I am a LEED AP in the Initial Reporting Period for a BD&C (Building Design and Construction) specialty designation, attempting to complete the CMP requirements from abroad. I will try to focus the blog on issues that arise in GBCI's LEED Professional Credentialing Maintenance Program, my suggestions for continuing education courses, LEED v3 updates, and issues with being an international LEED AP.

Please visit Emu Architects' website and blog for more information about sustainable architecture.

(updated 03 December 2009)

Emu Architects | review of LEED Italia presentation

This is a shared post from: LEED, Itaca, Casa Clima Conference by Aghape

translated from the following article on our Italian blog, written by Enrico Bonilauri: Convegno LEED, Itaca, CasaClima di Aghape

We recently took part in the LEED, CASACLIMA, ITACA conference, organized by Aghape last Thursday, September 16th in Castel San Pietro Terme (Bologna). Entry ticket: € 30,00 + VAT per person.

It seems as though this would have been an event not to miss. The organizer sold it as a “workshop and round table” featuring all major companies that certify sustainable architectural design in Italy today. It was going to be the first event of this kind ever organized in our country, bringing together all the institutions that want to guarantee quality in design and construction. It would have been a chance to finally send a well-defined message to the building industry and to the market, now that everything seems to be flooded with green wash. This event could have given a steady signal where the central national government is totally missing.

GBC Italia | introducing LEED Italia

As of April 14th, it will be official – LEED Italia will be launched at the Teatro Sociale in Trento at 9:30am. Entrance is free, but there is limited seating – so arrive early. See you there!

Invitation to LEED Italia Launch

CMP | Which category does my CMP course fit into?

Following the instructions about how to report your CMP hours and actually doing may be two separate things.

I’m about to report my first extended education experience, so I thought I would bring you along with me to see the decisions that need to be made. The course I recently participated in was a two-day (16 hours total) intensive workshop on everything to do with vegetated roofs or ‘green roofs’. I took this course through an Italian company that, of course, is not ERB approved and is located in Bolzano. We covered everything from construction specifications to plant selections and water management, each subject presented by a different professional.

So, where does this course fall in the list of categories for BD&C? And how much of my 16 hours do I report?

STEP 1 | Determine what type of activity or method of delivery my CE hours fall under.

Since my course was not ERB approved, nor was it conducted through an accredited University or College, it must fall under ‘Section 2: Live Presentations’.

STEP 2 | Note the limitations of the chosen method of delivery.

Live presentations must be between 50 and 90 minutes in length. I’m assuming this means you can only report up to 90 minutes in length for each individual presentation, not that if you attend something longer you must leave the room at 90 minutes! This limitation of 90 minutes does not make a lot of sense, however, since in the GBCI’s own example “a 120 minute program earns 2 hours”. I will try to report the full length of each presentation and see how it goes.

I can report 1 CE hour for the first hour of the presentation, and then 0.5 CE hours for every full half of one activity hour (30 minutes).

CE hours earned under this method may not exceed 5 hours per reporting period. Meaning there is no way that my 16 hours will count. So I should select 5 hours of presentations in categories that I need (which at the moment is all of them!). But this is important to remember near the end of my reporting period in case substituting the presentation in water management for the presentation on plant selection helps me reach my category minimums.

STEP 3 | Verifying my documentation.

I have no idea what the statistics are for the likelihood of being audited, but I’d rather be ready than scramble to assemble the appropriate documents later. Therefore I am going to use the GBCI-issued form titled ‘Activity Validation Form: Live Presentations’ to help me record exactly what happened.

GBCI | Activity Validation Form: Live Presentations

I’m just filling it out minimally in order to remember the bare bones. I also have a folder where I save all the PDF’s of everything I was given during the presentation and my notes. This way, if I happen to get audited, I can translate from Italian on an as-needed basis.

STEP 4 | Reporting the hours.

My question, since this is my first time, is whether I can report all of my CE hours and hope that GBCI works out my minimums from that… or is I need to keep track of everything and only report the end result minimums.

For this reason, I’m only submitting the information from one of the presentations. Once I get a feel for what it looks like I will update this post accordingly. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: thanks to reader, Maria, I’ve decided to just report all the hours of everything I did. Maria said they audit somewhere around 5-7%, and it’s better to have a whole bunch of stuff reported in case they reject things. Thanks, Maria!

