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Hospitality-NC-v4 MRc1:Building life-cycle impact reduction

BLIGHTED BUILDING

I am analyzing a dilapidated building that has been disused for more than 70 years and has recently been sold to make an Hospitality structure. I am considering whether or not it falls within Option 2 "Renovation of abandoned or blighted building."  
Whereas the LEED manual provides a definition for abandoned building, it provides no definition for blighted. Since there is no equivalent in the local regulations, in what cases can my building fall within this credit? 
How can I define a blighted building for LEED purpose? 

Thank you in advance,
Filippo 

 

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Profile picture for user sarah.buffaloe
Sarah Buffaloe
Associate, Built Ecology
WSP USA
LEEDuser Expert
6 thumbs up

Tue, 07/12/2022 - 18:00

Hello Filipo, what a wonderful opportunity to reuse an existing building! From my time at USGBC I recall that the definiton of "blighted" was intentionally left open because each juristiction treats these properties differently. The objective of the option is to recognize the challenging nature of reusing exising buildings and offer additional LEED points as an incentive. I believe your situation qualifies as a blighted or abandoned building under Option 2. In lieu of a published list of blighted properties from the local jurisdiction I recommend providing a narrative (either a PDF letter or Special Circumstances) of the history of the building with any pictures, news articles, or other links to support the narrative. Try Googling the building, you might find something useful. Good luck!

Wed, 07/13/2022 - 06:42

Sarah, yes it is such a gret opportunity! Thank you very much for your answer and suggestions!!! they are very helpfull!! Best Filippo  

Wed, 08/24/2022 - 10:03

Hello Sarah and all LEED User community,  I would need some further clarification on this topic. As predictable for a 50years blighted building, the internal surfaces of the walls are partially affected by mould and fungus. According to the definition of “hazardous material”, these are undoubtedly “biological agent that has the potential to cause harm to humans and animals”.
Therefore my questions are:
  • Option 2 and Option 3  have the same surface area calculation method. The difference is that in the explanation of Option 2, it is not clearly specified to exclude windows and hazardous materials,  but in the example table 2, the calculation is performed excluding them. I would therefore like to know whether windows and hazardous materials must be excluded for Option 2 in exactly the same way as for Option 3;
     
  • Is the removal of the surfaces affected by mould and fungi excluded from the calculation of the demolished surface
     
  • Does the 25% demolition surface limit apply to each individual layer that makes up the assembly (e.g. interior finishing, structure and exterior finishing) or should it be applied to the single whole element (e.g. exterior walls) ?
Thanks in advance Have a good day!   Filippo
Profile picture for user sarah.buffaloe
Sarah Buffaloe
Associate, Built Ecology
WSP USA
LEEDuser Expert
6 thumbs up

Thu, 08/25/2022 - 18:03

Hello Filippo. Yes, portions of the building deemed hazardous from mold and fungi growth are excluded from the calculations, both the numerator and denominator. I would advice keeping a record of these materials as hazardous in either pictures or a letter from the profesional hygienist that eveluated the builing just in case GBCI asks for it. Since the infected materials are excluded from the calcualtion they do not apply to the 25% limit. For the 25% limit the credit langageu says "building area" which I interpret to mean you may count each individual layer (up to 3) OR a whole assembly.  

Fri, 08/26/2022 - 08:35

Thank you!
I also consider it appropriate to keep track of measurements.
In my opinion, "building area" referes to the whole assembly but this shouldn't be a problem. Once again thank you for your suggestions! Have a good day  

Tue, 09/27/2022 - 16:33

Maybe this is a banal question, but I have to ask for clarification on the determination of the reusable area,  The LEED description says "surface area of the structure and building enclosure", therefore do I have to count structural internal walls as well ?  

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