leed certification policy manual new construction

leed certification policy manual new construction

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leed certification policy manual new constructionDownload Format: PDF Share on This manual contains important information regarding the LEED certification program including the current policies, procedures and pricing established by GBCI for the purposes of administering this program. In early 2009, GBCI assumed responsibility for administering the LEED certification program previously administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC ). 1.2 LEED Certification Program: The LEED certification program is a comprehensive third party review process designed to allow owners of eligible projects to apply for, and potentially achieve, LEED certification. LEED certification is an official recognition that a project complies with the requirements prescribed within the LEED Green Building Rating Systems and the LEED Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) as created and maintained by USGBC. 1.3 LEED Certification Policy Manual: This LEED Certification Policy Manual identifies the program requirements and policies put in place by GBCI for the purposes of administering the LEED certification program. These policies and procedures are represented in the General Policies section of this Policy Manual. In addition to these General Policies, GBCI maintains additional and alternative policies that apply in the event LEED certification is sought in accordance with certain rating systems or through participation in certain specialized certification programs. These additional and alternative policies are represented in the sections of this manual titled Rating System-Specific Appendices and Program- Specific Appendices. 2.2 Effect of Program-Specific and Rating System-Specific Policies: The General Policies section of this manual is applicable to all projects. The Rating System-Specific and Program-Specific Appendices are only applicable to project teams seeking to certify under the corresponding rating system or participating in the corresponding certification program.

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In some instances, policies set forth in the different sections and appendices of this manual may be in conflict with one another. Such conflict is unavoidable given the nuances of the different rating systems and certification programs administered by GBCI. GBCI has established the following order of precedence for policies in this manual where conflict occurs: i) General Policies are superseded by Rating System-Specific Policies; and ii) General Policies and Rating System-Specific Policies are both superseded by the Program-Specific Policies. An illustration and example are provided below for clarity: General Policies Rating System Specific Policies Program Specific Policies Copyright GBCI January 1, P age GBCI requires projects certifying to these rating systems to demonstrate compliance with the MPRs. The complete text of the MPRs can be found via the USGBC website. LEED 2009 for Neighborhood Development Rating System-Specific Policy: ND 5.1 Minimum Program Requirements: The Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) referenced in Section 5.1 through 5.4 of the General Policies do not pertain to projects registered under the LEED 2009 for Neighborhood Development rating system. In this instance, the General Policy pertaining to the MPRs conflicts with the Rating-System Specific Policy for project teams seeking certification under the LEED 2009 for Neighborhood Development rating system. Because there is a conflict between these two policies, the Rating System-Specific Policy supersedes the General Policy. If such an event occurs, when appropriate and safe to do so, project teams may contact GBCI with details regarding their specific situations. GBCI will evaluate such requests on a case-by-case basis. GBCI will endeavor to allow project teams the additional time necessary to complete their LEED certification. GBCI will publish all current fees in revisions to the pricing appendices included in this document. In all cases, when fees are incurred, project teams are responsible for the then-current fees. Changes to fees will not apply retroactively; meaning, if a project team has incurred and already paid a particular fee associated with some aspect of the LEED certification program, the project team will not be required to pay the difference between the fee amount already paid and the subsequently published fee. 4. LEED GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEMS 4.1 Overview: GBCI s certification program is currently limited to the LEED Green Building Rating Systems. LEED consists of a set of criteria designed to quantitatively evaluate the environmental impact of buildings, interiors and neighborhoods. 4.2 Diverse Applicability of LEED: LEED consists of several different rating systems. Each rating system is tailored to a specific sector of the building and development industry. 