GBC Italia | good news for Italian LEED AP’s

I just received an email today from GBCI Italia that reads as follows (for those of you who don’t speak Italian, please scroll down):

Ritenendo la cosa utile,

GBC Italia intende informarla che nel caso in cui abbiate già fatto il passaggio da LEED AP NC2.2 a le nuove credenziali LEED AP 2009 (BD&C, ID&C….), (vedi sito www.gbci.org per maggiori informazioni),

tale passaggio implica il mantenimento delle credenziali mezzo 30 ore di formazione biennali da riportare nel proprio profilo (my credential sul sito di gbci.org).
Il non aderire al sistema 2009 e il non completare il CMP entro il 2 agosto 2011, implica la necessità di dover risuperare l’esame per continuare ad esercitare attività di LEED AP.

Nello specifico, questo programma di continuo aggiornamento prende il nome di Credential Maintenance Program (CMP) http://www.gbci.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=3665 8 (link di riferimento)

A tal proposito informiamo che, durante il primo semestre 2009, vi sarà la possibilità di ottenere fino a 14 delle 30 ore richieste frequentando i corsi che GBC Italia ha organizzato assieme a US GBC.

I corsi si svolgeranno a Trento (30 – 31 Marzo 2010) e a Verona (6 – 7 Maggio 2010) http://www.gbcitalia.org/index.php/primo-semestre

sono validi al fine di completare il CMP e valgono 7 ore ciascuno.(Le giornate di Trento e di Verona si equivalgono e non sono cumulabili !)

Rimanendo a disposizione per ulteriori chiarimenti ed informazioni,

con l’occasione si porgono i più cordiali saluti.

Elisa Dall’Agnol

–
Ufficio Formazione
GBC Italia

Basically, it says that GBC Italia (which has just started up rather recently and is still going through the formation process) will be informed of all LEED AP’s in Italy who have registered for prescriptive credentialing in a specialty under the new version of LEED. They are giving notice that LEED AP’s in Italy need to complete all 30 required hours of continuing education prior to

AUGUST 2, 2011

in order to continue under the LEED Italia system. If you fail to do this, you will need to take the exam again. They then go on to announce that there will be opportunities in the first half of 2009, which is probably supposed to be 2010, to obtain 14 of your 30 hours IN ITALY !!! The somewhat confusing list of courses available here in Italy are posted on the GBC Italia website in a characteristically Italian manner. It looks like you must purchase ‘vouchers’ (at €300 for members and €400 for non-members) in order to attend the conferences. And it seems (although it’s a bit confusing) that there will also be seminars available that are more specific to LEED Italia.

definition | ‘LEED-Specific Hours’

According to GBCI:

All LEED-specific continuing education must be approved and designated as LEED-specific by an ERB or GBCI and meet one or more of the following criteria:

be process-related to LEED.
be credit and/or category related, such as dealing with requirements, intents, or version comparisons.
be a LEED update (in-depth, technical).
be an in-depth LEED project case study targeted toward one specific LEED credit.
show a best practice lesson which entails successful or unsuccesful implementation of LEED, such as:- examples of LEED implementation that have resulted in failure and should be avoided,
- implementing LEED while maintaining compliance with local codes and regulations,
- successfully implementing LEED using innovation as a tool to guide the project.

show benefits of using LEED (ROI, grants, taxes, incentives).

For the LEED AP credential, the six LEED-specific hours must directly relate to the LEED AP’s specialty designation.

I’ll just repeat that for emphasis: you must have 6 LEED-specific hours directly related to your specialty designation.

Then, GBCI adds this little bit to confuse you:

CE hours that conform to the above definition of LEED-specific. Three of the LEED Green Associate’s 15 CE hours must be LEED-specific hours. Six of the LEED AP’s 30 CE hours must be LEED-specific. (For the LEED AP credential, the LEED-specific hours must directly relate to the LEED AP’s specialty designation.)
LEED-specific professional development courses, self-study programs, and college and university courses are designated by the ERBs; with the exception of LEED-specific hours earned through authorship or LEED project participation, only activities designated as LEED specific by an ERB can count toward the above requirements. The above requirements are minimums; all of the required CE hours for LEED Green Associates and LEED APs can be earned in LEED-specific hours.definition

definition | ‘General Green Building Hours’

According to GBCI:

CE hours that are applicable for continuing education credit but are not LEED-specific because they are related to green building in general but not related to the USGBC’s LEED Rating systems. LEED Green Associates can earn up to 12 CE hours in general green building hours. LEED APs can earn up to 24 CE hours in general green building hours.

This is important to note, and it doesn’t say this in very many places, but I’ll say it again:

A LEED AP may not go over 24 hours of non-LEED-specific hours.

