The owners of the "Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca" (CMC), wish to promote sustainable design and the "greening" of healthcare facilities. They have instructed us to register their currently-planned addition/renovation project for LEED-certification.Although we initially targeted 34 points to pursue, we have been forced to abandon several due to specific requirements of healthcare facilities (i.e. no operable windows; ventilation amounts in areas that exceeds ASHRAE 62-2001). We have abandoned other points due to the difficulty of working with a mix of new and existing areas. As our initial 34 points has dropped to a current 28, we are concerned about how the LEED Rating System will be applied to a project that is part new construction, part substantial renovation, and part left unchanged for the present.In the interest of acting responsibly with the owner\'s financial resources (i.e. not pursuing something that can not be achieved), we would greatly appreciate review of our intended application of LEED: The hospital, in a rural setting, consists of a basement and 4 levels. The addition, totaling 53,912 gsf, will include 4 levels plus a mechanical penthouse. The project also includes a total of 56,918 gsf of substantially-renovated space. The areas of new construction and renovation total 110,830 gsf: The total building footprint of all 5 levels will equal 307,847 gsf. The project team will rigorously apply the LEED Rating System requirements, as stated in version 2.1, to the 110,830 gsf project area. Where appropriate, the LEED credit point actions will be extended to the existing facility beyond this project\'s Contract Limit Line (e.g. replacing a 20 year old roofing with roofing that complies with SS-7.2; replacing exterior light fixtures that comply with SS 8; Extending Fundamental Building Commissioning to include the existing mechanical equipment and a representative sample of existing distribution systems throughout the existing hospital spaces). With actions that are not as easily applied to existing conditions, the design team and the owners will develop phasing plans for making all of the existing facility LEED-compliant (e.g. we are looking at installing pervious pavement only at the areas of new paving, and will engineer all systems for the eventual replacement of existing parking areas on the other side of the hospital; we will not remove existing materials in good condition that are outside of our scope simply because they do not meet the standards that we are pursuing for materials that are within the Contract Limit Lines).In addition to confirmation that the compliance with the LEED Rating System will be measured only within the project\'s Contract Limit Lines, we ask for confirmation that there are no exceptions allowed in applying credit points that, for code reasons, can not be applied 100% : Specifically [1] Can IEQ1 be waived for areas (such as operating rooms) that require ventilation exceeding that which is allowed by ASHRAE 60-2001?: [2] Would providing the requirements specified in IEQ 6.2 be allowed for perimeter spaces since we can not have operable windows in patient rooms and wish to use the building perimeter to allow patient rooms to have daylight and views?).
Your questions refer to the use of the LEED Rating System for a hospital that is a combination of new construction, renovation, and existing building. There have been multiple projects certified that are similar in building type and/or building reuse, and there is nothing in the information you provided that should preclude you from using LEED.With respect to limiting the scope of your LEED application to your contract limit lines, your plan is appropriate. The LEED application need not include data from the work done outside the 110,830 gsf project area, but it can include other areas within your contract limit line. However, the project\'s scope must be clearly defined and remain consistent across all LEED credits (as you intend to do). You cannot address certain aspects of the project for some credits and other aspects of the project for other credits.In regards to indoor air quality, the referenced standard for IEQ Prerequisite 1, ASHRAE 62-2001, actually requires minimum rates, not maximum rates (as opposed to what you imply in your narrative). Therefore, ventilation rates exceeding the standard are not a problem. If you are meaning to ask about rooms that do not comply with the standard: operating rooms will not be exempted.Regarding your question about IEQ Credit 6.1 and 6.2, your suggested approach would involve a substantial change to the way the credit is currently intended, and it could have unknown implications for other building types, such as office buildings. A separate CIR must be submitted under Credit 6.1.The applicability matrix for this LI was revised on 7/1/12 to change NC v2009 from "applicable" to "not applicable" and Schools, CI, CS, EB, Retail: CI, Retail: NC, EBOM, ND, and Homes v2009 rating systems were changed from "not yet determined" to "not applicable". For v3/2009 rating systems, projects using the LEED Building Design and Construction (BD+C) rating systems must either include or exclude the entire existing building (both renovated and un-renovated portions) when certifying an addition. They cannot just include renovated portions of the existing building with the addition in a single LEED BD+C project.