"building floor area" and "conditioned square footage"

Daniel Costantino

Urban Planner, LEED AP ND

Ecology & Environment, Inc.

LEEDuser Basic Member

56 thumbs up

October 19, 2011

Hello, I've struggled for a while with the exact definition of various floor area related terms in LEED ND. Can anyone give me any guidance on the typical elements that are included and excluded in "building floor area" and "conditioned square footage"? As far as I can tell, LEED ND does not provide a standard reference for these terms and they can vary pretty significantly from one jurisdiction to another if one uses local zoning or building codes as references. Thanks, Daniel

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Daniel Costantino

Urban Planner, LEED AP ND

Ecology & Environment, Inc.

LEEDuser Basic Member

56 thumbs up

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 16:10

I should note that "conditioned square footage" appears in GIB P3 (water efficiency). "Building floor area" is part of the definition for density (NPD P2 and C2) and is also mentioned in GIB P2 (energy efficiency).

Eliot Allen

LEED AP-ND, Principal

Criterion Planners

LEEDuser Expert

231 thumbs up

Thu, 10/27/2011 - 17:18

Daniel, "building floor area" is equivalent to "gross floor area" as defined in the ND Addenda issued on 8/1/2011. You're correct that there's no formal definition of "conditioned square footage" in the rating system, but it's meant to include any portion of a building that is space heated and/or cooled. Eliot