CMP | list of categories and minimum hours for LEED AP’s in BD&C

I. Project Site Factors | 4 CE hours required

A. Considerations for Site Selection

1. Land Issues
2. Plants and Animals

B. Community Connectivity

1. Services

C. Development

1. Building and Land
2. Lighting

D. Climate Conditions

II. Water Management | 3 CE hours required

A. Water Treatment
B. Stormwater
C. Irrigation Demand

III. Project Systems and Energy Impacts | 6 CE hours required

A. Energy Performance Policies
B. Energy Performance Measurement
C. Building Components
D. On-Site Renewable Energy
E. Third-Party Relationships

1. Requirements

F. Energy Tradeoffs
G. Sources

IV. Acquisition, Installation, and Management of Project Materials | 3 CE hours required

A. Building Reuse
B. Rapidly Renewable Materials
C. Material Acquisition

V. Improvements to the Indoor Environment | 5 CE hours required

A. Ventilation
B. Tobacco Smoke Control
C. Indoor Air Quality

1. Pre-Construction
2. During Construction
3. Before Occupancy
4. During Occupancy

D. Low-Emitting Materials
E. Indoor/Outdoor Chemical and Pollutant Control
F. Lighting Controls
G. Thermal Controls
H. Views
I. Types of Building Spaces

VI. Stakeholder Involvement in Innovation | 2 CE hours required

A. Design Workshop/Charrette
B. Ways to Earn Credit
C. Education of a Building Manager

VII. Project Surroundings and Public Outreach | 1 CE hour required

A. Infrastructure
B. Zoning Requirements
C. Government Planning Agencies
D. Reduced Parking Methods
E. Transit-Oriented Development
F. Pedestrian-Oriented Streetscape Design

+ 6 CE hours required in any category

(NOTE: This is 30 hours total. 6 of these 30 hours must be ‘LEED specific’)

CMP | how to report hours of continuing education (CE)

You passed the exam. You paid all the fees. Now you’re ready to … maintain.

It’s a bit more time intensive than you would think, so make sure you don’t leave it all until the end of your reporting period. You really need to incorporate education into your weekly work flow.

For your convenience, I’ve included the links below to the CMP handbooks, which can be hard to find in the GBCI website.

CMP enrollment guide for LEED APs without specialty.

CMP enrollment guide

So, here’s a little walk-through of how to report your CE hours.

1. go to the GBCI homepage .

2. click login to My Credentials at the top right of the page.

3. enter your email address and password

4. make sure that you have enrolled in prescriptive credentialing maintenance (if so, there will be a bullet point in red under ‘Current Options’).

5. select ‘Review/Report CMP activity’

6. You will then see a spreadsheet of all of the categories and minimum required hours for your specialty. Click here to see the table of requirements for all specialties.

7. Click Add/Review on the right next to the section that you believe your course falls under.

8. The activity date is straightforward enough. If it happens to be a course over multiple days, be sure to enter the ending date as well.

9. For the subcategory, the GBCI statement is below. I have posted the Categories and Subcategories here as well.

Subcategories are specific subjects related to the category under which they appear.  Subcategories help define the depth and breadth of the category. See Appendix A of the CMP Guide or the Enrollment Guide for the categories and subcategories accepted for CE hours for your credential(s).

10. The ‘Activity Delivery Method’s are listed below. Follow the link to find the GBCI definition of each activity type.

•    Professional development courses
•    Live presentations
•    Self-study programs
•    College and university courses
•    Certificates, professional licenses, and credentials
•    Committee and volunteer work
•    Authorship
•    LEED project participation

11. The ‘Activity Description‘ should be filled out to the following instructions based on method of delivery:

Professional Development or Continuing Education Course
•    At least two-sentence description of course content

Live Presentation
•    At least two-sentence description of presentation content

Self-Study Program
•    At least two-sentence description of program or material content

College and University Course
•    At least two-sentence description of course content

Certificate, Professional License, or Credential
•    Title of the certificate, professional license or credential

Committee and Volunteer Work
•    Desription of committee or volunteer

Authorship
•    Brief description of subject of article or book
Please note the date of publication should match the activity date indicated in your reporting form.

