A contractor is building a retirement community project. 30% of the building's product costs were derived from reused/salvaged materials or met recycled content criteria. Which of the following credits can the LEED AP submit towards certification?
Correct Answer: A
The Materials and Resources Credit, Building Product Disclosure and Optimization - Sourcing of Raw Materials rewards projects that use materials that have optimized extraction processes by limiting or eliminating the extraction of new resources, the reuse of materials or the use of recycled materials1. According to the LEED Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction2, the credit has two options: Option 1. Raw Material Source and Extraction Reporting and Option 2. Leadership Extraction Practices. Option 1 requires the project to use at least 20 permanently installed products from at least five different manufacturers that have publicly released a report from their raw material suppliers which include extraction locations, a commitment to long-term ecologically responsible land use, a commitment to reducing environmental harms from extraction and/or manufacturing processes, and a commitment to meeting applicable standards or programs voluntarily that address responsible sourcing criteria2. Option 2 requires the project to use products that meet at least one of the responsible sourcing criteria below for at least 25%, by cost, of the total value of permanently installed building products in the project: * Extended producer responsibility. Products purchased from a manufacturer (producer) that participates in an extended producer responsibility program or is directly responsible for extended producer responsibility. * Bio-based materials. Bio-based products must meet the Sustainable Agriculture Network's Sustainable Agriculture Standard. Bio-based raw materials must be tested using ASTM Test Method D6866 and be legally harvested, as defined by the exporting and receiving country. Exclude hide products, such as leather and other animal skin material. * Wood products. Wood products must be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or USGBC- approved equivalent. * Materials reuse. Reused products must include salvaged, refurbished, or reused products. * Recycled content. Recycled content is the sum of postconsumer recycled content plus one-half the preconsumer recycled content, based on cost. Products meeting recycled content criteria are valued at 100% of their cost for the purposes of credit achievement calculation. * USGBC approved program. Other USGBC approved programs meeting leadership extraction criteria. Therefore, among the given options, only Option A is relevant to the use of reused/salvaged materials or recycled content, as they can contribute to the materials reuse or recycled content criteria under Option 2. Option B is a prerequisite that requires the project to develop and implement a construction and demolition waste management plan that identifies the materials to be diverted from disposal and whether the materials will be sorted on-site or co-mingled2. Option C is a credit that requires the project to use at least 20 different permanently installed products from at least five different manufacturers that use any of the following programs to demonstrate the chemical inventory of the product to at least 0.1% (1000 ppm): * Health Product Declaration. The end use product has a published, complete Health Product Declaration with full disclosure of known hazards in compliance with the Health Product Declaration Open Standard. * Cradle to Cradle. The end use product has been certified at the Cradle to Cradle v2 Basic level or Cradle to Cradle v3 Bronze level. * REACH Optimization. The end use product is compliant with REACH Optimization criteria. * GreenScreen v1.2 Benchmark. The product's chemical ingredients are inventoried using the GreenScreen v1.2 Benchmark. * Declare. The Declare product label must indicate that all ingredients have been disclosed down to 1000 ppm. Option D is a credit that requires the project to use at least 20 different permanently installed products that have environmental product declarations. The products must be sourced from at least five different manufacturers. The environmental product declarations must conform to ISO 14025, 14040, 14044, and EN 15804 or ISO 21930 and have at least a cradle-to-gate scope2.
Question 162
A rectangular office building is located in an extremely humid climate and is shaded by very large adjacent buildings on all four sides. If the building owner wants to decrease the annual energy cost for operating the building, which of the following would be the best design approach?
Correct Answer: D
Explanation The best design approach for the office building is D. Recover waste energy through exhaust air energy recovery systems. This is because: * Installing glazing with a higher solar heat gain factor would increase the cooling load and energy consumption of the building, especially in an extremely humid climate where heat gain is high1. * Installing photovoltaic panels on the sides of the building would generate electricity from solar radiation, but it would not reduce the cooling load or energy consumption of the building, unless the electricity is used to power a heat pump or other cooling device2. * Increasing outdoor air intake quantities during summer months would provide more fresh air to dilute the indoor pollutants and improve the indoor air quality, but it would not reduce the cooling load or energy consumption of the building, unless it is combined with a ventilation system that recovers waste energy from the exhaust air stream34. An exhaust air energy recovery system (ERV) is a type of mechanical ventilation that uses a heat exchanger to transfer heat between two streams of air: one that enters the building and one that exits. The ERV pre-cools and dehumidifies the incoming ventilation air bysending the rejected heat into the exhaust airstream to cool the condenser coil at a lower temperature. This reduces both the cooling load and energy consumption of the building, as well as improving its indoor humidity levels34. An ERV can also provide some fresh outdoor air to meet ASHRAE Standard 62 ventilation rates5. Therefore, an ERV is a more efficient and effective design approach than glazing, photovoltaic panels, or increased outdoor air intake quantities for reducing the annual energy cost for operating an office building in an extremely humid climate and shaded by very large adjacent buildings on all four sides. References: 1: LEED v4: Building Design + Construction Guide - U.S. Green Building Council 2: LEED AP BD+C Exam | U.S. Green Building Council 3: Energy Recovery Systems - Nortek Air Solutions 4: Energy Recovery Ventilators - Greenheck 5: Mechanical Ventilation Types: Exhaust, Supply, Balanced & Energy Recovery
Question 163
What is the system boundary that a building life cycle analysis must be defined to account for?
Correct Answer: B
Explanation The system boundary that a building life cycle analysis must be defined to account for is the cradle-to-grave stage, which includes the production, construction, use, and end-of-life stages of the building. This stage covers all the inputs and outputs of the building system, such as materials, energy, water, emissions, waste, and maintenance. References: *Life Cycle Assessment of Buildings: Technical Guidance *Life-cycle assessment - Wikipedia *Conducting a Life Cycle Assessment - GSA Sustainable ... - SFTool
Question 164
A downtown office building is unable to construct dedicated parking for its occupants. However, the building developer has partnered with a parking garage to offer discounted parking for its occupants. If the discounted parking rate is $450 per month, how much must the rate be for green vehicles for the building to receive one point for Location and Transportation Credit, Green Vehicles?
Correct Answer: A
Explanation For the building to receive one point for Location and Transportation Credit, Green Vehicles, the rate for green vehicles must be 80% less than the regular parking rate.Therefore, if the discounted parking rate is $450 per month, the rate for green vehicles must be $90 per month (20% of $450).References: LEED AP Building Design + Construction (LEED AP BD+C) V4 resources1
Question 165
Which of the following transit modes is considered to be walkable if it is within 1/2 mile (0.8 km) of the functional entry of a project?
Correct Answer: C
For Location and Transportation (LT) Credits: Access to Quality Transit, a local bus stop (C) within 1/2 mile (0.8 km) from a building's entrance qualifies as walkable transit. LEED defines walkable transit as options within reasonable distance for daily commuting, including bus stops, light rail stations, and streetcars. Taxi stands (A) aren't considered reliable public transit under LEED, and while streetcars (D) are valid, ferry terminals (B) are only acceptable within a 1-mile range.
