Below Grade levels - excluded?

Maya Karkour

EcoConsulting

LEEDuser Basic Member

549 thumbs up

June 18, 2015

Hello, I have a question regarding below grade levels which have regularly occupied spaces If we refer to the excel sheet "HC Supplemental Daylight and Views Calculation Spreadsheet", it is specifically mentioned in the header of this spreadsheet that we should "Exclude below grade levels", Can you pls advise if below grade levels should not be counted in the IEQc8.1 / IEQc8.2 calculation? Thank you

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Erin Holdenried

Sustainable Design Director

Bell Architects

LEEDuser Premium Member

40 thumbs up

Tue, 12/29/2015 - 20:34

I would like to know the answer to this question, too . . .

Susan Walter

HDR

LEEDuser Expert

894 thumbs up

Tue, 12/29/2015 - 20:38

Well, it does say to exclude below grade levels. I know you're thinking that this wrong and maybe in some ways it is. But I think the GBCI is trying to give hospital planners a chance to design for daylight and views. The key to documenting the credit is understanding the parameters on how the credit gets documented and you just have to do it. Sit down with the plans, draw the angles, make the calculations and enter it into the spreadsheet. Once you do that a few times, it starts to become clearer. Or maybe that was the only way I could learn the credit. It makes a lot more sense step by step.

Maya Karkour

EcoConsulting

LEEDuser Basic Member

549 thumbs up

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 09:34

Hi, We had contacted GBCI for clarification, the below grade levels are not excluded from calculations. see below are extracts from GBCI replies. - such levels below grade (and hence without access to views) do not comply and cannot contribute to compliant area (numerator) for this credit, and also should not be grouped into a single calculator entry with similar above-grade floors. Below-grade areas are not exempted from the overall (denominator) area for this credit. - The non-inpatient portion of the credit was written with a repetitive floor plate above-ground in mind. Due to the confusion on the “lowest-performing floor” and “below-grade” statements in the calculator, for the purposes of the non-inpatient portion of the credit please feel free to use a typical above-grade floorplate to calculate for the thresholds to the best of your judgment. I am assuming only a few non-inpatient areas are located below grade.