Hi there,

I'm working on a stadium in Australia (LEED v4 NC). On the concourse there are multiple kitchen areas - note I am talking about the cooking and food preparation areas not the queing areas.

The LEED manual states the following definition for quality views:

Determine whether any regularly occupied spaces should be excluded from the views requirements (see Further Explanation, Project Type Variations). Spaces whose functional requirements prohibit the incorporation of glazing for direct access to views may be excluded. spaces may not be excluded for security or noise concerns.

Further Explanation -​ Project Type Variations:

Auditoriums - Auditoriums may be excluded from the view requirements.

Conference rooms dedicated to video conferencing - Conference rooms that are dedicated to video conferencing may be excluded from the view requirements. 

Gymnasiums - Gymnasiums may be excluded from the view requirements. 

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My interpretation of the above is that areas such as the kitchens should not be included to meet the view requirements due to their functional requirements - even though they aren't listed in the above room types.

Also, some might be questioning whether a kitchen should be classified as a regularly occupied space. As this is a stadium, there are a certain number of events per year, each event requires food preparation (etc) and the kitchens will be open. LEED defines a regularly occupied space is as:

"Occupied spaces are further classified as regularly occupied or non-regularly occupied, based on the duration of the occupancy. Regularly occupied spaces are enclosed areas where people normally spend time, defined as more than one hour of continuous occupancy per person per day, on average; the occupants may be seated or standing as they work, study, or perform other activities. For spaces that are not used daily, the classification should be based on the time a typical occupant spends in the space when it is in use. For example, a computer workstation may be largely vacant throughout the month, but when it is occupied, a worker spends one to five hours there. It would then be considered regularly occupied because that length of time is sufficient to affect the person’s well-being, and he or she would have an expectation of thermal comfort and control over the environment. Occupied spaces that do not meet the definition of regularly occupied are non-regularly occupied; these are areas that people pass through or areas used an average of less than one hour per person per day."

I have bolded the sentence which is why we have classified these kitchen spaces as regularly occupied.

As kitchens are not in the above room types, am I making a justified reason that these should be exlcuded? What do I need to do to ensure that this will pass?

Thank you in advance!