Buildings and spaces that receive LEED certification should be completed by the time they have submitted for their final LEED certification review. Complete means that no further work is needed and the project is ready for occupancy. For LEED for Commercial Interiors and LEED for Retail: Commercial Interiors projects, spaces are considered incomplete if they do not include the furnishings, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) intended for regular operations of the space. This LEED Interpretation clarifies the requirements of MPR #2: MUST BE A COMPLETE, PERMANENT BUILDING OR SPACE for projects using LEED 2009 rating systems (other than LEED for Core and Shell) that contain incomplete spaces at the time they are submitted for final certification review. No more than 40% of the certifying gross floor area of a LEED project may consist of incomplete space, unless the project is using the LEED for Core and Shell rating system. Additionally, projects that include incomplete spaces must utilize Core and Shell Appendix 1 in the LEED 2009 Reference Guide for Green Building Design and Construction to establish the occupant counts for incomplete spaces. For projects using a rating system other than LEED for Core and Shell that contain incomplete spaces the project team must provide the following supplemental documentation:Mandatory for all projects with incomplete spaces: All projects containing incomplete spaces must be accompanied by a Letter of Commitment, signed by the Owner, indicating that the remaining incomplete spaces will satisfy the requirements of each prerequisite and credit achieved by this project if and when completed by the Owner. This letter may cover the commitment in general terms and need not address each prerequisite or credit individually. It should be uploaded along with a brief narrative of the project\'s special circumstances in the Additional Details section of Project Information Form 1 in LEED Online v3. For credits and prerequisites with established baselines, such as WEp1 and EAp2 (performance path only), and the other credits dependent upon the calculations in these two prerequisites, the proposed (i.e. design) case must be held equivalent to the baseline for the incomplete spaces. For all other prerequisites and credits, project teams may either demonstrate that the present LEED project\'s scope of work is sufficient to satisfy the requirements for the incomplete space(s), or indicate that the Letter of Commitment ensures that future fit-outs by the LEED project Owner will comply with these requirements. Future fit-outs by Tenants (i.e., parties other than the Owner) are not bound by this Letter of Commitment. Additional requirement for projects with incomplete spaces that are intended for future fit-out by Tenants: In addition to the mandatory requirements described above, any project containing incomplete space(s) intended to be fit-out by Tenants (i.e. parties other than the Owner) must be accompanied by a set of non-binding Tenant Design and Construction Guidelines. Criteria for acceptable Tenant Design and Construction Guidelines can be found in the LEED 2009 Reference Guide for Green Building Design and Construction, in the section for LEED Core and Shell SS Credit 9: Tenant Design and Construction Guidelines. These guidelines must provide project-specific strategies and information concerning how the future fit-out of the space can fulfill the LEED for Commercial Interiors rating systems and how the future fit-out of the space can fulfill the requirements of prerequisites and credits achieved by the completed portions of the project. These guidelines should also be uploaded as documentation of Special Circumstances in the Additional Details section of Project Information Form 1 in LEED Online. No Innovation in Design points will be awarded for providing these guidelines.It is understood that in some cases the Owner will not be certain about whether the incomplete space(s) in the LEED project will be fit-out by the Owner or a Tenant. In the special circumstances narrative for Project Information Form 1, the project team must explain the basis for their assumptions about who will be fitting-out the incomplete space and then provide the appropriate supplemental documentation as per the requirements above. Applicable internationally.
**Update 1/27/2017
Additional guidance for projects where up to 10% of the building gross square footage or 20,000 gsf (whichever is smaller) contains incomplete space.
LEED 2009 BD+C (except LEED Core & Shell 2009) and LEED 2009 ID+C
For the ease of documentation, project buildings where up to 10% of the building gross square footage or 20,000 gsf (whichever is smaller) contains incomplete space, will not be required to provide an Owner’s Letter of Commitment or Tenant Guidelines during the LEED certification submittal. These projects are required to comply with all other provisions outlined in this LEED Interpretation.
LEED 2009 Core & Shell
Incomplete space up to 10% of the building’s gross square footage or 20,000 gsf (whichever is smaller) is exempt from providing binding Tenant Sales and/or Lease Agreements for the purpose of demonstrating compliance with the following prerequisites and credits listed in LEED CS 2009 Appendix 4 Case C: EAp3 Fundamental refrigerant management, EAc4 Enhanced refrigerant management, IEQp1 Minimum indoor air quality performance, IEQc1 Outdoor air delivery monitoring, IEQc2 Increased ventilation, IEQc5 Indoor chemical and pollutant source control, IEQc6 Controllability of systems - thermal comfort, and IEQc7 Thermal comfort - design.