The reference guide indicates that parking should be included in the hardscape area - this is good because much of the parking at our project uses an open grid paving system. In addition to the parking behind the building we have an open lot with a mixture of asphalt road surface and compacted red clay. Open grid paving has not been installed. (The project is located in Bulgaria.) Is anyone aware of guidance on how LEED treats unsurfaced parking?

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Tristan Roberts

Representative

Vermont House of Representatives

LEEDuser Expert

7780 thumbs up

Mon, 11/18/2013 - 16:24

Michael, the credit requirments refer to parking lots as being included in site hardscape. I don't thinking that the type of surfacing affects how LEED considers this.

Michael Smithing

Director - Green Building Advisory

Colliers International Ltd.

LEEDuser Basic Member

201 thumbs up

Tue, 11/19/2013 - 07:39

Tristan - Thanks for the quick response. My question really is whether I can count the area of the unsurfaced parking together with the area of the open grid parking. As the credit intent is to reduce the heat island effect, it would seem that clay or dirt surface would meet the credit intent 50% better than 50% impervious open grid parking.

Tristan Roberts

Representative

Vermont House of Representatives

LEEDuser Expert

7780 thumbs up

Tue, 11/19/2013 - 15:53

Michael, a clay or dirt surface that sees car and truck traffic will become compacted and not pervious. In my opinion it is not likely to comply with the credit requirements unless engineered to be pervious.

Michael Smithing

Director - Green Building Advisory

Colliers International Ltd.

LEEDuser Basic Member

201 thumbs up

Wed, 11/20/2013 - 07:03

Tristan - You're likely correct, the other option is likely a field of mud. That said, I don't understand why there is an emphasis on pervious vs. impervious for this credit. There are many values to a pervious surface, but I don't see how the capacity of the surface to absorb water is related to the heat island effect. Am I missing something?

Tristan Roberts

Representative

Vermont House of Representatives

LEEDuser Expert

7780 thumbs up

Wed, 11/20/2013 - 14:17

Well, we wouldn't want to fix one problem while causing another. And, I don't think there is a great emphasis on pervious vs. impervious. The credit language is about open-grid paving, which in many cases is paving that allows vegetation growth.Another example in which the credit is multifaceted is in allowing shading from solar panels. Solar panels are dark and absorb heat, but offer other benefits, of course.

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