Hi all,
can anybody explain me what is the starting point of LEED certification?
For example, the client has already done partial demotilion of the old building (debris were recycled but the ESC plan was not in place) and now he starts construction and renovation of the old building. Furthermore, he decides that he wants LEED certification after the demolition is done. Can the project team decide when the LEED certification process commences?
1. LEED certification starts after the demolition (no points for MRc2 but still chance to achieve SSp)
2. LEED certification starts before the demolition (points for MRc2 BUT real danger in SSp)
I know that the project should not be able to decide like this, but there should be some rule when the LEED certification starts. (property ownership date, the date when construction starts...)
Thank you for collective wisdom and explanation.
Jeremy Kuhre
Sustainable Buildings & Operations ManagerSustainable Solutions Corporation
37 thumbs up
January 19, 2012 - 9:23 am
Jiri, I saw your post over on the SSp1 board, so I'll leave that one to the experts over there.
In regards to MRc2, all construction and demolition waste does need to be accounted for in your calculations. You mentioned in your other post that much of the "demolition" was tree clearing, site clearance, etc. Land clearing debris such as these should not be included in MRc2 calculations.
With all of that being said, LEED registration can be a good indicator of when LEED requirements should begin. This is obviously not the case with all credits, but may be applicable to your situation.
RETIRED
LEEDuser Expert
623 thumbs up
January 19, 2012 - 11:31 am
Jiri -
Typically a decision to pursue LEED needs to be made during design (or before it begins) so that the construction documents reflect the LEED requirements – especially of the prerequisites. I personally do not agree that LEED Registration is an indicator of when LEED requirements begin because you can register late in the game and that does not mitigate the need to meet the requirements of the prerequisites and credits. There is initial work that needs to be done to ensure that you can earn LEED certification regardless of when you register.
There are quite a lot of pitfalls of starting LEED certification after the design documents are done. For instance, how will the contractor know what the requirements are for materials (i.e., MRc3-7) as well as low-emitting materials (IEQc4.1-4.4)? Unless you were already considering a green project, you will not have commissioning requirements incorporated into construction documents (EAp1). It also can be tricky (or nearly impossible) to earn EAc3. Then there is the need for the design to meet the ASHRAE guidelines for energy (EAp2) and ventilation (IEQp1). These are just a few examples.
If you have not already done so, I would suggest you look closely at all the prerequisites as well as the Minimum Program Requirements to ensure you can meet all of those. I would also suggest studying the LEED Certification Policy Manual - https://www.leedonline.com/irj/go/km/docs/documents/usgbc/leed/config/te... - as well.
You can still achieve a green building without pursuing LEED certification (we did this before LEED existed) but it still requires the documents to reflect the owner’s targets for water and energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and materials selection and vigilance in the field to ensure items are installed and sustainable goals are met. Good luck!
Anna Korinkova
Grinity s.r.o.83 thumbs up
January 23, 2012 - 5:19 am
Thank you for your help.
In the perfect world the client would decide to pursue the LEED certificate before the design phase begins. However, a lot of clients want to achieve LEED certification just because of marketing and because of creating incentives for getting bank loans. Therefore they can make the decision during a construction phase.
I agree that LEED registration is not the imaginary starting point of LEED certification. But there should be some precedent about what the LEED certification includes.
For example,
client buys a land where is an old building and immediately demolish the building and carries out land clearing. After a few months (maybe years) he decides to build there a green office building and pursues LEED certification. Why should he include the demolition works into LEED scope if the decision about building the green office building was made after that (maybe even by different project team).
Susann Geithner
PrincipalEmerald Built Environments
1297 thumbs up
January 25, 2012 - 10:19 am
Jiri, you will have a hard time convincing the reviewer that excluding the demolition is ok, because just like excluding certain areas from your project boundary this would be considered gerrymandering. For MR c2 and SS P1 you will have to meet the criteria also for the demolition. Having worked on lots of projects, which made the LEED decision late in the process. I know that this is much harder. We were lucky to have local laws and regulations that covered all the requirements already and a good photo documentation.
As for the demolition work in general, we have had projects in buildings which did demo the space years ago. This had nothing to do with the project at hand and we can't reasonably expect the project to include this. In your case though it's clearly related to the project and also directly prior to the project.
Good luck with your project.
RETIRED
LEEDuser Expert
623 thumbs up
January 25, 2012 - 7:22 pm
Jiri –
The two cases you presented (your 1/19/12 post vs. your 1/23/12 post) are very different. Susann summed it up well regarding what should have to be counted and not - based on the project start time. Your original case should clearly have to count the demolition as it is part of the current project. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need LEED but since we’re not there yet, it is best to clearly advise the owner of the hurdles involved in starting LEED late in the game or employ an experienced team member who can.
Pamela Lippe
Presidente4inc
47 thumbs up
June 21, 2012 - 3:54 pm
Not to beat a dead horse here but if the demolition is done by a landlord before a tenant has taken possession, does it have to be included in the calculations. Demolition will be done by a completely different entity than the one pursuing LEED certification. The tenant will not have access to the landlord's data