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Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs)

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General

What are Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs)?

MPRs are the minimum criteria used to determine whether a given project is eligible for LEED certification. Every v4 or v4.1 project, in BD+C, ID+C, O+M, and ND, must comply with same three MPRs. See our website for more details.

NOTE: If after reviewing the MPRs, their additional guidance, and these FAQs, a project team still feels they would like additional feedback about their specific project's circumstances and compliance, we encourage them to send their question(s) via email to LEEDinfo@usgbc.org along with supporting documentation (such as clearly labeled site/floor plans, exterior views/elevations, etc.) as PDF attachments, and we'll be happy to help you.

What are the Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) for LEED v4.1?

For the purposes of the LEED v4.1 Beta, the existing v4 MPRs should be used. Modifications to the MPRs may be implemented for LEED v4.1 at a later date, but teams will only be held to the MPR guidance that is in effect as of the date they registered. Note that for projects using v4.1 O+M: Interiors, the minimum gross floor area for "Interiors" projects, 250 square feet (22 square meters), applies.

Do LEED projects require a minimum number of occupants / FTE?

No, according to the LEED v4 MPRs, there is no minimum required number of occupants or full-time equivalents (FTEs) for which a building must be designed to be considered eligible to pursue certification.

Keep in mind, however, even if eligible, buildings designed for low or no human occupancy may find it more difficult to achieve certain credits (and/or prerequisites in the case of O+M). For instance, if a project, let's say a utility building, does not include bathrooms, while the project would be considered compliant with the WE prerequisite Indoor water use reduction by default, no points could be achieved for the associated WE credit. Similarly, the same building could not achieve the EQ Thermal Comfort credit if there were no occupied spaces to address.

Please note that LEED O+M does have requirements pertaining to the percentage of full occupancy (occupancy for which the project was designed) that must be maintained over the performance or reporting period, and these occupancy requirements vary to some degree based upon the building type and other factors. Please refer to the O+M rating system documents and associated reference and beta guides for more details.

If your O+M project faces challenges with low occupant counts or rates, you are welcome to contact us with details about your project and situation for further assistance.

Updated October 6, 2022

Minimum Program Requirement (MPR) 1: Must be in a Permanent Location on Existing Land

Can project teams use LEED if the owner intends to disassemble or relocate the certifying space or building? If so, is there a minimum time a space or building must exist in a particular building or on a specific site to seek certification?

If it is a 'mobile structure' (e.g. a mobile home, trailer-based building, vehicle, boat, or similar structure that is not anchored to a particular site with a permanent type of foundation and is designed to be moved about from time to time) it is NOT eligible to seek LEED certification. However, If it will be anchored to a particular site, and constructed according to codes applicable to permanent buildings, it is an acceptable candidate for LEED certification, even if it is later deconstructed or relocated. While LEED does not encourage certification of short-lived buildings (i.e., buildings that are temporary in some sense), there is no specific minimum period of use or life-span stated for a building to qualify for certification.

However, several LEED prerequisites and credits are based upon location and site attributes, and, as noted in the Intent of this MPR, "...LEED projects are evaluated as permanent structures". Thus, if a certified LEED project is relocated, disassembled, and/or relocated the LEED certification will no longer be considered pertinent and you may not advertise the building as being LEED certified, as explained in the Certification Agreement.

Minimum Program Requirement (MPR) 2: Must Use Reasonable LEED Boundaries

Can project teams certify a portion of a structure (e.g. a new construction addition or an office or hotel tower that rests on a retail podium) as a separate LEED BD+C v4 project?

The LEED Rating System Selection Guidance indicates that projects using the LEED v4 BD+C Rating System "Must include the entire building’s gross floor area in the project". Generally, spaces that are physically connected by contiguous (i.e., touching), programmatic gross floor area are considered parts of a single building for LEED purposes. That said, the Additional Guidance for this MPR also notes the following: "Buildings that are physically connected by programmable space are considered one building for LEED purposes unless they are physically distinct and have distinct identities as separate buildings or if they are a newly constructed addition. If separated, the projects should also have separate air distribution systems and water and energy meters (including thermal energy meters)".

Therefore, for any portion of a whole building new construction or major renovation project that seeks a separate BD+C certification would have to satisfy four criteria:

  1. They must be physically distinct from the non-certifying portion of the building/complex. The term "physically distinct" is not specifically defined for LEED v4, though teams should apply a common sense definition to that term that would include separation by floors, walls, and/or doors. When applied to a BD+C project, this would usually involve some kind of external differentiation as well, such as different massing, materials, colors, etc. In BD+C, projects that pursue this exception usually have a separate main entry/lobby.
  2. They must have a separate identity from the non-certifying portion of the building or complex. Distinct identities are often shown by having a different name or address, but other distinctions will also be considered.
  3. They must have their own separate air distribution system(s). This usually means separate air-side equipment and distribution for the HVAC system(s) serving the certifying portion of the building or complex.
  4. They must have their own, separate metering for all water and energy uses (including thermal energy meters, if applicable). However, in the case of a new construction addition project, if separate metering is not feasible, please contact us with an explanation of the project's circumstances for additional evaluation.