4.3 Rating Systems: The following consists of a list of rating systems available under GBCI s certification program. Complete rating system text can be found in LEED Online and via the USGBC website. The term prerequisite refers to a mandatory project characteristic, measurement, quality, value, or function as identified within a particular rating system. Prerequisites represent the key criteria for green buildings, interiors and neighborhoods. Each project must satisfy all specified prerequisites outlined in the rating system under which it is registered. Failure to meet any prerequisite will render a project ineligible for certification Credits: Each project must satisfy a combination of credits to achieve the desired level of certification. The term credit means a project characteristic, measurement, quality, value, or function as identified within a particular rating system. Each credit is associated with a specific number of points.http://dev.pb-adcon.de/node/17214 Projects must be awarded a minimum number of points outlined in the rating system under which it is registered to achieve a particular level of certification, such as LEED Certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, or LEED Platinum. GBCI will review each submitted project application in accordance with the version of the rating system that was in place at the time such project was registered. Project teams may elect to pursue certification by demonstrating compliance with credit and prerequisite requirements that have been revised since the time such project was registered. Such substitutions may only include revised requirements from the same rating system. Such closure will generally occur concurrently with the release of a new rating system. The closure of registration for a rating system means that no new projects may register under that rating system. The closure of registration is effective immediately upon the announcement of the same by GBCI. 4.7 Impact of Rating System Closure on Projects Already Registered: Closure of registration shall not immediately impact the status of registered projects. Similarly, if a project team has initiated the registration process but is awaiting the clearance of payment at the time rating system closure occurs, such project shall appear in LEED Online as active projects once payment has cleared. Projects that are registered under a rating system that is subject to closure will be allowed to proceed through the LEED Copyright GBCI January 1, P age GBCI requires projects certifying to these rating systems to demonstrate compliance with the MPRs. The complete text of the MPRs can be found via the USGBC website. 5.2 Minimum Program Requirements: Supplemental Guidance: USGBC maintains Supplemental Guidance which provides additional information about the MPRs. This additional information includes: i. the intent of each MPR; ii.Project teams must demonstrate compliance with the versions of the MPRs and Supplemental Guidance that were in place at the time their project was registered. These guides provide supplementary information for all LEED rating system requirements, including, and not limited to, criteria related to exemplary performance points, the intent behind the LEED rating system requirements, as well as suggested strategies to implement sustainable building practices that will satisfy the same. Further, in some cases, these guides identify documentation requirements necessary to complete a LEED certification application. GBCI requires compliance with the version of the reference guide, including all published addenda, that was in place at the time of project registration. Project teams may voluntarily elect to pursue certification by demonstrating compliance with a revised version of the reference guide rather than the version that existed at the time such project was registered. 6.3 Procurement of Reference Guides: LEED reference guides are available for purchase from the USGBC website. Copyright GBCI January 1, P age These Forms collectively make up the LEED certification application. Each Form has been specifically designed to collect the information necessary to evaluate a project. The associated Form(s) must be completed in order to demonstrate satisfaction of a particular prerequisite, credit or MPR. Prior to submitting an application for review, project teams will have the opportunity to upgrade to the most current version of each Form. The Help section of LEED Online contains additional information on how to upgrade to an updated Form. 7.6 Form Errors: GBCI recognizes that Forms may contain calculation or functionality errors that could potentially cause a form to misrepresent compliance or non-compliance with a prerequisite, credit or MPR. Regardless of any error in the forms, each project must demonstrate compliance with the underlying requirements of the applicable rating system, reference guide and MPRs. To complete this process a user must access LEED Online, enter information in the site-user registration forms, and accept the current LEED Online Terms and Conditions for Use. By creating a site-user account, each person within LEED Online can be identified and thereby be selected to work on the submittals for a particular project, as well as be identified and assigned to complete specific tasks or submittals for a particular credit, prerequisite, or MPR within the LEED certification application. 8.2 Site-User Information: Each user of LEED Online must provide his or her personal identifying information including name, address, affiliation, and contact information. Copyright GBCI January 1, P age Site-users should never share passwords. It is the site-user s responsibility to maintain the confidentiality and security of their login credentials. Passwords may be changed at any time within LEED Online from the Your Account page. To view or download this document, please visit the Your Account page within LEED Online. 9. PROJECT REGISTRATION 9.1 Project Registration: In order to participate in the LEED certification process a project team must first register a project with GBCI. Registration is the process whereby project teams establish a new project in LEED Online and are provided access to a LEED certification application. GBCI offers registration for all active rating systems as indicated in Section 4. LEED Green Building Rating Systems of this manual. 