I am working on a mixed use project that consists of retail, residential and office spaces. They all rise on a common underground parking lot. The retail, residential and office spaces rise as visually separate "buildings" (i.e., with different facade types), although they are all adjacent to each other up to the fourth floor with connections among them (as if three office and residential towers at each corner of the retail center). USGBC's "Guide to LEED Certification: Commercial" states that different buildings on the same site owned by the same owner can be registered as a group but "individual building registration and review fees apply". How does LEED define "building" in a group certification? Do we register and pay for four building projects (three towers and a retail complex) separately, since they have different functions, as well as a master site? Or can we assume we have one "building" with different functional zones as one physical block? I am assuming that the entire project can be registered as a v4 CS project, since the owner plans to lease or sell all residential, office and retail premises. Is that correct?
Many thanks in advance!
Eric Johnson
271 thumbs up
January 29, 2014 - 1:06 pm
You might want to look at the MPR Supplemental Guidance.
"Defining ‘one building’
Super-structures can often be perceived as either a string of multiple buildings, or as a single building. This is typically due to light physical connections, such as a single hallway between buildings that are otherwise physically distinct. Such super-structures may, for the purposes of LEED, be considered a single building if both of the following criteria are met.
a) Space that can be included in the gross floor area of the project that serves a purpose other than parking or the circulation of people is contiguous throughout the structure.
b) All building components of the LEED project that are addressed by LEED prerequisites and pursued credits (systems, materials, etc) can be treated as one, such that separate reviews of the same issues are not required for different portions of the superstructure.
If these criteria are not met, the project may be considered a set of multiple buildings, regardless of whether or not it can satisfy the ‘attached building’ criteria on pages 13-16.
The AGMBC gives direction on the certification process for such projects."