You won’t find it in the credit requirements, but the best strategy here is to limit the amount of hardscape and number of parking spaces provided in the first place. This not only reduces the hardscape square footage you must treat with light-colored paving, shading, open-grid paving, or covering, it can also help you earn:
Define your project’s LEED boundary, and ensure that it is consistent across all credits pursued by your project. The LEED boundary defines the scope of work, and must include any land that will be disturbed and or used by your project.
Examine existing conditions to help guide site plan development. Does your existing site have shading from trees, covered parking, or light-colored hardscape? Are there ways to minimize your project site’s hardscape and parking areas (including gravel, which is considered hardscape)?
This credit is fairly straightforward to achieve: You may comply by applying prescriptive design measures outlined by LEED to 50% of your project site’s hardscape or by covering 50% of your project's parking spaces.
Not more than four RP points can be earned, even if you earn all six RP credits. However, it makes sense to aggressively pursue as many RP credits as possible, in case a credit becomes unattainable during the design and construction process or one of your RP submittals is denied during certification review. Doing so also supports the environmental priorities of your region.
You won’t find it in the credit requirements, but the best strategy here is to limit the amount of hardscape and number of parking spaces provided in the first place. This not only reduces the hardscape square footage you must treat with light-colored paving, shading, open-grid paving, or covering, it can also help you earn:
If you need to modify existing hardscapes to meet the prescriptive goals of the credit, you can face added costs.