Our project is an Army standard Company Operations Facility (COF) which consists of office and warehouse modules. The Army standard design for this building type requires both the office and warehouse modules, and while these components are typically combined under one roof, the standard allows for a detached configuration based on site conditions and user preference. For this project, the detached configuration will be used with a conditioned warehouse module detached from (but adjacent to) the office module. In accordance with the Army Standard for COF facilities, the warehouse module is not permitted to have restroom facilities since they are provided in the office module and the Army mandates the consolidation of plumbing fixtures in one location. The absence of dedicated toilets or fixtures in the warehouse module may prevent it from meeting the Water Efficiency prerequisite 1 under LEED NC if registered as a standalone building. Can the separate office and warehouse modules for this project be registered as one building?
UPDATE 10/1/2012 - This Ruling has been retracted because it is project-specific. It is no longer applicable as of 10/01/2012. It can only be used by Army standard Company Operations Facilities projects registered or submitted for review between 7/1/12 and 8/30/12. Similar project types will be evaluated on a case by case basis.The project team is inquiring if the Army standard Company Operations Facility (COF) which consists of office and warehouse modules can be considered a single building even for instances where the components may be detached. Yes, the Company Operations Facility can be considered a single building. The fact that the components of the COF are tied together and only a single set of plumbing fixtures is provided between the components indicates that they operate as a single building even when detached.