LEED Project Participation
•    Description of role on project (including if you were a project administrator)

12. The ‘Activity Details’ should be filled out to the following instructions based on method of delivery:

Professional Development or Continuing Education Course
•    Course title
•    Course provider
•    Course format

Live Presentation
•    Presentation title
•    Presentation host
•    Name(s) of presenter(s)

Self-Study Program
•    Program or material title
•    Program format

College and University Course
•    Course name
•    School name

Certificate, Professional License, or Credential
•    Certificate, professional license or credential provider

Committee and Volunteer Work
•    Name of committee, if applicable
•    Leadership position, if applicable
•    Volunteer work department, if applicable

Authorship
•    Name of article or book
•    Name of publication, for article
•    Name of publisher, for book
Please note the date of publication should match the activity date indicated in your reporting form.

LEED Project Participation
•    Name of project
•    Credits participated with

13. Enter the number of CE hours, keeping in mind the restrictions on how many hours you can report for each category.

Professional Development courses
• 1 CE hour for first hour
• .5 CE hours for each additional hour (or part thereof)*
• Professional development courses must be approved by an ERB.

Live Presentations
• 1 CE hour for first hour
• .5 CE hours for each additional hour (or part thereof)*
• CE hours may be earned only once for attending or leading the same instructional program.
• CE hours earned as an instructor, discussion leader, speaker, or panelist may not exceed 50 percent of the total CE hours required during any reporting period.

Self-study programs
• 1 CE hour for first hour
• .5 CE hours for each additional hour (or part thereof)*
• Total CE hours for self-study programs may not exceed 5 hours per 2-year reporting period.

College and University Courses
• 1 CE hour per classroom hour
• Course must be at an accredited college or universityCertificates, Professional Licenses, and Credentials
• 1CE hour for certificates
• 3 CE hours for professional licenses and credentials
• The certificate, professional license, or credential must be earned during the reporting period. CE hours can only be obtained when the license is earned initially. CE hours are not granted for preparatory courses, only for the exam.

Professional Development
• 2 CE hours for holding a leadership position
• .5 CE hours per meeting attendance
• Total CE hours for professional development may not exceed 4 hours per 2-year reporting period.

Authorship
• 3 CE hours for published article
• 10 CE hours for published book
• The work must be published during the LEED Professional’s 2-year reporting period.
• Any published article or book will be automatically audited for verification and will have to demonstrate the linkages to the topics in Appendix A and how the article/book contributes to the competency of LEED Professionals.

LEED Project Participation
• 1 CE hour per LEED Credit or prerequisite
• 2 CE hours per project for being the Project Administrator

And poof. You’re finally done. I will be soon posting my handy little desk chart that I printed out to help myself keep track of what categories I still need to cover and what methods of delivery I have yet to experience! I will provide a link when that’s up. Hope this helps!

CMP | enrollment for LEED APs without specialty

*** This post applies to those of us who took the LEED NC v2.2 AP exam prior to the LEED v3 debut – LEED APs without a specialty. My examples list dates for people who passed the test prior to July 31, 2009. If you need date information for later test times, please let me know and I will post them.

The GBCI literature is confusing to say the least. There are about 12 places to look and they all overlap or contradict each other. If for no other reason than to organize my own thoughts, I need to post a clear explanation of how to maintain my credentials. Hopefully this will help someone else as well.

There are 3 options… with 3 very different price tags.

OPTION 1 | ‘I have no desire to spend any more money. I just want to be recognized as a LEED AP.’

cost? $$$ zero dollars spent

what do I do? Don’t do a thing. If you passed before July 31, 2009, you have until July 30, 2011 to decide to not do anything. After that, options 2 and 3 on this list are no longer available to you.

what will happen? You will be listed in the LEED AP directory indefinitely without specialty.

Pros? No more money spent. No more time spent. And you still get to use ‘LEED AP’ in your signature.

Cons? Over time, without a specialty designated to your credential… it will become outdated. People in the field will notice that you have the kind of LEED credential that was earned before 2009 and does not require any continuing education. They may begin to question your knowledge. But this won’t happen for a few years probably.

OPTION 2 | ‘I just spent a huge amount of time and money to get here. I want to have a lasting credential without retesting for anything.’ I chose this option, by the way.

cost? $$$ the price of maintaining your credential through continued education. (follow my posts if you want to find cheap ones!)

what do I do? Log in to ‘My Credentials’ on the GBCI website. Under the heading ‘Current Options’, scroll down to the second group of options. Select the option that allows you to enroll in ‘prescriptive credentialing maintenance’. Read and sign everything. Next, read my post about CMP options and begin your 30 hours of fun (finish before summer 2011).

what will happen? At the end of your reporting period, assuming all of your educational credits have been approved, you will be listed as a LEED AP with a specialty in Building Design and Construction (BD&C).

