The current project scope includes the completion of a 12 story hospital with floors B-6 finished and 7-12 as shelled floors(with some VIP suites as finished space on the 12th). Should our LEED certification scope only include our project scope & budget or can we include the shelled space in our point assessment? This could potentially affect several LEED points and would probably help us in the daylighting aspects. However, we don\'t really know what the true design & layout of the shelled floors will be when they are eventually designed and constructed (2-10 years). If we are instructed to include the shelled space in our calculations, we would need guidance on how to model them. It is our opinion that we would use a typical patient floor layout for the shelled floors since the assumption at this point is to finished those floors in that manner. This could potentially effect our approach to EQ Credits 8.1 and 8.2.
You will be applying for certification for the scope of your design, which includes the shelled space that will remain unoccupied for some time. Because you are applying for LEED certification in a building which will have significant TI work in the future, you need to take steps to ensure future TI design and construction teams understand and meet the LEED requirements for the credits pursued and awarded. For example in the daylighting calculations, model the spaces that are actually going to be built-out. For the future build-out provide a narrative of what steps have been taken in the rest of the shell that would allow or lead to similar performance. (I.e.glazing performance and window area is consistent with built-out areas, and likely future use is as a similar layout.) In general, shell insulation, glazing, and system performance should not be downgraded in unfinished areas of the building. Be careful not to take energy (or other) credits for temporary conditions (like unheated or unlit areas that will be built out in the future, or wide open spaces that are daylit until the space is divided at build-out). You will need to carefully document the baseline conditions when comparing to ASHRAE 90.1 so that your energy performance is not inflated by comparison to a baseline building that is fully built out. So to certify a phased project, the first phase establishes the credits in pursuit, and future phases must follow suit. This would require a commitment from the owner to use a set of LEED based tenant improvement guidelines. Provide the guidelines with your Application.