am
PLF 3 table PLf 3-1 is linked to the EQc 8.1 and 8.2. This is the square footage of regularly occupied areas that is only used in those credits. The other information i believe goes into PLF 2 which is the gross area, etc.
TODD REED
Energy Program SpecialistPA DMVA
LEEDuser Expert
890 thumbs up
November 18, 2011 - 9:44 am
I see your confusion on this and you are trying to follow the definitions. Here is the example that will better explain how i complete this table.
You have an open office space, i measure the space within the walls, minus any permanent partitions. This is what i place in the gross area. Now within that space there are areas that are considered corridors, or walkways, along with an area that surrounds the copies, maybe some storage space for flat files. I take those areas that i am not considering, subtract them from what i put into gross area, and this is what i use for regularly occupied area.
You can measure the wall thickness if you want for the gross area, what counts is your regularly occupied area ( I believe using net area is not helping your understanding of this). The other tables with gross area and other columns are overall, not individual space. Make it easy on yourself, measure within the walls for gross, minus all the other areas that can be excluded from the calculations for regularly occupied.