Project Specific Questions

Lauren, did you submit and get a ruling on these issues? I am particularly curious about the refinished concrete.

Lauren and Tristan,

Our project is similar - we retained all concrete and either refinished it or covered it with new carpet (we diverted/recycled the old carpet). When we submitted this, we said that 100% of our "finished flooring" was retained (referring to the concrete)....however, the review came back with issues pending: (1) "Please revise the form to include all new and retained floors in the Completed Design Area, and include in the Retained Components Area only the floors that were in the space both prior to construction and in the completed design." So....does this mean that we need to include the total sf of the new carpet that we installed in the “completed design area” for “finished flooring”, even though this area covers some of the same area as the retained concrete? If we do this, then the “completed design area” will be more than the “retained components area”...correct?

Gail, it seems to me that including concrete that is covered with carpeting as a "retained" surface is not the intent of the credit or the calculation method, that could be what's throwing you off.

I would agree with Tristan. For this credit they are interested in seeing the non-structural elements retained, therefore, if you covered the concrete with new carpet, that area would be considered new. The concrete would be considered structural. As for the brick walls in Lauren's case, I believe the refinished "structure as finish" situation would count as a retained element, even with new stain/paint. Same with the concrete floor - because you did not recover the floor with new floor coverings, this area could be considered as retained, despite the new polish/stain. Curious to hear if Lauren received a review ruling though!

Lauren - Did you get a ruling on your concrete floor question? I'm running into the same issue on a project of mine. Thanks!

After a tiring, but ultimately fruitful, exchange with GBCI I received the following response to my inquiry regarding concrete slab counting as reuse if the original carpeting was removed and the concrete polished:

The intent of LEED CI v2009 MRc1.2 is focused on non-structural materials and is dependent upon the previous finish. If the original flooring system was composed of carpet/tile upon concrete, any carpet/tile that remained in use for the completed design would contribute towards credit compliance. However once you have removed the carpet/tile, those areas can no longer contribute towards credit compliance. This would be regardless of what the final completed design is, be it sealed concrete, carpet or tile.

Hope this helps!

The language about the intent (above) is what's written into the Reference Guide... about the carpet / tile remaining or being removed.

But I'm also curious about the Polished Concrete/ Sealed Concrete. We've got an old warehouse that was converted to an office and the existing raw concrete is staying in some areas with an "upgraded" treatment as the first person who posted this question initially (Lauren) is doing....it seems to be a very gray area. The intent is that the concrete is exposed / remaining, but there was a slight alteration to it in the sealant in our case.