Pros? Only 30 hours of time, plus the number of hours it takes you to find cheap classes to take. Depending on your bargain hunting skills, you could get away with spending very little or a lot. I’m aiming for very little.

Cons? If you had intended to use your AP credential towards a job in LEED Homes or Neighborhood Design, you might be better off with a specialty that reflects one of those interests. In which case, please move on to Option 3.

OPTION 2 | ‘I’m really interested in LEED Homes or Neighborhood Development. I’d like to be recognized especially in one of those fields.’

cost? $$$ the price of retesting under a specialty exam PLUS the price of maintaining one or both credentials over the years to come.

what do I do? Log in to ‘My Credentials’ on the GBCI website. Under the heading ‘Current Options’, scroll down to the second group of options. Select the option that allows you to enroll in ‘a new specialty examination’. Chose a new specialty; Read and sign everything. Then start studying again.

what will happen? Once you pass your specialty exam, you will be listed as a LEED AP with a specialty in whichever you chose. You will still have to maintain this credential, and if you want you can maintain the BD&C specialty as well (which you would have obtained through Option 2).

Pros? You will be special! You will have a credential which accurately reflects your interests and/or field of work, possibly earning you a higher salary.

Cons? You enter into study hell once again, and you fork out the ridiculously high testing fee once again.

I passed! I’m a LEED AP. What do I do now?

Ok, I’m here. I made it. I’m a LEED AP. Now what?

I like to break things down into 3′s when I feel a bit lost. So here’s my 3 big goals for the future regarding the use of this new credential:

1. Get smarter: I am not under the illusion that my studying days are over. They are only just beginning. Maintaining my credentials will require ongoing education (and quite a bit of money) in order to prove my continued worth as a leader in the sustainable building field. The GBCI’s Credentialing Maintenance Program (CMP) requires me to complete a confusing number of hours over a vaguely defined spread of LEED-related issues. I’ll need to clarify and post about this to understand it better. Check back later.

2. Get experienced: I am located in Italy, which is not a country seething with LEED projects. There are a few, however, and I have made some steps towards familiarizing myself with other LEED Italia professionals. I am even listed as a LEED AP on the Green Building Council of Italy’s website. While LEED Italy is still in its infancy, I am also trying to learn a bit about Casa Clima and Itaca – two of the other rating schemes used here in Italy.

3. Get recognized: For me, this means growing our new business to the point where we have a comfortable client base and a good reputation for quality architectural designs. I’d like to use my LEED AP credential as a tool for initiating conversations that would otherwise be overlooked in this somewhat traditional and rural setting (rural Reggio Emilia, Italy).

For now, I think these are reasonable (but general) goals. Over the next few months, I hope to post about more specific ways to achieve them.

WIMSEE extended

WIMSEE is a great chart that is referenced a lot as a way to remember the numbers of prerequisites and available point in each LEED NC section. I put it up a while ago in a post about InTheLEED.com, a great study resource.

I am making some adjustments to it to help me remember the ID opportunities and submittal phases of as well. They are not in beautiful ascending order as the rest of WIMSEE is, but when they are added to the table it makes a fairly simple visual for me to remember.

Please note that people have mentioned some discrepancies between people’s ID counts – especially in the SS section. I think this is due to the Alternative Transportation credits. I arrived at my seven by counting: SS2 – you can double the density of the project itself or you can double the base credit area and corresponding density; SS4s – alternative transportation management plan; SS4.1 – increase threshold of distances to public transportation and require high frequency of service; SS5.1 – increase threshold to 75%; SS5.2 – double everything; SS7.1 – 100% high-albedo surfaces or underground parking; SS7.2 – full green roof. Pat on InTheLEED counted all the Alt Trans credits as one. I believe, however, that two points are available. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. (Thank you reader ‘brandon’ for bring this to my attention in the comments).

Anyway, here it is:

WIMSEE extended

So then I use a little rhyming to remember the numbers…

206723: the order of id points available in WIMSEE.
Plenty (20) of tricks (6) can get you into Heaven (7). But you won’t be true (2) and free (3).

For the submittal phases, I do a more visual approach. I fill in all the ‘designs’ and ‘constructions’ which is fairly easy once you try it a couple times.