9.2 Registration Process: All projects must use the online registration function within LEED Online. The registration process includes entering project identifying information, accepting the LEED Project Registration Agreement, and remitting the applicable project registration fee Rating System Selection: During the registration process, project teams must choose the rating system most appropriate for their project. It is important that project teams choose the correct rating system to ensure alignment between such project s characteristics and the rating system s requirements. There are many tools available to assist with this decision including: i) guidance and information within the rating systems; ii) the Rating System Selector tool available within LEED Online; and iii) guidance and information within the reference guides. 9.3 Project Administrator: The individual who initially registers the project will be identified by GBCI as the project administrator. The project administrator is provided the authority to select members of the project team and to delegate certain tasks to individual team members. The project administrator may be substituted at any time. 9.4 Resources Available: After the registration process is complete, the project administrator will be provided full access to the LEED Certification Application within LEED Online for the particular project type that is registered. The tools and resources available within a particular application will vary depending on which rating system is selected and which program the project team is participating in. For more information, please review the registration sections of the Rating System-Specific and Program-Specific Appendices. 9.5 Project Registration Fees: The project registration fee is a flat fee due upon registration. Such fees vary across the different rating systems and certification programs. The current registration fees are listed in the Pricing Appendices of this manual. Fees may be remitted to GBCI by credit card at the time of registration or by check; however, GBCI will not fully process the registration for any project until payment has been received in full. If payment is not received within 30 days after a project is registered, such registration may be canceled at the discretion of GBCI. Copyright GBCI January 1, P age The Formal Inquiry process is designed to mitigate these challenges. Through this process, project teams can obtain information regarding how rating system requirements and MPRs are interpreted by GBCI as it pertains to their specific project or portfolio of projects. Project teams may elect that their formal inquiry be considered as project-specific (Project CIR), or as a precedent-setting ruling (LEED Interpretation.) All Formal Inquiries are first subject to the Project CIR process, regardless of any election by the project team for consideration as a LEED Interpretation. At the time of submittal, the project team may elect to have their formal inquiry also considered as a LEED Interpretation Project Credit Interpretation Ruling (Project CIR): The Project CIR program is administered by GBCI. Project CIRs provide answers to technical inquiries about applying LEED in situations not already addressed by the rating systems, reference guides and MPRs. Project CIRs will only apply to the specific project for which the Formal Inquiry was submitted. Accordingly, the Project CIR will not be precedent-setting and will not automatically carry forth and apply to other projects submitted by the same or any other project team LEED Interpretations: The LEED Interpretations program is administered by USGBC. This program is designed to provide feedback to project teams in the form of official addenda. Like Project CIRs, LEED Interpretations provide answers to technical inquiries about applying LEED in situations not already addressed by the rating systems, reference guides and MPRs. LEED Interpretations differ from Project CIRs in that, as USGBC issued addenda, these rulings are precedent-setting and applicable to all projects registered in the future. The submission process will be undertaken for all Formal Inquiries as follows: Submission of a Formal Inquiry for Registered Projects To submit a Formal Inquiry for the purposes of obtaining a Project CIR or LEED Interpretation for projects registered under a LEED 2009 rating system, project teams must log into LEED Online v3 and complete a Formal Inquiry submittal form. This form is accessible from the Projects tab in LEED Online. To submit a Formal Inquiry for the purposes of obtaining a Project CIR or LEED Interpretation for projects registered under a Pre-LEED 2009 rating system, project teams must log into LEED Online v2 and complete a Formal Inquiry submittal form. This form is accessible within a specific project in LEED Online, under the Formal Inquires tab. The option to submit a Formal Inquiry for consideration as a LEED Interpretation is available on the Formal Inquiry form in LEED Online. Formal Inquiries may not be submitted for a project that has completed the certification review process. Submission of Formal Inquiry without a Registered Project Formal Inquiries can also be submitted before a project is registered. To submit a Formal Inquiry without a registered project, please access the Formal Inquiry form located at Formal Inquiries submitted before a project is registered are limited to the LEED 2009 rating systems and can only be submitted in relation to Copyright GBCI January 1, P age At this time, there is no process to submit a Formal Inquiry regarding LEED 2009 rating system credits until the project is registered. The option to submit a Formal Inquiry for consideration as a LEED Interpretation is available on the Formal Inquiry form in LEED Online Formal Inquiry Format: Each Formal Inquiry request must pertain to no more than one credit, prerequisite, or MPR. When submitting a Formal Inquiry, the