New construction addition projects seeking separate certification need only satisfy the last two criteria.

Ideally, the project name should indicate the extents of the certifying portion of the building or complex (e.g., include the word "Addition", or indicate the name of the specific "Wing", "Department", etc. being certified). If that is not feasible, it should at least indicate in some way that the entire building/complex is not included in the certification. Furthermore, as noted in the Requirements language of MPR 2, "The LEED project must accurately communicate the scope of the certifying project in all promotional and descriptive materials and distinguish it from any non-certifying space." Therefore, teams should be prepared to submit documentation/explanation of how the project's name and signage are designed to differentiate certified from non-certified portions of the building or complex.

What kind of connections qualify buildings or structures to be considered a single building?

"Buildings that are physically connected by programmable space are considered one building for LEED purposes..." This refers to buildings that are connected by contiguous programmable GFA on any floor (including underground levels). To illustrate this idea, two buildings that are contiguously connected by programmable GFA spaces (such as gyms, restrooms, bowling alleys, etc.) that happen to be located underground could still be considered a single building for LEED purposes. Spaces dedicated to circulation, parking, mechanical or storage uses do not qualify as programmable GFA for this purpose.

Two structures that have programmatic gross floor area on directly opposite sides of a common (party) wall are eligible to be treated as one building (i.e., may register as a single, Individual Project) for LEED BD+C purposes even if there are no direct circulation links through the shared wall. On the other hand, if the project team prefers to treat such structures as two separate buildings for LEED purposes, as long as the two structures are physically distinct, the team would just need to show that the two structures have distinct identities as separate buildings and that they also have separate air distribution systems as well as separate metering for all water and energy uses. Distinct identities are usually confirmed by having a different name or address, but other distinctions will also be considered.

Can multiple buildings fall within the LEED project boundary (LPB) of a LEED v4 BD+C Individual Project registration?

There may only be one building within a LEED BD+C project and its LEED project boundary (LPB), with the following exceptions:

  1. Buildings or structures related to the certifying building(s) and containing less than 1,000 square feet (93 square meters) of gross floor area (i.e., buildings ineligible for LEED BD+C certification in their own right) may be included within the LPB.
  2. Certain primary and secondary school projects, hospitals (general medical and surgical), hotels, resorts, and resort properties are permitted to treat multiple buildings as parts of an ‘individual project’ in BD+C and O+M rating systems, as explained in the Buildings section of the Additional Guidance for this MPR.
  3. Multiple buildings containing at least 1,000 square feet (93 square meters) of gross floor area may be included within the same LEED project site boundary if they are registered as part of the same Group Project and following the group approach described in the LEED Campus Guidance.
  4. For other cases such as buildings that have programmatic dependency (spaces – not personnel – within the building cannot function independently without the other building) or architectural cohesiveness (the building was designed to appear as one building), project teams are encouraged to contact USGBC to discuss their project prior to proceeding.

Note: multiple buildings can be included within the LEED campus boundary of a master site in accordance with the campus approach explained in the same LEED Campus Guidance document cited above. Please also note that neither the group or campus approaches are not presently available in for projects registered under LEED v4.1 or any Residential adaptation.

According to the MPR 2 Additional Guidance, it says "If another building or structure within the LEED project boundary is ineligible for LEED certification, it may be either included or not included in the certification of the LEED project." What makes a building "eligible" or "ineligible"?

If a building meets the Minimum Program Requirements, then it is considered to be certifiable. So, if the building is permanent and on permanent land (per MPR 1) and is larger than 1,000 square feet (93 square meters) of gross floor area (per MPR 3), then the building is considered to be certifiable.

Can I certify multiple, non-contiguous spaces within a single building under one LEED v4 ID+C Individual Project registration?

Yes, as long as each space complies with the MPR 2 Additional Guidance for Interiors. Note that teams should try to define a LEED project boundary (LPB) that is as coherent as possible--ideally, one that aligns with separate lease, departmental, and/or HVAC system boundaries. In doing so, it is acceptable to include some space that is not undergoing renovations or fit-out to arrive at a more reasonable and contiguous LPB, as long as it does not comprise more than 40% of the total certifying gross floor area and you account for its existing characteristics in all pertinent LEED prerequisite and credit calculations. If you have concerns about your LPB, please email us at LEEDInfo@usgbc.org with plans illustrating your proposed LPB (in PDF format) and an explanation of the project's scope of work.

Minimum Program Requirement (MPR) 3: Must Comply with Project Size Requirements

In v4.1 O+M: Interiors, which parts of MPR 3 apply?

The minimum gross floor area for "Interiors" projects, 250 square feet (22 square meters), applies.

If a project is too small for BD+C can it use ID+C?

No. Eligibility for ID+C is also dependent upon the scope of work of the project.

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