Then for the numbers, I put in all the p1’s first. Then I put anything with a .1 after it. Then 3,5,6. In the end I treat it like a series of steps. And I only have to remember a couple numbers for each step, so it’s not so bad. Hope this works for someone else too!

standards using the ‘G’ word

They’re addicted to this word. They all use it in varying forms with little unrememberable prefixes and suffixes that contribute to the green haze surrounding all environmental standards. Let’s try to clear some of this up.

Green Seal
Green Label
Green Label Plus
Green-e products
Green Score

you got any more? I can add them on.

Ok, we already covered Green Seal in the previous post. But we need a way of distinguishing these other ‘greens’ from each other.

Green Label – I visualize the label on the back of a rug or carpet sample when you go to Home Depot or something. And the Label is on the back of the carpet, where it meets up with the cushion. Green Label sets VOC limits for carpet cushions, as applicable in EQ 4.3: Low-Emitting Materials – Carpet Systems.

Green Label Plus – Well, ‘plus’ sounds a bit like ‘plush’, which helps you remember that we’re talking about carpets (because they always sell their carpet as being ‘plush’). Green Label Plus sets VOC limits for carpets, as applicable in EQ 4.3: Low-Emitting Materials – Carpet Systems.

Green-e products – Well, if the questions uses the word ‘products’, you’re fine because this is the only one that applies to electrical products. But it probably won’t – it will probably be talking about renewable energy of some sort. You just have to be sure to remember that this applies to GREEN POWER not on-site renewable energy. You can remember by thinking that the suffix ‘e’ kinda is used like the prefix ‘e’ on email. Something Electronic that is traded back and forth, as in credit EA 6: Green Power.

Green Score – The word ‘score’ makes me think there’s some kind of contest of race. What do people like to race? Their cars. A Green Score of 40 points is necessary to qualify a vehicle for credit SS 4.3: Alternative Transportation – Low-Emission and Fuel-Efficient Vehicles.

Green Seal Standards

ok, so all the Grean Seal standards are for VOC content. Fantastic. Now, which one’s which?

GS-03:

Three rhymes with Flee, which is what you cannot do if you are bound by rusty chains! GS-03 sets VOC limits for anti-rust and anti-corrosive paints. This is applicable to credit EQ 4.2.

GS-11:

One One rhymes with Fun in the Sun, which is what you won’t have if you don’t paint yourself with sunblock! GS-11 sets VOC limits for commercial flat and non-flat paints. This is applicable to credit EQ 4.2.

GS-36:

Three Six rhymes with a Tea Fix, which is what my ex-flatmate used to have every morning before spraying hairspray all over her head (so glad I don’t have flatmates anymore). GS-36 sets VOC limits for aerosol adhesives. This is applicable to credit EQ 4.1.

ASHRAE standards

Ok… I hate these things. But I WILL memorize them.
For this, I am going to use the rhyming numbers method (combined with a couple keywords here and there… you’ll see).

to remember that:
ASHRAE 52.2 is about filtration media (MERV) and correlates to credits EQ 3.1 and EQ 5,
I will first assign rhyming words to relevant numbers:
5-hive; 2-blue; 3-bee; 1-run; 5-dive
now I create a visualization with these words…
There’s a hive (5), with a blue (2) sky behind it. There’s a guy named Mervin (MERV filters). He sees a bee (3)!!! First he tries to run (1), but then eventually he has to dive (5) into the ocean to escape.
and this is roughly what I see…

Now the other ASHRAE standards. I won’t get into the image assembly for these, so you will have to use your imagination!

ASHRAE 55 – thermal comfort – EQ 6.2 and EQ 7s
We’re with our friend again and there is still a hive (5). Again he has to dive (5). But this time it’s not so comfortable (Thermal Comfort). He accidentally hits some sticks (6) on his way down and loses a shoe (2). But don’t worry; he goes to heaven (7s).

ASHRAE 62 – ventilation – EQ p1, EQ 2, and EQ 6.2
There are some bricks (6) in a pile. Next to them is some glue (2). Some crazy person is building a wall in front of the vents (ventilation) in his office. When asked why he is doing it, he replies that he has to (required- prerequisite) and that he is not just doing it for fun (1). The other people in the office are so mad that one woman throws her shoe (2) at him. The other employees steel away the bricks (6) and glue (2).

ASHRAE 90 – energy and lighting – SS 8, EA p2, EA 1
There’s a glass of wine (9) next to the bed (0-zed). There’s a woman with no energy to get up and turn off the light (energy and lighting). She demands (pre-requisite) that her boyfriend do it instead. He also doesn’t want to get up, so he throws his shoe (2). Then he says, ‘That was fun (1)’!

p.s. – Added by Allison to ASHRAE 90 – “So they sleep soundly (SS) for 8 hours.” (Thanks, Allison!)