project team must provide a brief but clear description of the challenge or question encountered. The request must include a reference to the particular credit, prerequisite, or MPR in question. Only the specific inquiry and the essential background information necessary to generate a ruling should be provided. The project team should offer potential solutions or a proposed interpretation emphasizing the intent of the credit, prerequisite, or MPR. Formal Inquiries must be submitted in English and contain no more than 600 words or alternatively 5000 characters including spaces. Formal Inquiries must be submitted through LEED Online. Drawings, plans, or specifications may not be included with a request Formal Inquiry Review Process: All Formal Inquiries are first subject to the Project CIR process, regardless of any election by the project team for consideration as a LEED Interpretation. The review process for each is as follows: Project CIR Review Process: Upon receiving a Formal Inquiry, GBCI will begin its review process for the purposes of rendering a Project CIR. GBCI endeavors to deliver each Project CIR within twenty (20) business days of receipt of a Project CIR request and processing of the associated Fee. In select cases, a revision to a Project CIR is required to clarify the ruling. GBCI reserves the right to revise any Project CIR prior to the submission of the project application for final construction or final combined review LEED Interpretations Review Process: When a project team indicates they want to also submit their inquiry as a LEED Interpretation request, at the conclusion of GBCI s Project CIR process, GBCI will forward the project team s initial inquiry and GBCI s ruling to USGBC. The inquiry and ruling will be forwarded to USGBC at the same time that GBCI forwards the completed Project CIR to the project team. The project team cannot add additional information or documentation for the purposes of the LEED Interpretation review. Please Note: 1. The LEED Interpretation process is not undertaken by GBCI. GBCI makes no representations as to the duration or quality of any LEED Interpretation performed by USGBC. GBCI bares no responsibility or liability for any damages or losses related to or resulting from the LEED Interpretations review process. 2. USGBC intends to publish each LEED Interpretation, including the initial inquiries submitted by project teams. By requesting that a Formal Inquiry be submitted to USGBC as a LEED Interpretation, project teams thereby grant USGBC permission to publish this information to the general public. For more information regarding the LEED Interpretations processes, including timelines, please refer to USGBC s program guidance document: LEED Interpretations Guidance, available at the USGBC website Applicability of Project CIRs: Upon submitting a project application to GBCI for review, the project team may elect to satisfy the credit, prerequisite or MPR as it has been interpreted in a Project CIR or, the project team may demonstrate compliance with the requirement as it is written in the rating system or MPRs. Project CIRs do not in any way guarantee that a prerequisite, credit or MPR has been achieved or that it will be satisfied. Rather, a Project CIR provides an interpretation of a LEED Copyright GBCI January 1, P age If a project team elects to submit under a prerequisite, credit or MPR as interpreted in a Project CIR, The project applicant must demonstrate satisfaction of the criteria articulated in the Project CIR via thorough documentation in the project application. Project applications must include both the Project CIR request and the Project CIR in order to ensure that the ruling is applied during a review. Specifically, the project teams should reference the Project CIR within the documentation for the requirement in question. If a Project CIR is revised, the project applicant must demonstrate satisfaction of the criteria articulated in the revised Project CIR rather than the initial Project CIR. If a Project CIR revision is release after a review of the credit, prerequisite or MPR has been reviewed, the original Project CIR may be used throughout the remainder of the certification project for that particular credit. Following the release of a Project CIR revision, the project team may still elect to satisfy the requirement as it is written in the rating system or MPRs. All Project CIRs are project specific; meaning, a Project CIR only applies to the project under which it was submitted. Accordingly, the Project CIR will not be precedent-setting and will not automatically carry forth and apply to other projects submitted by the same or any other project team. All previously public and precedent-setting CIRs which pertained to pre-leed 2009 rating systems are now included as LEED Interpretations. If a project team elects to submit a Formal Inquiry before registering a project, the corresponding Project CIR can only be applied to a single project that is subsequently registered. In order to have a Project CIR attached to a registered project, please contact GBCI customer service via the contact form, available at Applicability of LEED Interpretations: LEED Interpretations do not in any way guarantee that a prerequisite, credit or MPR will be satisfied or has been achieved. Rather, LEED Interpretations provide official interpretations of LEED requirements by USGBC which future projects will be reviewed against. As in the case with all addenda, all projects registered after the release of a LEED Interpretation must comply with such addenda. Projects registered before a LEED Interpretation is published may elect to follow the addenda. Project teams electing to follow such addenda must reference the same within their project application s documentation. It