Has anyone seen the newest release of the Rating System Selection Guidance (dated 1/27/14 on the download page no date on the document)?
It indicates that multifamily residential buildings of 4 to 8 stories that are more than 50% residential now MUST follow LEED for Homes Multifamily Midrise.
This has been a big bone of contention in the past. Buildings whether residential or not that are over 5 stories in our region use commercial construction methodologies and the commercial energy code. We have several multifamily homes developers who have tried both systems and find Homes to be more prescriptive and therefore more costly. They prefer NC.
Up until now, a project could pursue a preferred rating system if it could meet the MPRs and the prerequisites and achieve certification. This no longer appears to be the case. The guidance was misinterpreted by some of my staff because the word "Homes" is not a part of the title of the rating system. They did not pick up on the significance of the shift until they realized the link to the Multifamily Midrise resources leads you to the Homes page.
As we all know, this means that many of us consultants that work on these projects will not be able to do so in the future to any great extent, because of the Homes Provider structure. Though Homes Providers are precluded from giving the kind of design guidance that we can as LEED consultants, the scope for that kind of guidance in such a prescriptive system is relatively small, excepting the energy model.
Further I see no indication that there is any current effort to create more Homes Providers in conjunction with this change. There's lots of info about becoming raters, but nothing I could find about Homes Providers. I even saw a suggestion in a general online search that to become a Homes Provider you should contact the local Homes Provider for info.
Clearly it would suit GBCI to reduce the review times for these projects by handing off much of the accountability to the Homes Provider. And there is obviously some confusion among the inexperienced with LEED about which rating system to use. However, there is a lot more at stake than streamlining their operation.
We've been LEED APs for more than 10 years and green building consultants for more than 7 years. We've done work in every rating system of LEED, excepting of course Homes, and in Green Globes, Green Communities and Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard. From our perspective, the more prescriptive the system the less room our clients have to pursue the kind of tradeoffs that lead to innovation and cost effective implementation of their sustainable goals.
Given some of the other programs GBCI is launching to deal with reducing review times that also impact these projects, we do not believe this policy change is necessary or beneficial. Do you?
Lauren Wallace
LEED Project Reviewer, LEED AP BD+C, Senior LEED SpecialistCertifications Department Manager, Epsten Group, Inc.
39 thumbs up
February 4, 2014 - 12:16 pm
Thanks for your post, Michelle. I completely agree with you and I don't see an immediate benefit to the policy change. How sneaky of the USGBC to release new rating system selection guidance just last week! I think it is very frustrating for project teams who are currently working with multifamily residential buildings that are within the one to five-story range with this new guidance, as I do not believe the certification process for Homes and Multifamily Lowrise, let alone Multifamily MIdrise, is ready to support current projects on the board seeking certification. Regardless, there is always the 40/60 rule that project teams and their clients can fall back on - the rules are not always as set-in-stone as one would think... like we've both said, so long as your project meets the minimum requirements and can achieve the prerequisites, then most times certifying under the rating system of your choice is possible. Does it mean your project may not be eligible for certain credits? Absolutely, but such is the case for every project depending on scope, location, and design.
Asa Foss
LEED for Homes Techincal DevelopmentUS Green Building Council
LEEDuser Expert
48 thumbs up
February 5, 2014 - 1:59 pm
Hi, I'd like to clarify a few items. Thanks for bringing up the rating system selection for multifamily buildings, since quite a few things aren't totally clear at this point.
First off, the rating system selection guidance has not changed for v2009 projects. 4-8 story buildings are required to do Midrise if they are pursuing LEED v4. Because v4 isn't required for well over a year, there is plenty of time for the market to prepare for this change. The rating system selection can also be found in the User Guide, which was posted in October 2013, found here: http://www.usgbc.org/sites/default/files/LEED%20v4%20User%20Guide_Final_...
It states that multi-family residential buildings of 4 to 8 occupiable stories above grade must use Midrise, if the building has 50% or more residential
space. Buildings near 8 stories can inquire with USGBC about using Midrise or New Construction, if appropriate.
For example, if there is a large development that is predominantly using New Construction , if they have a 7 story residential building, we would allow them to use New Construction because that would allow them to use a single rating system for the entire project. Alternatively, if there is a development of predominantly 4 to 6 story multifamily buildings, we would allow them to use Midrise on an 11 story tower.
We have actually been getting a lot of pressure from developers to use Midrise for buildings taller than 8 stories. We’ve granted allowances for multiple projects that have buildings in the teens of stories to use Midrise. They find that Midrise is a more appropriate rating system, since it was tailor made for large multifamily projects.
We are constantly evaluating how each rating system is administered in order to provide maximum value. Currently, the LEED for Homes delivery model, consisting of Green Raters and Provider QAD organizations, is very effective at providing high quality services to the market. We are focusing all of our delivery-related communications around the fact that projects must contract with a Green Rater. Anyone with proper qualifications can become a Green Rater and provide LEED for Homes services.
Green Raters are required to work with a Provider QAD, who is responsible for QA’ing the project submittal before it gets sent to GBCI. A LEED for Homes project does not need to have a contractual relationship with the Provider, the relationship is between the project and the Green Rater. For this reason, we want to expand the Green Rater pool, so I would encourage any service provider interested in working with the LEED for Homes program to look into becoming a Green Rater. Find out more on how to become a Green Rater here: http://www.usgbc.org/leed/credentials/certificates/green-raters
Lauren Wallace
LEED Project Reviewer, LEED AP BD+C, Senior LEED SpecialistCertifications Department Manager, Epsten Group, Inc.
39 thumbs up
February 5, 2014 - 2:28 pm
Asa,
Thank you so much for all of the information and for replying to this inquiry. Would it make more sense to update the Rating System Selection Tool to more clearly indicate that the update pertains to v4 projects? Right now, I am not sure how someone would make the distinction as to whether whether they should follow the guidance in this document: http://www.usgbc.org/sites/default/files/RatingSystemSelection_01222013.pdf versus this document: http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Archive/General/Docs10134.pdf The guidance in both documents is nearly the same, though the June 2011 version of the document does not include all of the rating systems that will be available under v4.
Michelle Rosenberger
PartnerArchEcology
522 thumbs up
February 5, 2014 - 3:06 pm
Hi Asa,
Thanks for the response. Always good to get information from the horses mouth. I appreciate the change only applies to v4, but it's worth noting that it is a policy change. Saying you "must" use a particular rating system vs. you can choose which rating system you would prefer based on your ability to comply, that's a significant change of years of past LEED system sensibility.
Ironically, that speaks to your statement about getting pressure on buildings over 8 stories. The guidance there says you "must" use NC rather than you can choose. Allowances wouldn't be needed without the must.
I also appreciate the flexibility you refer to with respect to multi-building tract development, though our urban projects tend to be singular midrise and high rise buildings. I do not dispute the Homes model provides quality. However, I have lingering concerns about tradeoffs and the extent to which the quality is accomplished by the prescriptive nature of the program and constrains opportunities to innovate vs. the field verification. Perhaps that is just my lack of experience with Homes projects.
Your perspective on the Homes Provider vs. the Green Rater is invaluable. I have obviously misunderstood the Provider role to a significant degree if it is only QA in your view. I have been under the impression that they are the focal point of communication to GBCI and define many of the parameters of project compliance upfront. That they register the project. That they are the required participant in the Integrated Project Planning rather than the Rater, etc. But when the Provider is also the Rater, perhaps those lines can blur.
You've given me some food for thought. And the motivation to delve deeper into the Provider/Rater relationship. Thanks.