Pass the USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) LEED-AP-BD+C Questions and answers with ExamsMirror

The Materials and Resources Credit, Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction, rewards projects that reuse existing building structures and envelopes, or salvage materials from off-site or on-site sources. According to the LEED v4 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction, the project team must calculate the percentage of building being reused by dividing the area of the existing building structure and envelope that is reused by the total area of the completed building structure and envelope1. However, the project team must exclude from the calculation any hazardous materials that are remediated as a part of the project, such as asbestos, lead, mold, or PCBs1. Therefore, the asbestos containing materials found on the perimeter walls will be excluded from the calculation, regardless of the volume.

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A CRI value of at least 85 is required to meet the Indoor Environmental Quality Credit for Interior Lighting. This ensures high-quality lighting that renders colors accurately, enhancing occupant comfort and visual experience. LEED emphasizes lighting design that supports functionality and wellbeing.

Detailed Explanation:

T60 is the unit used to measure reverberation time, which is the time it takes for sound to decay by 60 decibels in a space. This metric is critical for achieving the Acoustic Performance credit under LEED, as it ensures that spaces are designed to provide optimal acoustic environments that enhance occupant comfort and productivity.

A pedestrian-oriented paving or turf area with physical site elements that accommodate outdoor social activities is necessary to satisfy the requirement for the outdoor space to be physically accessible when calculating the Sustainable Sites Credit, Open Space. This is because the outdoor space must be designed to encourage regular use by occupants and visitors1. A garden space dedicated to industrial food production for use by local communities may not be accessible to the building occupants and visitors2. A garden space with only one vegetation type and species during the summer for visual interest does not meet the requirement of having two or more types of vegetation or overhead vegetated canopy1. A dark paving area with site elements to encourage parking near wetlands or naturally designed ponds is not considered as pedestrian-oriented hardscape and may have negative impacts on the natural environment3.

This option requires the project to include all parking spaces that are outside the project boundary but are used by the project occupants, visitors, or customers in the calculations for the reduced parking footprint credit1. This option ensures that the project accounts for the total parking demand and supply associated with the project, regardless of the location of the parking spaces2.

Tidal-based electrical production is eligible for the Energy and Atmosphere Credit, Renewable Energy Production. This credit rewards projects that use renewable energy systems to offset building energy cost. According to the LEED v4 BD+C Reference Guide, renewable energy systems are defined as “those that use resources that are naturally replenished within a 100-year or shorter cycle and that are greenhouse gas neutral on an annual basis” 1. Tidal-based electrical production meets this definition, as it uses the kinetic energy of the tides to generate electricity without emitting greenhouse gases. The other options are not eligible for this credit, as ground-source heat pumps are not considered renewable energy systems, municipal solid waste combustion is not greenhouse gas neutral, and passive solar and daylighting strategies do not offset building energy cost.

The LEED BD+C Location and Transportation (LT) Credit: Access to Quality Transit requires that a project be located near public transit options that meet ridership frequency requirements.

For bus stops, the project must be within ½ mile (0.8 km) walking distance of at least one qualifying bus route with two stops.

For rail, ferry, or streetcar stops, the project must be within ¼ mile (0.4 km) walking distance.

Planned transit must be both funded and scheduled for completion within the project’s timeline.

Only Option B meets LEED’s public transit access criteria.

(Source: Official LEED BD+C Reference Manual)

The Indoor Environmental Quality Credit, Interior Lighting, requires the project team to provide individual occupant lighting control for at least 90% of the individual occupant spaces, or at least 50% of the shared multi-occupant spaces. The lighting control must enable occupants to adjust the lighting to suit their individual tasks and preferences, and must have at least three lighting levels, excluding off1. Therefore, a three level (on, 25%, off) lighting control meets the requirements of this credit, while a two level (on, off) lighting control does not. A three level (on, 50%, off) or a three level (on, 75%, off) lighting control may also meet the requirements, depending on the lighting power density and the daylight availability in the space2.

The Basis of Design (BOD) is a document that describes the design intent and performance criteria for a project. It must include the environmental, energy efficiency and sustainability goals that the project team has established, as well as the strategies and systems to achieve them. The BOD is part of the Integrative Process credit, which aims to foster collaboration and holistic thinking among the project stakeholders from the pre-design phase to the occupancy phase.

Detailed Explanation:

Projects located in areas with significant cultural value can attempt the Priority Designation option under LEED Location and Transportation credits. This designation rewards projects in high-priority locations, such as cultural heritage sites, promoting development that respects and preserves the historical and cultural significance of the area.