Research specific products and incorporate rapidly renewable product requirements into individual construction specifications.
Request that manufacturers provide assembly information broken down by weight.
The cost value for the LEED calculation is determined by weight as a percentage of the total. For example, if a $100 piece of casework is 20% by weight rapidly renewable agrifiber, and 80% by weight marble countertop, only $20 (the 20% that the renewable agrifiber represents) would contribute toward earning MRc6.
When a single product is made of multiple materials that are a combination of rapidly renewable and nonrenewable materials, use the following special considerations.
Assemblies
Research products and look at product cut sheets and manufacturing data to see if a product contains rapidly renewable material content.
A single product or material can contribute to multiple credits. For example, an agrifiber-core door made within 500 miles contributes to MRc6 as well as MRc5. Focusing on products and materials with multiple environmental attributes also can limit the overall number of items that must be tracked.
For some CI projects, like high-end offices, furniture costs can be equal to or greater than costs for building materials. Make sure to choose furniture that helps the project gain multiple MR points (for example, furniture that is made of locally harvested and rapidly renewable materials).
Focus on a few expensive items that may represent enough value to earn the credit. This approach allows you to Iimit the overall number of items you need to track and document, reducing contractor headaches. If big-ticket items are not enough, target medium-priced items next, until you reach your goal.
Use your estimated budget as a guide throughout the project. Many projects fail to earn this credit because they wait until all the materials have been purchased before calculating whether there are enough rapidly renewable materials to gain the LEED credit.