This credit is intended to help Core and Shell projects educate tenants about the base building sustainable design and ways tenants might enhance the sustainability of their tenant spaces, including support for earning LEED-CI.

Tailor your guidelines to fit your project

Support comes in the form of tenant guidelines, which LEED-CS projects must write and submit in order to earn this credit. The guidelines could entail information about lighting efficiency and design, non-toxic paints, water-efficient fixtures, and numerous other topics covered by LEED.

Some projects write fairly stringent guidelines and require that tenants comply as a condition of their lease; other projects write fairly loose guidelines and make tenant compliance optional. You can use the LEEDuser template found in the Documentation Toolkit and customize it for your project and your tenants.

“Guidelines” does not mean “requirements”—unless you say so

A common misconception is that the tenants must comply with the guidelines. Actually, for the purposes of SSc9, the LEED-CS team only has to write and distribute the guidelines. Including specific requirements in the guidelines is optional.

This situation gets a bit more nuanced when you bring in other LEED credits, however. For example, if your project is attempting IEQc5: Indoor Chemical and Pollutant Source Control, you may need to require your tenants to install entryway mats. The SSc9 tenant guidelines are a logical place to make a note of that requirement, but not the required place. 

In any case, keep in mind that a tenant sales and lease agreement is not enough to satisfy the requirements of this credit. You must write guidelines specifically designed with this credit in mind. 

Sustainability guidelines can be a selling point

Sometimes building owners will hesitate to pursue this credit because they worry about how tenants may respond—that’s usually due to a misunderstanding of the requirements. Part of the function of the tenant guidelines is to inform tenants about the environmental aspects of the project, which can be a useful marketing tool during the leasing process.

Tenants, even those who did not initially consider it, often find the guidelines an extremely valuable tool in helping them attain LEED-CI certification. 

Coordinating input takes time

This credit is not usually a costly one, but it can take a lot of time to compile product information, systems data, and coordinate the individuals contributing to the guidelines. Gather this information throughout the design process to avoid scrambling at the end of the project.

Consider these questions when approaching this credit

• What type of tenant will your project be targeting?
• Will this be a single-tenant or multi-tenant building?
• Are there materials or equipment used in the core-and-shell project that the commercial-interiors project should know about? For example, if you are using low-emitting paints and coatings, do you want to inform the CI project about these products and recommend them?