Date
Inquiry

We are requesting confirmation of the intent, requirements, and documentation for an Innovation in Design point that we wish to include in a forthcoming LEED design submittal. The project is a 500,000 SF replacement hospital with both inpatient and outpatient services that will be built in phases on a large site in a business park. We have developed a comprehensive master plan that will accommodate the growth and future expansion of the hospital for several decades. We believe the project merits the award of an Innovation in Design point for the conservation of resources because the project has been designed to accommodate future expansion in a flexible and adaptable manner. This design approach will facilitate the efficient use of resources over the life of the facility because the first phase of our building has been designed to accommodate future changes and building additions in a manner that will minimize the need to demolish and remodel significant portions of the first phase of our project as the campus is expanded over the next fifty years. We propose to meet the intent, and requirements of the 2007 Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC) v2.2 MRc7.1, Resource Use: Design for Flexibility credit. We propose to meet a minimum of (3) out of the (8) goals that are listed as the goals in this GGHC credit to fulfill the requirements of this Innovation point. We propose to submit this with our LEED Design submittal, and we will document the point with floor plans, site plans, and calculations to confirm compliance with the GGHC point requirements. Since this point addresses a unique environmental attribute, that is not currently included in LEED, we believe it merits an ID point that is not contingent on the approval of any other points in our LEED submittal. Please confirm that our proposal warrants an Innovation in Design point.

Ruling

The proposed innovation credit is based on the 2007 Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC) v2.2 MRc7.1, Resource Use: Design for Flexibility credit, and is a credit under consideration for the new LEED for Healthcare rating system, currently in development. This is an acceptable innovation credit specifically for healthcare facilities using LEED-NC, provided the specific requirements of that credit are met, and the appropriate documentation is provided during the submission process. When LEED for Healthcare has been balloted and approved, its corresponding credit and documentation requirements will be eligible for ID credit in other LEED rating systems. At that time, the GGHC credit will be ineligible for ID credit.

Internationally Applicable
Off
Campus Applicable
Off
Credits