We are trying to certify a store inside a mall, and are pursuing WEpr1 and WEc1. In order to pursue WEc1, we are installing toilets inside our store both for employees and for customers, but we are not changing the toilets outside our store.
1. Is it correct to say (option 1) that only fixture and fittings located only within out tenant space meet the needs of the occupants? I believe that once he is out of our store he is not my occupant anymore!!
2. Does LEED say how many toilets I need to install for X quantity of people?
3. Do they need to be "accesible" for retail customers? (the architects are planning to put the toilets in the storage section, and if any customer has needs they have to ask our employee for the keys so they don't steal any products) Our local law (Argentina) doesn't oblige me to put toilets in the store, so legally I can put them wherever I want, and legally our customers will use the toilets of the mall. What can I do to get the WEc1 points?
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Samantha Harrell
LEED Project Reviewer certificate holder115 thumbs up
March 26, 2012 - 3:44 pm
1. I agree that in this case, only fixtures and fittings located within the tenant space meet the needs of the tenant space occupants, unless the employees are expected to use restrooms within the mall's common area.
2. No, LEED does not specify fixture/fitting quantity requirements.
3. LEED does not require that you include visitors/customers/transients in the water use calculations if it is reasonable to assume they won't use the restrooms within the project. In this case, since the project is located within a mall that has common restrooms, it is reasonable to assume customers won't normally use the tenant space restrooms. You could include some expected fixture usage (less than the LEED default values) for those customers that request to use the restrooms within the tenant space in the calculation, and include a narrative explanation. The WEc1 calculation includes fixtures both inside and outside the tenant space that are used to meet the needs of your tenant occupants. If your customers will use the fixtures inside your store, include those uses in the calculations for both WEp1 and WEc1. Otherwise, exclude customers from the calculations entirely. If your employees will also use the mall common area fixtures, include those uses in WEc1 only, since the WEp1 calculation does not include fixtures outside the tenant space.
Sustentator Argentina
Sustentator16 thumbs up
March 26, 2012 - 4:00 pm
Thank you Samantha for you explanation, though I am still in doubt with point 3 and accessibility. If customers and employees use the mall's toilets I can't achieve points under C1, this is fro CIv2009. I am eligible to comply with the PR, but not have extra points. I want the points, so in order to do this I have to install the toilets in my store and they need to be accesible for customers and employees. Would it be "reviewed" the fact that they are not accesible for people with difficulties if our local law allows us to put no toilets, ADA or not ADA? Would it be reviewable that an employee needs to accompany the customer to the toilets (for security reasons) Employees I'm sure are going to use them, but customers won't necessarily, although I'm counting 0.2 FTE for each customer. The question is, is it possible to put the toilets in a place that isn't as accesible? Thanks!
Samantha Harrell
LEED Project Reviewer certificate holder115 thumbs up
March 26, 2012 - 9:32 pm
Do you mean that you cannot achieve points under WEc1 because the mall's common area fixtures are not efficient enough to achieve a 30% reduction when they're included in the WEc1 calculation? You are not required to install new fixtures within the tenant space or as part of the tenant scope to pursue WEc1. If the LEED-CI project does not include any fixtures within the LEED-CI Project Boundary or include the installation or modification of any applicable fixtures outside of the LEED-CI Project Boundary as part of the LEED-CI scope of work, the project would be exempt from the requirements of WEp1, and WEc1 would include all fixtures that the LEED-CI occupants have access to. LEED does not require adherence to ADA standards. Does this help?
Sustentator Argentina
Sustentator16 thumbs up
March 27, 2012 - 12:33 pm
Hi Samantha, The mall's toilets are not even near the 30% reduction. And it is not possible for us to change them. There are more than 2000 toilets!
That is why we are trying to go for Option 1, Tenant Space Fixtures Only: F&F located only within the tenant space meet the needs of the occupants. Tenant occupants will not use F&F located outside the tenant space) Is it ok to consider this valid?
Option 4 says that both inside and outside fixtures outside our tenant space meet the needs of the occupants, but our occupants are only our occupants when they are inside our store, so this is why we believe we are ok with option 1, but maybe I'm just trying to justify my decision...
Samantha Harrell
LEED Project Reviewer certificate holder115 thumbs up
March 27, 2012 - 12:55 pm
I agree that customers are only your project occupants when they are inside your store, and you should not consider their usage of the mall's common area fixtures in the WEp1/WEc1 calculation. Further, if your project's employees will not use the mall's common area fixtures, then I agree that the Tenant Space Fixtures Only option is best suited to your project.
Sustentator Argentina
Sustentator16 thumbs up
March 27, 2012 - 1:10 pm
Thanks Samantha, you have made my day! :) Another one... We live in a complicated country, were for security reasons we would need to have an employee accompany the customer to the door of the toilet and wait till he is finished (I know this sounds weird, but if not they would steal all our products!) in this case we believe it would be the same if the toilet is in the sales area or in the deposit area, no matter where it is located they would have to go accompanied. So, for our design it is better to have it inside the deposit area. Does this sound "reviewable"?
Samantha Harrell
LEED Project Reviewer certificate holder115 thumbs up
March 27, 2012 - 3:42 pm
Thanks Romina. The location of the toilet within the space should not be an issue.