Date
Inquiry

The project team took great care in selecting construction materials in order to attempt MR Credits 4, 5 and 6. With the exception of MR Credit 4 Recycled Content, the team\'s efforts will be for naught if furnishings are required to be included in the calculation of these credits. All major office furniture manufacturers are centrally located on the continent, most typically in Michigan and Ontario. Therefore, the manufacturers are not within a 500 mile radius of the project, as the tenant\'s headquarters is located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Another point to consider is that at the time the furnishings order was being finalized, wheat fiberboard plants were closing across North America. So although the team\'s intention was to use wheat fiberboard as a worksurface substrate, there was not the volume of board available to fulfill the large order. In the LEED-CI Pilot version, the inclusion of Division 12 Furnishings in the calculations of the Materials & Resources credits was optional. Division 12 (Furnishings) Material Value will skew the project\'s Materials & Resources (MR) calculations. Can we have the option to exclude Division 12 from the MR calculations, as long as we are consistent across the credits?

Ruling

The request to exclude Division 12 from the MR credits as described in the Inquiry is not allowed. While the rationale presented is compelling, this concept was debated and ultimately rejected by committee prior to balloting LEED-CI. Applicable Internationally; Canada.

Internationally Applicable
On
Campus Applicable
Off
Credits