Page 39 - The Engineering Guide to LEED-New Construction Sustainable Construction for Engineers

22 Cha pte r O n e

project to project and expediency in having the explanation and interpretations readily
available without constant revisions to the governing documents. The CIR process is
very important to the rating system’s success and certification. It is expected that
project team members are very familiar with this process. In the LEED-NC 2.1
Reference Guide, the CIR process was summarized in the following four steps:
1. Consult the Reference Guide.
2. Review the Reference Guide and self-evaluate.
3. Review the CIR web page for previously logged CIRs.
4. If still unanswered, submit a CIR with an online form.

The LEED-NC 2.2 Reference Guide summarizes the CIR process in three steps
following the project team’s being unable to adequately answer a question based on its
interpretation of the Reference Guide. The three steps are as follows:
1. Review the CIR web page for previously logged CIRs. Note that some of the
CIRs for other rating systems or versions may not be applicable.
2. If no applicable CIR exists, then submit a CIR via the CIR web page. This web
page has guidelines for how a CIR should be submitted, with particular
information on what should be in the request. The main focus is on the intent
of the credit. The CIR will eventually be posted on the CIR web page and is not
intended to include a long description of a particular project, but rather a more
overall question to be interpreted for application for the project and other
similar project circumstances.
3. The USGBC will rule on the CIR.
As mentioned earlier under LEED-NC documents, the USGBC has a process to
periodically post errata, or addenda as it is called in LEED 2009, to both the governing
document (Public Display Portion) and the Reference Guide, which are also periodically
included in new editions of the versions.

1.3 Miscellaneous

Organizations
An important part of specifications and design for construction is the use of established
standards. Many organizations are recognized as established sources for many standards
and have procedures for accrediting, developing, reviewing, and revising standards.
The organization that accredits organizations as a standards developer in the United
States is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). On November 27, 2006,
ANSI accredited the U.S. Green Building Council as an official Standards Developing
Organization. Some of these organizations that help develop or accredit standards as
mentioned in this text include the following:

AIA American Institute of Architects.
ANSI The American National Standards Institute accredits standards for
products, services, processes, and systems in the United States; accredits
organizations that perform certifications; and coordinates U.S. standards
with international standards.