I understand that definitions of defined terms are being moved to the reference guide. Therefore it becomes extremely important that defined terms be clearly identified in the credit language text so the user knows to look them up in the reference guide. This is especially important for terms that are unique to LEED such as “lighting boundary”.
For example, in building codes, any term that is defined in the definitions section is always italicized when it occurs in the text. This tells the reader that the term is a defined term and they should look it up in the definition section of the code.
Emily Purcell
Sustainable Design LeadCannonDesign
LEEDuser Expert
371 thumbs up
October 22, 2024 - 10:00 am
Agreed and I also feel it is important that all credit requirements show up in the credit language, not in definitions or elsewhere in the reference guide. For example, in v4 the requirement to cover bike parking is not in the credit language, it is in the definition of "long term bike parking." As another example, LEED reviews are requiring field water testing for envelope commissioning, which is not referenced in the credit language but in a reference guide sentence recommending that users refer to an annex of the referenced NIBS guideline. When key credit requirements are not clearly stated in the credit language, they are very easy to miss or misinterpret as optional.