Are you struggling with your LEED v4 project? It’s not just you! USGBC has heard from LEED users, seen the light, and made adjustments. In case you missed it, on January 21, 2018, USGBC released the LEED v4.1 beta versions of BD+C, ID+C, O+M, Residential, and Cities & Communities rating systems.
While a new version of anything usually sounds scary, the idea of LEED v4.1 is to improve upon the LEED v4 rating systems. USGBC has added clarification in LEED v4.1 to help teams implement new LEED credits, and also modified thresholds and requirements to ensure that these credits are realistically achievable. Your Lorax Project Managers reviewed the LEED BD+C v4.1 changes, and we have some thoughts.
Overall, there are some great revisions to LEED v4.1 — credits have become more achievable, the credit language is more applicable to the realities of the commercial real estate industry, and the market is catching up. Any registered LEED v4 projects now have the option to substitute v4.1 credits/ prerequisites in lieu of v4 credits/ prerequisites as the team sees fit. This option allows teams to hand-pick the LEED v4.1 credits that are most beneficial to the project, resulting in higher levels of achievement. At Lorax, we have curated a list of the most beneficial substitutions, and the strategy towards the highest levels of LEED achievement. Projects also have the option to register under LEED v4.1 or upgrade their v4 registration to v4.1 if they so choose.
Many of the more significant changes are applicable to Core and Shell and Warehouse projects, but there are more general changes for all BD+C rating systems as well. There have also been some changes to requirements for Tenant Lease Agreements for Core and Shell projects.
What got easier?
- Location and Transportation Credits – Intermediary thresholds for public transit, revised distance requirements for bicycle facilities, and new parking options make incorporating these credits into your design more flexible and are applicable to more project types and locations.
- Rainwater management – Lowered thresholds will allow for more sites with comprehensive rainwater management practices to demonstrate compliance. Teams can also now consider grey infrastructure strategies (traditional stormwater storage tanks and retention ponds) if they are implemented in coordination with a holistic Low Impact Development (LID) system to reach their stormwater management goals.
- Water Use Reduction – Some points for Core and Shell projects redistributed from Indoor Water Use Reduction to Outdoor Water Use Reduction and Cooling Tower Water Use to better reflect the scope of typical Core and Shell projects.
- BPDO Credits: EPDs and Materials Ingredients – Third Party Certified product disclosures are now given additional weight allowing you to reach your material goals faster with better products. To accommodate projects lacking diversity of materials, thresholds have been lowered for Core and Shell, Commercial Interior, and Warehouse projects.
- Construction Waste Management – Additional compliance paths have been added to more readily take credit for projects using commingled recycling
- Low Emitting – The point thresholds for the number of required compliant product categories has been lowered. To make the credit even more adaptable, compliance thresholds within product categories have been lowered on a product by product basis, and more product categories are now available to reach your goals.
What got harder?
- Energy and Ventilation Standards – LEED v4.1 has made the leap! All ASHRAE standards referenced in energy and ventilation credits have upgraded from ASHRAE 2010 to ASHRAE 2016
- Energy Performance – Energy performance no longer relies just on your energy cost savings. While still taken into account for half of the credit, the other half of the available 18 points will now come from demonstrating a percent reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions according to your Performance Cost Index (PCI). Depending on your local utility energy grid source mix, this could be helpful or hurtful.
Call your Lorax PM today to see how LEED v4.1 can help your projects! Contact us here!