EQ Credit 8.1 Daylight and Views, Daylight 75% of Spaces. Our team is researching the opportunity to secure the above mentioned credit. The majority of the interior space with limited daylight and views is occupied by 38 laboratories, connecting service corridors, mechanical rooms, storage areas and other low occupancy support areas. However each scientist, chemist, team leader, technical support and other administrative support personnel working in those interior areas also has an exterior/perimeter office/workspace with extensive daylight and views provided to those spaces. The EPA has offically provided me with documentation that certifies that each individual working within the interior lab spaces works a majority of their time (over 51%)in their respective exterior/perimeter offices and/or workspace. Since each interior laboratory has considerable wall hung and ceiling mounted casework, wall mounted laboratory equipment, overhead service carriers, overhead MEP systems, and overhead exhaust hoods the opportunity to incorporate windows and/or shylights within each space was nearly impossible. The Design/Build team has incorporated the introduction of sunlight and views into the "Administration Wing" which is the main occupied area of the building. Our credit interpretation ruling that we are requesting is to identify if the interior laboratory spaces could be considered a low occupancy support area and excluded from the space calculations since the majority of the time spent by those occupants is spent in office/work space provided to them for their use with daylight and views at the perimtere/exterior administration area of the building. The USGBC ruling on this credit will also have a direct effect on our teams pursuit of EQ Credit 8.2: Daylight and Views, Views for 90% of Spaces. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Ronald A. Kowalski Regional Vice President Koll Construction, L.P.
No. The intent of this credit is to encourage the incorporation of daylighting into occupied spaces. Although you indicate that any given individual may not spend the majority of their time in the laboratory spaces, it is highly likely that the laboratories themselves are in fact occupied most of the time. There are many excellent examples of daylit laboratories, and the Credit Ruling Committee can see no reason why these spaces should be exempted from this goal. Unless you can demonstrate that the laboratories are infrequently used (49% of the time is not infrequent), or that daylighting would interfere with the research being conducted, you should not exempt these spaces from the occupied space calculation. Applicable Internationally.