Has anyone had any experience with an exemption to a requirement due to a historical building or feature?
This is regarding the requirement that no more than 30% of the primary façade can be without doors/windows. The project I’m working on has an existing brick wall along the inner sidewalk that curves down the sloped road (along with our new construction). Per requirement of the city we cannot remove/alter the brick wall as it is a historical landmark. With the slope of the sidewalk, the brick starts at the basement level and ends at the first level. Both are 100% storefront glazing behind the brick, and since it slopes, most of the first level does end up uncovered by it, just not at street level. We won’t meet the 70% window/door coverage, but I believe the historical brick is not taking anything away from the walkability of the sidewalk. It has trees on the street side and plants along the top of the brick wall that trail down.
Does anyone have any input on this? Do you think we can get around it?
Douglas Flandro
Sustainability Design Leader, Exhibit Designer, AssociateCambridgeSeven
9 thumbs up
November 3, 2016 - 4:51 pm
My hunch is that they won't allow you to simply pass on this requirement despite the historical landmark. Can you meet the other 8 requirements? If not, perhaps you can substitute it with an innovative additional requirement that would make the site walkable. Something like outdoor tables and benches with solar powered charging stations, outdoor theaters, performance areas or gathering places, outdoor sculptures, interactive displays that interpret the historical structure, nature paths, bird habitats, etc.
Kristina Bach
VP of InnovationSustainable Investment Group
151 thumbs up
November 8, 2016 - 9:17 am
Qiongwen-There is a built-in exception for historic buildings for the features which cannot be changed (like height or entry). I would anticipate the wall openings would also fit into that category as adding openings would be significantly changing the historic structure/not allowed. As such, it seems like you would get a waiver for the historic wall for those features if you can get documentation from SHPPO about the wall being historic/required to be maintained unchanged. I also agree with Douglas that your argument for the credit still being applicable would be strengthened if you can show other measures that are being taken on site to increase walkability/use of the site (such as the outdoor benches/gathering areas, solar charging stations, etc.).
(Being a former CC employee, I'm 90% sure I know which project you're asking about :) Lauren has my contact info if you guys want a second opinion on a site plan or to discuss more. Feel free to reach out).
Sara Goenner Curlee
Sustainability Manager and ArchitectPope Design Group
60 thumbs up
April 3, 2018 - 12:09 pm
Related to historic buildings, I'm hoping Kristina is right and the exemption of features which cannot be changed can also be applied to the percentage of wall openings. My project was built in 1906 and is a historic building with a masonry structure (limestone exterior and brick back-up). The primary and non-primary facades do not meet the percentage maximum without doors or windows thresholds, but this is not uncommon for a building of such an age and construction. The primary facade is 52% without door or window, and the non-primary facades are 48% without doors or windows. The primary and non-primary facades do meet the maximum interval lengths, because the facades include frequent openings. The openings in masonry structures tend to be tall instead of wide. The doors and windows on all facades, especially the north and south, also tend to be surrounded by ornament and different sized blocks of limestone, adding to a sense of scale for the building and its pedestrian walkability.
Has anyone been able to achieve an exemption from the percentage of wall openings for a historic building? Does it seem like what I describe meets the innovation credit intent? I'm working through LEEDv4 NC, so this is an Innovation credit for the project.