Page 28 - The Engineering Guide to LEED-New Construction Sustainable Construction for Engineers

Intr oduction 11

LEED-NC Documents
Information is provided from the USGBC on several different levels. The main level of
information provided for LEED-NC 2.2 and LEED-NC 2009 are the governing documents
as approved by the USGBC for the rating system. They are entitled LEED-NC Green
Building Rating System for New Construction & Major Renovations Version 2.2 for Public Use
and Display for LEED 2.2, and LEED 2009 for New Construction and Major Renovations for
Public Use and Display for LEED 2009. They are available free of charge to the general
public for download and public display and can be found on the USGBC website (www.
usgbc.org). The verbiage from various sections of the LEED-NC 2.2 document is included
verbatim throughout this text, with modifications as noted to update to LEED 2009. The
exact wording is important to read to adequately interpret the intent and expanse of
the requirements listed. Some other items provided to the general public for free from the
USGBC website are the errata (LEED 2.2) or addenda (LEED 2009) sheets (which include
corrections to both the governing documents and the Reference Guides as described in
the following paragraph) and various fact sheets and sample items, including sample
templates. Templates were the online format used by the USGBC for credit submittals
and calculations in LEED 2.2. LEED 2009 has an updated LEED-Online process for
managing the documentation for certifying a project. Submittals include an overall
project narrative and then required documentation associated with each prerequisite and
credit. Project teams can even opt to have a review after the design phase for information
on whether certain credits or prerequisites with a design phase focus are appropriate for
certification. LEED-Online also details the project team member required to sign off on
certain documents (declarant). There are also some streamlined options where for certain
credits a licensed professional such as a licensed professional engineer, licensed architect,
or licensed landscape architect may verify compliance without as much supporting
documentation being submitted. Similar to the example template, there are “calculators”
embedded in LEED-Online for performing many of the calculations. The USGBC also
provides a project checklist for overall summary credit and prerequisite tracking.
As mentioned earlier, the USGBC provides reference guides for the LEED-NC 2.2
and 2009 rating systems. These reference guides are supplemental to the governing
documents and are available for purchase. They give example calculations, case studies,
and additional references, and they expand upon the intent and definitions necessary to
better understand the prerequisite and credits for certification. Members of the USGBC
and people associated with registered projects can also log on to the system and view the
Credit Interpretation Rulings (CIRs), which are replies to Credit Interpretation Requests.
The CIRs are further explained in the following sections and allow the members or
projects to keep up with future interpretations and enhancements to the rating system.

Credit Formats
The information given in the credit write-ups for the various credits is set in a standard
format. The format in version 2009 is slightly different from that of version 2.2, which
was slightly modified from version 2.1. The formats used in the governing document
(Public Display Portion) and the Reference Guide in versions 2.2 and 2009 are also
slightly different and are summarized as follows:

• In Public Display Portion Intent
(LEED 2009 and 2.2): Requirements
(No longer lists submittals in LEED 2.2 and 2009
to allow for greater flexibility)