Please excuse all the shoe-throwing references, but Bush rarely gets mentioned these days.

possible questions for ID 2

possible questions for ID 2:

1. What is the requirement of this credit?

2. What submittal information is required to verify this requirement is met?

answers:

1. That at least one LEED AP participates in the project team.

2. Name of the LEED AP, Name of the LEED AP’s company, Description of the LEED AP’s role, Copy of the LEED AP’s certificate.

possible questions for ID 1

possible questions for ID 1:

1. What are the three basic criteria for achieving exemplary performance or an innovation credit?

2. What are the two types of innovation strategies that will be considered?

3. Which credits in LEED NC are eligible to earn an ID credit?

answers:

1. ❶ quantitative performance improvements for environmental benefit
❷ process or specification must be comprehensive
❸ the formula that your project develops must be applicable to other projects

2. projects that greatly exceed the requirements and projects that address strategies not covered by any LEED credits.

3. The following credits are eligible for exemplary performance for the following reasons:
Sustainable Sites:
SS 2: Development Density & Community Connectivity – double project density or double density for double the area,
SS 4: Alternative Transportation – comprehensive transportation management plan
SS 4.1: Alternative Transportation: Public Transportation Access – double the number of stations. ½ from 2 rail stations instead of 1. ¼ mile from +2 stops for +4 bus lines instead of 1 stop for 2 lines,
SS 5.1: Site Development: Protect or Restore Habitat – on previously developed sites protect or restore 75% instead of 50%,
SS 5.2: Site Development: Maximize Open Space – double the requirements of each Option. 50% instead of 25%, 2x the bldg footprint instead of =, 40% of site area instead of 20%,
SS 7.1: Heat Island Effect: Non-Roof – 100% impervious surface in high-albedo materials instead of 50% OR 100% onsite parking located underground,
SS 7.2: Heat Island Effect: Roof – 100% green roof instead of 50%
WE 2: Innovative Wastewater Technologies – 100% reduction in potable water for sewage conveyance instead of 50% OR treat 100% generated wastewater onsite instead of 50%,
WE 3: Water Use Reduction – achieve 40% reduction instead of 20% or 30% OR demonstrate 10% potable water use reduction in process and non-regulated water consuming fixtures.
EA 1: Optimize Energy Performance – reduce energy load by 45.5% for new buildings and 38.5% for existing buildings instead of 42% and 35%,
EA 2: On-Site Renewable Energy – use 17.5% on-site renewable energy instead of 12.5%,
EA 6: Green Power – either double the contract length of time (4 instead of 2 years) or the amount of electricity (70% instead of 35%).
MR 2: Construction Waste Management – divert 95% of construction waste instead of 75%,
MR 3: Materials Reuse – reuse 15% instead of 5% or 10%,
MR 4: Recycled Content – use 30% instead of 10% or 20%,
MR 5: Regional Materials – use 40% instead of 10% or 20%,
MR 6: Rapidly Renewable Materials – use 5% instead of 2.5%,
MR 7: Certified Wood – use 95% instead of 50%
EQ 8.1: Daylight & Views: Daylight – 95% instead of 75%,
EQ 8.2: Daylight & Views: Views – case-by-case basis (more than 90% which is base credit)

possible questions for EQ 8.2

possible questions for EQ 8.2:

1. What are the requirements of this credit?

2. What must be true of areas in order to contribute towards the 90% of sq.footage?

3. What elevation from the floor must the sectional lines of sight be drawn from?

4. Can you earn exemplary performance for this credit?

answers:

1. Achieve direct line of sight via vision glazing for occupants in 90% of all regularly occupied areas.

2. In plan view, the area is within site line drawn from perimeter vision glazing. In section view, the direct sight line can be drawn from the area to perimeter vision glazing. Line of sight may go through interior glazing. For private offices, only 75% of the room needs to have direct line of sight. For multi-occupant spaces, only actual sq.footage with direct line of sight is counted.

3. 42 inches, average seated eye height.

