This project is a park project in NYC. The original completed bid set was issued in 2009, and the LEED boundary did not include parking or additional infrastructure. These features of the project did not exist when the project was designed for LEED - but, instead were requested to be added later in process after CD were issued in 2012 as a combined set. My question is, we haven't submitted any documentation yet, but the LEED boundary and design and completed credit documentation reflect the original 2009 design. In this case, can we keep the original LEED boundary or do I need to change it and revise all completed credit documentation?
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Jon Clifford
LEED-AP BD+CGREENSQUARE
LEEDuser Expert
326 thumbs up
January 2, 2015 - 7:13 pm
Courtney—If I understand your post correctly, you have a LEED NCv2.2 project registered in 2009, before the v2.2 registration sunset. Design documentation was prepared but never submitted to LEED-Online. In the meantime, the design has changed, so the original documentation is no longer valid. Is this right?
If so, you must revise the design documentation (and possibly the boundary) to reflect the current design. (The added parking could significantly change several credits.) Since the project has not yet submitted any documentation, you may still change any of your Project Information. However, an increase in GSF could bump you into a higher fee bracket.
Also, you need to act quickly. I believe that you must make your Design submittal before the NCv2.2 sunset date. I think the deadline is this coming June.
You did not say whether construction is complete, underway, or yet to start. Your Construction submittal must capture everything within your boundary (ESC & Waste for the entire site, MR costs & data for added paving, VOC & IAQ data for any added interior space, etc.). Moving the boundary may be problematic if you cannot get documentation for the entire site.
Finally, this post is in the NC-2009 MPR3 forum, but LEEDv3 MPRs do not apply to v2.2 projects. NCv2.2 boundary rules were a bit more flexible. Refer to the NCv2.2 Reference Guide or contact USGBC/GBCI for help adjusting your boundary.
Courtney Royal
Sr. Sustainability ConsultantTaitem Engineering
50 thumbs up
January 6, 2015 - 2:23 pm
Thanks for the reply, Jon. I left out some details, its a NCv2.2 and will stay that way, we are not upgrading to 2009. So, yes, we are planning to submit the design credits as close to sunset (June) date as possible because then we'll have 18 months before we need to submit the construction credits.
Anyway, the construction credits have not been started so it would only be the design credit documentation we are talking about. The only thing that seemed to changed from the original design was/or will be the LEED boundary. Why I am confused is because the project limit years ago (aka LEED boundary) enclosed the project building and some hardscape/vegetation surrounding the building. Then, years later the Parks Dept wanted them to add more surface area to service the park at large, and NOT necessarily relating to the building.
I will certainly allocate a few parking spots to the project, but would it really be necessary to re-draw the entire LEED boundary to include the new parking lot and a lot lot of extra pathway, land that is really for the park use and not directly serving the LEED project?
Any feedback on this would be appreciated. Thanks!
Jon Clifford
LEED-AP BD+CGREENSQUARE
LEEDuser Expert
326 thumbs up
January 6, 2015 - 10:36 pm
Courtney—As I noted before, NCv2.2 had no MPRs. The Boundary rules were more flexible, but also more vague. The v2.2 Reference Guide says little about the Boundary, so you must rely on old CIRs (LEED Interpretations). Stick close to the 2009 MPRs, and you should be safe. However, the old rulings may offer more latitude if you need it.
While researching a similar question, I once downloaded a batch of Boundary rulings from the Interpretation Database. For general Boundary rulings, enter the keyword “boundary” (http://www.usgbc.org/leed-interpretations?keys=boundary). Filter by Rating System Version “v2 – LEED 2.2”, Credit Category “Introduction/Other”, and Date from 1999-01-01 to your registration date. Click “Download” and you should get a Excel file with all of the rulings. Change the Category to SS, WE, EA, MR, IEQ, & ID for rulings relating to each.
(The Database is touchy. Filtering the rulings seems to get harder. Even if these instructions work for you now, there’s no guarantee that they will a month from now.)
After researching rulings, we contacted GBCI to test our conclusions. They offered some advice, but none of it binding. Once you determine a suitable Boundary, keep track of which Interpretations you based it on in case it is challenged during Review.
If anybody else has some insights….
Jon Clifford
LEED-AP BD+CGREENSQUARE
LEEDuser Expert
326 thumbs up
January 8, 2015 - 7:30 am
USGBC's MPR Supplemental Guidance (http://www.usgbc.org/resources/leed-2009-mpr-supplemental-guidance-revis...) also may be useful. If you haven’t seen this yet (the link at the top of this page appears broken), this guide very neatly outlines the ins and outs of the LEED-2009 MPRs. It includes many “exceptions” that may not be immediately apparent if you look at the text of the MPRs by themselves.
If you choose to emulate LEEDv3 Boundary rules, this is a good place to start. Then, if you need more flexibility for your v2.2 project, you might find it in the old CIRs.