Date
Inquiry

Our project is a new building in a technology energy park located in a currently undeveloped forested area in Malta, NY. The project is a higher education building consisting of classrooms and laboratories. The academic program offers students opportunities to learn sustainable energy technologies. Together the design team and the client have designed special features into the building and the landscape to feature the building as its own learning object. One of these features is two 5.8kw wind turbines located onsite that will contribute to the building energy load and the educational program of the school. The design team has already located the turbines on the site to take advantage of constructed clearings such as the parking lot and the building, but there are still some areas that will need to be cleared for construction of the wind turbine mast and maintenance access to the turbines. The team proposes that a turbine be considered a type of utility subject to the parameters for utility-related clearing as described in SSc5.1 and that the utility area needed to be cleared around the turbine be considered a "turbine utility easement." The area cleared for the "turbine utility easement" will be replanted with native grasses and low native shrubs that will be drought resistant and will not require irrigation. Additionally, the project team will submit a site plan locating the turbines and their respective "turbine utility easement" areas along with all of the set back distances of the tree lines of the site. The project team believes this is an adequate solution to the situation because it allows the school to maintain its sustainable goals and values while preserving the local forested environment around it.

Ruling

The project team is seeking guidance on SS credit 5.1 and, in particular, clarification on Greenfield disturbances as defined by LEED. This particular project is including two wind turbines on the campus. The area used to construct and raise the turbines will be replanted with native grasses and low native shrubs. It is assumed that the project is located entirely on a site that is a defined Greenfield, or a site that is not previously developed or graded and remains in a natural state. In order to meet the requirements of the credit, the project team may consider the wind turbines as utilities for use in this credit. Therefore, limit all site disturbance to 10 feet beyond the utility and 15 feet beyond the main utility branch trenches.

Internationally Applicable
Off
Campus Applicable
Off
Credits