Page 459 - The Engineering Guide to LEED-New Construction Sustainable Construction for Engineers

Definitions 419

Blackwater ‘Blackwater does not have a single definition that is accepted nationwide.
Wastewater from toilets and urinals is, however, always considered blackwater. Wastewater
from kitchen sinks (perhaps differentiated by the use of a garbage disposal), showers, or bathtubs
may be considered blackwater by state or local codes. Project teams should comply with the
blackwater definitions as established by the authority having jurisdiction in their areas.’
Breathing Zone ‘The region within an occupied space between planes 3 and 6 ft above the
floor and more than 2 ft from the walls or fixed air-conditioning equipment.’
Building Density ‘The floor area of the building divided by the total area of the site (square
feet per acre).’ See FAR in Chap. 10.
Building Envelope ‘The exterior surface of a building’s construction—the walls, windows,
roof, and floor. Also referred to as the “building shell.”’
Building Footprint ‘The area on a project site that is used by the building structure and is
defined by the perimeter of the building plan. Parking lots, landscapes, and other nonbuilding
facilities are not included in the building footprint.’
Carpool ‘An arrangement in which two or more people share a vehicle for transportation.’
Many state transportation agencies also provide special commuting lanes for carpools or
vanpools. These are referred to as HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes. Sometimes the
definition of an HOV is for two or more people, at other times it is for three or more. Many
times these are therefore further designated HOV2 or HOV3, respectively.
Car Sharing ‘A system under which multiple households share a pool of automobiles, either
through cooperative ownership or through some other mechanism.’

CERCLA ‘Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA),
commonly known as Superfund. CERCLA addresses abandoned or historical waste sites
and contamination. It was enacted in 1980 to create a tax on the chemical and petroleum
industries and provided federal authority to respond to releases of hazardous substances.’
Chain-of-Custody ‘A document that tracks the movement of a wood product from the forest
to a vendor and is used to verify compliance with FSC guidelines. A vendor is defined as the
company that supplies wood products to project contractors or subcontractors for on-site
installation.’
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) Chlorofluorocarbons are haloalkanes that are thought to aid in
the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer. They are carbon-based organic compounds
(alkanes) which, in addition to carbon, include chlorine and fluorine atoms. Some are
commonly referred to as Freons.

Cogeneration ‘The simultaneous production of electrical or mechanical energy (power) and
useful thermal energy from the same fuel/energy source such as oil, coal, gas, biomass, or solar.’
Commissioning (Cx) ‘The process of ensuring that systems are designed, installed,
functionally tested, and capable of being operated and maintained to perform in conformity
with the owner’s project requirements.’
Commissioning Plan ‘A document defining the commissioning process, which is developed
in increasing detail as the project progresses through its various phases.’
Commissioning Report ‘The document that records the results of the commissioning process,
including the as-built performance of the HVAC system and unresolved issues.’