Hi all,
We have just received our Construction Prelim results and comments. The Assessors don't like our innovation claims at all!!
We claimed: a carbon neutral building - meaning that we have assessed the entire life cycle of the building to demonstrate that we are CO2 neutral. The CO2 embodied in the materials, used in the construction and generated in the operation of the building is 100% offset by the renewable energy generated on the building over its life.
The Assessor's have come back with "please demonstrate that a minimum of 5% of the building materials content are Climate Neutral Products".
???
We also claimed because the building is not connected to mains water, and is completely self-sufficient. No go there either.
Do any of these look like good options:
- 95% of the building's structure has been designed to be easily dismantled at the end of it's life for reuse/recycling. A disassembly plan is included.
- the building is fully sub-metered for water, to enable discrete analysis and monitoring of all uses.
- A building user's guide has been provided for the occupants, to ensure that the building functions optimally, as intended by the design.
Thoughts?
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Clare Parry
Senior Sustainability ConsultantUmow Lai
29 thumbs up
October 19, 2011 - 7:38 pm
Alternatively, we can just prepare a Green Housekeeping plan...but this seems like a soft solution, considering all the work that went into this project.
Emily Catacchio
Sustainability SpecialistWight and Company
610 thumbs up
October 19, 2011 - 8:49 pm
The 95% disassembly could be a good option. Is the issue with the first strategy that the building did not include any climate neutral products? What was the reviewer's rational for denying the no water usage option?
Clare Parry
Senior Sustainability ConsultantUmow Lai
29 thumbs up
October 19, 2011 - 9:04 pm
The water usage option was denied based on the fact that this is covered in the WEc1-c3 credits. An exemplary performance ID point is already claimed and has been awarded for WEc3.
I think the issue with the carbon Neutral building is the misinterpretation of the concept. The building itself is the carbon neutral product.
I should also point out that we are a project in Australia, hence all on the project team are newcomers to LEED. The 'innovation' concept in our rating tool (Green Star) is very different. Our current LEED score is 94, with 11 points pending (which we hope to get!).
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11477 thumbs up
October 26, 2011 - 11:45 pm
Clare, I think GBCI has a point, in that renewable energy is already covered by EAc2, so you are really simply getting excess mileage out of EAc2, not doing something different for IDc1. I think the fact of designing the whole building for disassembly is the true innovation here, and I would refocus around that.
Becky Balsano
Interior DesignerHolabird & Root
6 thumbs up
October 31, 2011 - 4:54 pm
Can someone help me identify credit language or information for the "5% building materials content are climate neutral products" ID credit that Clare mentioned above? I have looked through the USGBC and LEEDUser sites without any luck. Our project is registered as CI 2009, is it only a NC ID credit? Thanks!
Emily Catacchio
Sustainability SpecialistWight and Company
610 thumbs up
November 1, 2011 - 3:01 pm
Hi Becky,Clare was attempting an innovation credit for a climate neutral building, which the reviewer requested documentation of 5% climate neutral products. This is not a standard credit and thus does not have credit language to my knowledge.
Clare Parry
Senior Sustainability ConsultantUmow Lai
29 thumbs up
November 2, 2011 - 1:48 am
We were referred to LEED Interpretation 1541, which talks about climate neutral products and is a CI credit (though pre 2009). I'm not sure where the 5% came from though I have seen it somewhere - perhaps in a Materials credit?
Becky Balsano
Interior DesignerHolabird & Root
6 thumbs up
November 3, 2011 - 12:54 pm
Thank you Clare! This is exactly what I was looking for!