We have a commercial project that is going to pursue Core & Shell. To meet energy goals of the owner, a central plant with high efficiency boilers and chillers will be installed, sized to support the common spaces AND the tenant spaces. The individual tenant fan coil units and ventilation units will not be installed, but the four-pipe system will be distributed to all tenants, and they will be required to use them (in the lease agreement).
The common spaces will include full comfort conditioning. There are only two buttons on the LEED Online template, purchased or not purchased. We are purchasing MOST of the equipment, but not all of it. We are purchasing ALL of the systems related to common spaces, where we can definitely do ASHRAE 55 comfort calculations.
We can find no CIRs or other guidance, but it does not seem fair that this work would go un-recognized. I think the intent is to not give this credit if you are allowing tenants RTUs or other systems that are not as efficient or flexible in application as the one we are suggesting.
Has anyone had any experience with this? Are we answering the question in the template on purchasing for our common spaces (under control of the developer), or for the total building?
Christopher Schaffner
CEO & FounderThe Green Engineer
LEEDuser Expert
963 thumbs up
November 25, 2012 - 10:25 am
The credit language says:
"Project teams that design their project for mechanical ventilation that do not purchase or install the mechanical system are not eligible to achieve this credit."
Since you are not providing the devices that would condition the air - the fan coils and make up air, you cannot achieve this credit.
Maya Karkour
EcoConsulting872 thumbs up
April 9, 2013 - 6:58 am
Hi guys,
I have the following confirmation from the USGBC:
"You do not need to install the mechanical system in the tenant spaces, but, per page 535: The core and shell base building mechanical system must allow for the tenant build-out to meet the requirements of this credit.
You must install the base building systems, and the base building systems must allow tenants to build out systems that can also comply with the requirements of this credit, but you do not have to install the tenant mechanical systems."
I think I agree with Scott that a shopping mall installing the HVAC system in all common areas (as per ASHRAE 55) can achieve this credit.
emily reese moody
Sustainability Director, Certifications & ComplianceJacobs
LEEDuser Expert
476 thumbs up
March 18, 2021 - 12:22 am
Perhaps related to this, we just got a review comment back that states the following:
"The LEED Form states that the mechanically ventilated and mechanically conditioned project space is in compliance with
ASHRAE 55-2004. However, to demonstrate compliance, the following must be addressed.
TECHNICAL ADVICE
1. The form indicates that the mechanical systems are purchased and installed as a part of the core and shell project scope. However, the mechanical drawings provided for PIf4: Schedule and Overview Documents indicate that the retail and restaurant HVAC systems will be installed by the future tenants. Therefore, the credit requirements must be met using a legally binding tenant sales/lease agreement (TSLA). Provide a legally binding TSLA requiring the HVAC systems installed by future tenants to comply with ASHRAE 55-2004."
We have had numerous C/S projects in the past and have never had this returned as a comment. This requirement is not stated in the Ref Guide, on the credit form, or in any addenda. It is also not listed in CS Appendix 4 as one of the credits that should be addressed in the lease agreement.
Any justification here for anything other than pushing back? We do not want to pester the tenant(s) yet again to amend their lease(s). The future tenant retail/restaurant space is just a portion of the SF on the ground level of a high rise building.