Sustainable Sites | BD+C

A community healthcare centre with hospital emergency departments falls under MLO Lighting Zone 2. The project has associated helipad as well. The road leading to the health centre has government mandated roadway lighting. What exterior lighting would be exempt from SS Credit Light Pollution Reduction?

• Hospital emergency department, helipad, roadway lighting

• Parking lot, roadway lighting, and walking paths

• Roadway, national flag, and roadway lighting

• Walking paths, landscape lighting, and parking lot

Answer explanation

The following exterior lighting is exempt from the requirements, provided it is controlled separately from the non exempt lighting:

•• Specialized signal, directional, and marker lighting for transportation•• Lighting that is used solely for façade and landscape lighting in MLO lighting zones 3 and 4, and is automatically turned off from midnight until 6 a.m.•• Lighting for theatrical purposes for stage, film, and video performances•• Government mandated roadway lighting•• Hospital emergency departments, including associated helipads•• Lighting for the national flag in MLO lighting zones 2, 3, or 4•• Internally illuminated signage

A BD+C New Construction Project is pursuing SS Credit Heat Island Reduction – Option 2. Parking Under Cover. The project decides to place a minimum of 75% of parking spaces under cover. Which among the following measures will assist the project to earn the credit under Option 2? (Choose 4)

• Roof used to shade or cover parking must be covered by energy generation systems, such assolar thermal collectors, photovoltaics, and wind turbines.

• Provide parking underground, under deck, under roof, or under building

• Roof used to shade or cover parking must be a vegetated roof

• Roof used to shade or cover parking must have a three year aged SRI of at least 29 or initla SRI of 32

• Roof used to shade or cover parking must have a three year aged SRI of at least 32 or initla SRI of 39

Answer explanation

The choice related to SRI roofing material is not compliant as low sloped roofing materials should have an initial SRI of 82 or higher.

All other choices are correct except “Place a minimum of 75% of parking spaces under cover”. This applies to option 2 – “Option 2. Parking under Cover”.

A BD+C New Construction project is pursuing SS credit Heat Island Reduction – Option 1 – Roof and Non-roof. Which among the following variables must the project consider for the calculation? (Choose 4)

• Area of High-Reflectance Roof

• Roof area covered by mechanical equipment

• Area of Non-roof Measures

• Total Roof Area

• Area of Vegetated Roof

Answer explanation

Please refer the standard non-roof or roof calculation formula.

Total site area is misleading. Though you need to exclude roof area covered by mechanical equipment, solar energy panels, skylights, and any otherappurtenances, they are not part of the equation

Which of the following should be the next steps for a project that identified their site as contaminated through a local record?

• The project should conduct a Phase 1 or Phase 2 environmental site assessment (or a local equivalent) to confirm contamination

• The project should obtain a declaration from the authority having jurisdiction indicating the presence of contamination

• The project should work with a biologist or environmental scientist to confirm contamination

• The project should start remediation work

Answer explanation

The project could use one of the following to confirm contamination.

1) Consult local records

2) Conduct a Phase 1 or Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment (or a local equivalent)

3) Work with a biologist or environmental scientist

Since it’s already identified as brown field through local records – the project doesn’t have to conduct another assessment

Next step should be obtaining a declaration from the authority having jurisdiction indicating the presence of contamination and working on remediation requirementsThe project cannot start remediation until and unless the contamination is declared from the authority having jurisdiction first and second, the project should work

with the jurisdiction to determine the remediation requirements. The third step is to remediate the project site to the satisfaction of the authority having jurisdiction

A new construction college campus project has decided on contouring the land to prevent damage due to erosion. Which of the following is required to achieve SS Prerequisite 1- Construction Activity Pollution Prevention?

• Transportation Management Plan.

• Best Management Practices Plan

• Confirmation that the post-development runoff rate does not exceed the pre-development runoff rate

• Confirmation that the project complies with NPDES or local regulations whichever is more stringent

Answer explanation

The project would have to provide confirmation it complies with NPDES or a local regulation, whichever is more stringent, to qualify for SS Prerequisite Construction Activity Pollution Prevention.

For SS Credit SS Credit Site Development – Protect or Restore Habitat – Option 1 – On-Site Restoration, the restored soil must meet which of the following criteria of reference soils?

• Compaction only

• Soil chemical characteristics only

• Infiltration rates and compaction only

• Organic matter, compaction, infiltration rates, soil biological function and soil chemical characteristics

Answer explanation

Restored soil must meet the criteria of reference soils in categories 1–3 and meet the criteria of either category 4 or 5:

1. organic matter

2. compaction

3. infiltration rates

4. soil biological function

5. soil chemical characteristics

A LEED Project Team is planning to landscape their project which is on a graded site. The project site area is 120,000 sq. ft and the building footprint is 60,000 sq. ft. Which of the following actions need to be done to earn one point for SS Credit 2 – Site Development – Protect or Restore Habitat?

• Landscape with native or adaptive vegetation to cover 36,000 sq. ft area

• Landscape with native or adaptive vegetation to cover 24,000 sq. ft area

• Limit all disturbances to thirty feet beyond constructed areas with permeable surfaces

• Limit all disturbances to fifty feet beyond the building perimeter

Answer explanation

To earn credit with Site Development – Protect or Restore Habitat, landscape with native or adaptive vegetation must cover 36,000 sq. ft. area. (Using native or adapted vegetation, projects should restore 30% (including the building footprint) of all portions of the site identified as previously developed)

Which of the following measures would not meet the requirements for SS Prerequisite 1- Construction Activity Pollution Prevention?

• Reducing the building footprint

• Mulching

• Having a sediment trap

• Applying temporary seeding

Answer explanation

A smaller footprint does not control erosion and sedimentation from happening

Given below are some site conditions a new construction project came across. Which of them would qualify for SS Credit 5.1 – Site Development – Protect or Restore Habitat or SS Credit 5.2 – Site Development Maximize Open Space? (Choose 2)

• A previously developed 1,000,000 sq. ft. warehouse site with 500,000 sq. ft. of the site area covered in native plants

• Military complex with 500,000 sq. ft. of building space and 250,000 sq. ft of vegetated open space

• Greenfield site where the development was disturbed 55 feet beyond the building perimeter

• Previously graded site that has had 20% of the total site area restored with native vegetation

Answer explanation

The following conditions would be relevant to SS Credit Site Development Protect or Restore Habitat and Maximize Open Space: previously graded site that has had 20% of the total site area restored with native vegetation and a previously developed 1,000,000 sq. ft. warehouse site with 500,000 sq. ft. of the site area covered in native plants

A school project is planning to pursue LEED Certification. Which of the following prerequisites and credits must the project comply with in order to earn LEED Certification? (Choose 2)

• SS Prerequisite Construction Activity Pollution Prevention

• SS Credit Rainwater Management

• SS Prerequisite Environmental Site Assessment

• SS Credit Site Master Plan

• SS Credit Site Assessment

Answer explanation

Projects must comply with all applicable prerequisites to earn LEED Certification. All BD+C Projects have only one prerequisite (SS Prerequisite Construction Activity Pollution Prevention) under Sustainable Sites Category except Schools and Healthcare. Healthcare and School Projects have to meet SS Prerequisite Construction Activity Pollution Prevention and SS Prerequisite Environmental Site Assessment