Point Structure For MRc5

No. USGBC has not changed credit thresholds for LEED-2009. BD+C Regional Material thresholds for MRc5 are still 10% for 1 point and 20% for 2 points. Also unchanged is the Exemplary Performance threshold. Projects that document 30% Regional Materials may earn 1 additional Innovation in Design point under Credit IDc1. This explains why a project might set its MRc5 goal at 30%. [Note: Under LEEDv4, USGBC HAS significantly changed the way it addresses Materials & Resources in general and Regional Materials in particular, but that is an entirely different matter. See LEEDuser’s NCv4 MR forums for the Building Product Disclosure and Optimization credits.]

Robert—If you have access to the Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC) LEED Reference Guide, you probably have most of what you need to answer any questions about LEED Canada 2009. Note that LEED Canada is very similar to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) version of LEED-NC, but apparently, the credit thresholds for MRc5 may be one of the differences between the two systems. For questions about the distinctions, LEEDuser offers a special LEED Canada forum: http://www.leeduser.com/topic/leed-canada-forum-nc-cagbc. For USGBC LEED-NC-2009, and for projects using the LEED-2009 BD+C Global Alternate Compliance Paths (ACPs), the MRc5 thresholds are still 10% & 20%. However, some Global ACPs offer an additional basis for MRc5 exemplary performance.