The LEED Innovation Catalogue for Walkable Project Site requires that item #2, "A main entrance on the primary façade faces a public space such as a street , square, park, paseo, or plaza, but not a parking lot, and is connected to sidewalks.
For a square, park, or plaza to qualify as a public space, it must be at least 50 feet (15 meters) deep at a point
perpendicular to the main entrance."
Our site is within grasp of meeting all of the criteria for the 8 of 9 required elements, however per Ite #2, the primary facade on the dominating street does not have an entrance. The entrances are on the interior of the block (The Building is L Shaped, the entrances are on the inside facades) and are connected to all sidewalks by paseos and a plaza/courtyard area considered common area. The whole site however is NOT "public", it is gated due to the high security of the tenant. It is public in the sense that all occupants with access can use the pathways connecting to the perimeter sidewalks, but not public in the sense that people from outside the site can use it as a pedestrian throughway.
I would like to propose that, for lack of an entrance on the primary facade, we use the facade with the two primary entrances that egress into this beautifully designed courtyard, intended for walkability, but the secured gated site has me concerned. I'd love to hear what anyone else has to say about this - does this sound remotely arguable? For all intents and purposes, we have filfilled the definition of "public" according to the credit language.
Michael Yi
5 thumbs up
August 17, 2021 - 4:18 am
The language in the LEED Catalogue for Walkable Project Site says about the primary facade, "The principle front of the building that faces the street or other public space. For buildings with multiple street frontages, the primary façade faces the street with the highest order in the street hierarchy, which is typically but not always signified by the primary address of the building, a higher level of pedestrian activity, and a higher frequency of main entrances of other buildings on the street. The primary façade can also be identified by architectural massing, fenestration and other visual cues for pedestrians. " Given that your primary entrance on the interior will most likely be signified by the primary address of the building and the fact that it meets other factors in the LEED language, there probably is a case that can be argued.
That being said, a gated area is by definition not a public one. One of the intents of this point is to enhance community participation, and a gate something that physically stops that. I'm not too clear on what the project site exactly looks like, but it sounds like it prevents people from using the common area/plaza. For a much better answer, I would probably contact a LEED Coach.
emily reese moody
Sustainability Director, Certifications & ComplianceJacobs
LEEDuser Expert
476 thumbs up
September 27, 2021 - 3:09 am
I agree with asking LEED Coach for clarity.
That said, I've had endless secure projects that are either gated, or within a gated, larger property. There are usually exceptions if all occupants (and sometimes visitors, if appropriate) have access to whatever amenity is under question. In the situations I've seen, those projects are still able to comply, and it usually helps to provide a narrative. Of course with LEED, it's never guaranteed, but I have had luck with this credit and earning it even though the project didn't meet a particular requirement to a "T".