may be the case that a LEED Interpretation contradicts a Project CIR. If this occurs, the project team may apply either ruling Appeals: Both Project CIRs and Formal Inquiries may be appealed by the project team upon issuance of the ruling Project CIR Appeals: The process to appeal a Project CIR is the same as the process to submit a new one, including the submission of the Project CIR fee LEED Interpretation Appeals: Currently, LEED Interpretation appeals may be made at no additional cost to the project team. Project teams are to use the version of LEED Online in which the issue was originally submitted to appeal their LEED Interpretation Fees: The fees related to Formal Inquiries are flat fees that must be remitted for each Formal Inquiry submitted by a project team. Project teams will only incur these fees in the event they elect to submit a Formal Inquiry. The current fee to submit a Project CIR request is standard across all rating systems. Fees must be remitted to GBCI by credit card at the time the Formal Inquiry is submitted, or by check Project CIR Fees: GBCI shall not deliver a Project CIR until payment has been received in full and processed. If payment is not received within 30 days after a submission of a Formal Copyright GBCI January 1, P age The current fee to submit a Formal Inquiry for the purposes of obtaining a Project CIR request is identified in the Pricing Appendices to this manual. Please note: the fee to submit a Project CIR appeal is the same as the fee to submit an initial Project CIR request LEED Interpretations Fees: All fees collected with regard to the LEED Interpretations program are forwarded to USGBC. This fee is imposed over-and-above the Project CIR fee. Project teams only incur a LEED Interpretation fee in the event they elect to participate in the program. Fees must be remitted to GBCI by credit card at the time a CIR Request is submitted, or by check. If funds are not received within 30 days, GBCI will cancel the Project Team s request for a LEED Interpretation and not forward any materials to USGBC at the conclusion of its review. If a Project CIR request is determined to be submitted in the incorrect format for review, GBCI or USGBC will return any fees provided in relation to the associated LEED Interpretation request. Please reference the Pricing Appendices of this Policy Manual for the current LEED Interpretation fee. 11. DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS 11.1 LEED Certification Application Documentation Requirements: The LEED certification program is a documentation-based verification program. Each LEED rating system and version thereof consists of unique documentation requirements to complete a LEED certification application. Within the LEED certification application, a series of required documents, attestations, data, or other information must be indicated in order to demonstrate the satisfaction of each MPR, prerequisite, and attempted credit. Specific documentation requirements vary across the different rating systems; though, usually consist of forms, calculations, narratives, maps, drawings, specifications, and other related media (collectively, documentation ). Please refer to the rating system-specific and program-specific appendices of this manual for more detailed information regarding the documentation process Language and Measurement Requirements: Unless otherwise indicated in the rating systemspecific or program-specific appendices, all documentation submitted to GBCI must be written in the English language. All units of measurement must be Imperial Units Classified Information and Export Controls: GBCI does not wish to receive classified information through LEED Online. Any information or material sent through LEED Online will be deemed not to be classified. Project teams shall not submit narratives in excess of 1500 words. The LEED documentation forms provide adequate space for narrative descriptions. In the alternative, a project team may include each narrative as a separate document within an application. If a project team elects to attach a document containing a narrative rather than enter it in the designated location on the form, the project team must type: See Attached Documentation, in the applicable narrative box. In the event that the project team uploads a narrative as a separate document, the narrative shall not be in excess of 1500 words. Where appropriate, narratives may be submitted in list or outline form. Copyright GBCI January 1, P age Project teams shall fully comply with the guidance provided in each form to the best of their ability. Where directed, project teams shall provide the following information: who on the project team is involved, when and where the activities occurred, what strategies were employed, and how these strategies meet the intent or requirements of the submittal path. In addition, project teams shall provide a description of unique circumstances, if any exist, that warrant the attention of the GBCI review team Attestations: In addition to the documentation necessary to complete a LEED certification application, some Forms may require a separate validation of the submitted documentation by a specific project team member referred to as a Required Signatory. In some other sections, project teams may alternatively provide an attestation by a member of the project team who holds a specific license, a licensed professional, rather than submit the indicated documentation Required Signatories: Some elements of LEED documentation require validation by a Required Signatory. These sections of the application must be completed by a particular project team member. In such cases, the specified project team member must possess a particular degree of technical proficiency or declaratory authority.