4. Yes, but it is determined on a case-by-case basis.

possible questions for EQ 8.1

possible questions for EQ 8.1:

1. What are the 3 options to meet the requirements of this credit?

2. Which variables are used to determine the glazing factor?

3. How does LEED define daylight glazing versus vision glazing?

4. What are the best practice glare controls for side-lighting and top-lighting?

5. What steps should you take to implement Option 1?

6. What steps should you take to implement Option 2?

7. How does a project team comply using Option 3?

8. What is the alternative compliance path to a spreadsheet determining applicable rooms or areas that have over 2% glazing factor?

answers:

1. ‘calculate, model, or measure’:
Option 1 – Glazing Factor Calculation – achieve a minimum glazing factor of 2%  in a minimum of 75% of all regularly occupied areas.
Option 2 – Daylight Simulation Model – through computer simulation, demonstrate a minimum daylight illumination level of 25 footcandles in a minimum of 75% of all occupied spaces (clear sky, noon, equinox, 30” above floor)
Option 3 – Daylight Measurement – show through recorded measurements on the floor plan that a minimum daylight illumination level of 25 footcandles has been achieved in a minimum of 75% of all regularly occupied spaces (measurements taken on a 10 foot grid).

2. Glazing Factor = (window area ÷ floor area) × (window geometry factor) × (actual transmittance ÷ minimal transmittance) × (window height factor)

3. Daylight glazing is window areas above 7’6”; Vision glazing is 2’6” to 7’6”; below 2’6” does not contribute to these calculations

4. I had to sketch this to make myself remember it. You should try doing this as well.

5. ‘Some Football Associations from WAshington and West Texas use Growth Hormone Factor. VerMonT and ConnecticuT 2 Saw Over 75 Ghf Cases.’(long but at least it makes a bit more sense this time!):
Spreadsheet to determine all regularly occupied rooms
Floor Areas determined and entered into spreadsheet
Window Areas calculated
Window Types indicated
Geometry and Height Factors inserted
Visible and Minimum Transmittances
Calculate glazing factor for each window type
Total glazing factor for each room
2% glazing factor or greater means room’s square footage is applicable to credit
Sum all rooms’ sq.footage ÷ total sq.ft. of Occupied space
75% or greater gets you the credit point
plus Glare Control for each window

6. ‘Men’s Health Cases have Grown from 30 ×2 ‘Cause Delaware Institutions Can Not Eradicate it Longterm. Some Football Associations in MILton (delaware) had more than 25 and Saw Over 75 Ghf Cases.’
Model the daylight simulation with a
Horizontal Calculation Grid 30 inches above the floor at 2 foot intervals
Calculate the Daylight Illumination: Clear skies, Noon, Equinox, Location specific.
Spreadsheet with Floor Areas and Minimum Illumination Levels (from simulation)
more than 25 footcandles means that room’s sq.ft. is applicable
Sum all rooms’ sq.footage ÷ total sq.ft. of Occupied space
75% or greater gets you the credit point
plus Glare Control for each window

7. Take actual illumination measurements and enter them into the spreadsheet for the same requirements as Options 1 and 2.

8. You can split the rooms or areas up into applicable areas (of over 2% glazing factor) and non-applicable areas. All areas contribute to the total sum of occupied space.

possible questions for EQ 7.2

possible questions for EQ 7.2:

1. What kind of verification is required of the Thermal Comfort design in order to achieve this credit?

2. What scale is used in the occupant survey to determine satisfaction?

3. What must the survey information include for each anonymous occupant?

4. How do you calculate the percentage of dissatisfied occupants?

answers:

1. Agreement to implement a thermal comfort survey of building occupants within a period of 6 to 18 months after occupancy. The occupants should provide anonymous responses about the overall satisfaction and problem areas in the building. A plan for corrective action should be developed if more than 20% of the occupants express dissatisfaction.

2. A 7-point scale with 0 in the middle, ranging from very dissatisfied (-3) to very satisfied (+3).

3. Satisfaction level, Location in building zone, Follow up questions and answers.

4. The number of occupants who indicated one of the lower three points on the first question about overall satisfaction with the thermal comfort of the building.

possible questions for EQ 7.1

possible questions for EQ 7.1:

1. What standard must be met in order to satisfy the requirements of this credit?

2. For what air speeds is the model used by this standard applicable?

3. What compliance alternative exists for naturally ventilated projects?

answers:

1. ASHRAE Standard 55-2004, Thermal Comfort Conditions for Human Occupancy, Section 6.1.1 Documentation compliance required.

2. The PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) model is applicable to airspeeds no greater than 0.20 m/s.

3. Section 5.3 of the standard is the optional compliance for naturally ventilated buildings. It provides broad indoor temperature ranges as a function of mean monthly indoor temperature ranges; assuming light and sedentary activity, but independent of humidity, air speed, and clothing considerations.