Page 341 - The Engineering Guide to LEED-New Construction Sustainable Construction for Engineers

CHAPTER 7

LEED Innovation in Design

Process and Regional

Priorities

he Innovation in Design category deals with issues otherwise not included in
the other categories, that have alternative strategies to obtain goals of other
Tcategories, or which exceed to a specified degree some of the intents from the
other credit categories. This category of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
rating system for new construction version 2.2 (LEED-NC 2.2) consisted of two credit
subcategories which together may earn a possible five points (credits) maximum. Up to
four of this maximum of five could come from exemplary performance (EP) points
earned in the other categories. In LEED 2009, this has been slightly modified to allow for
an additional Innovation in Design point, but restricting these points from EP to a
maximum of three. The notation format for credits is, for example, IDc1.1 for Innovation
in Design credit 1.1 in LEED 2.2 and IDc1 for Innovation in Design credit subcategory 1
in LEED 2009. Also, in this chapter, to facilitate easier cross-referencing between this text
and the USGBC rating system, the second digit in a section heading, equation, table, or
figure number represents the credit subcategory number for sections that deal directly
with a USGBC LEED-NC 2.2 and 2009 credit subcategories.
There are two credit subcategories in both the 2.2 and the 2009 versions. The two
credit subcategories are ID Credit Subcategory 1: Innovation in Design and ID Credit
Subcategory 2: LEED Accredited Professional. The ID credit subcategories, credits, and
available points are summarized for both LEED 2.2 and 2009 in Table 7.0.0.
Basically, the credits in the Innovation in Design category can be grouped into the
following three overall sets of goals:
• In LEED 2009, up to three points in the Innovation in Design subcategory can be
obtained for projects which substantially exceed the intent of certain credits in the
other categories. These are the EP options as listed in each section and described
in Chaps. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The LEED 2009 Building Design and Construction
Reference Guide also mentions that some credits may earn an EP point if there are
two compliance pathways which are both attained and are additive.
• In LEED 2009, up to five points (less the EP points awarded) in the Innovation
in Design subcategory can be used for other innovative strategies that are not
included in the previous categories, but which can be shown to address
environmental issues by strategies not otherwise addressed in LEED.

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