Lessons learned

I'm seeding this conversation with a few things that Kim and I have come up in our conversations so far: - Are you connecting to another building on an existing campus? The name of your project is important. USGBC wants your building to be named "XYZ Addition" or "Wing" or similar. They don't want to create confusion that might suggest more of the campus is certified than is really is the case. This might make sense for some projects, but a lot of owners like the buildings to work together seamlessly. - LEED Online forms aren't always accurate. (This isn't news, right?!?) GBCI has told us that if the requirements in the form are different than those in the Reference Guide, then the Ref Guide rules. However, if the form is simply missing a requirement then you're not necessarily off the hook. For example, the current EQc7 form is missing the requirements regarding the survey. You should preemptively upload those regardless, because GBCI will ask you for them later. - You need to read the fine print. For example, SSc9.2 Direct Exterior Access for Patients requires wind tunnel/CFD analysis per EQc5. Also, MRc3 Sustainably Sourced Materials and Products requires a minimum level of mercury in all flyash on the job site in order to pursue these points at all. That can be a real deal breaker if you don't catch it early.