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Multiple buildings

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How do I certify multiple buildings?

Campus

For projects on a shared site controlled by a single entity, the two approaches outlined in our LEED Campus Guidance, the Campus Approach and the Group Approach, provide options to simplify the certification process for multiple buildings while maintaining the technical integrity and rigor of LEED.

  • The Campus Approach allows projects located on a shared site (i.e., campus) to streamline the documentation and review of certain 'campus credits' through the use of a shared Master Site registration.
  • The Group Approach allows multiple buildings (or interior spaces within multiple buildings) on a shared site to be certified as a single LEED project.

These approaches can be used for LEED v4 BD+C (not including the residential adaptations), ID+C, and O+M projects meeting the eligibility requirements explained in the LEED Campus Guidance.

Volume

For organizations planning to certify a large number of new construction buildings or interior spaces that are based upon a common prototype, the LEED Volume program is a portfolio-level approach that streamlines the certification process, recognizes your organizational commitment to LEED and building performance, and allows you to use LEED to help meet your organizations’ environmental, social, and governance goals. It is available to organizations that own, manage, or lease real estate and have a portfolio of similar projects. Volume certification is currently available for projects that are able use the following LEED rating systems.

  • LEED for Building Design and Construction (LEED BD+C)
  • LEED for Interior Design and Construction (LEED ID+C)

For more information on this program, please see our Guide to LEED certification: Volume. If you are interested in the LEED volume program, please email LEEDvolume@gbci.org.

Other situations

There are also certain other situations under which closely-related free-standing or connected buildings may qualify to be certified as a single Individual Project registration in LEED Online. See the related FAQ 'Can multiple buildings fall within the LEED project boundary (LPB) of a LEED v4 BD+C Individual Project registration?' in Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs).

Which projects are ineligible to utilize the campus or group approach functionality in LEED Online?

  • Any v4.1 project, regardless of the rating system
  • Any version of Homes/Residential Building Design and Construction (BD+C)
  • Any version of Neighborhood Development (ND)
  • Any version of LEED for Cities and Communities

Given that Homes and Residential BD+C projects can’t use the Campus or Group approaches, are there other ways to streamline multiple Homes/Residential projects?

Presently, v4 BD+C: Homes Single Family and Multifamily Lowrise, v4 BD+C: Multifamily Midrise, and v4.1 Residential: Single Family projects cannot use the campus or group approaches. Projects certifying under those rating systems with multiple buildings can register together in a Bulk registration, and submit for certification using a batch submittal if the requirements for these options are met as outlined in the Guide to Certification: Residential. LEED v4.1 Residential Multifamily (and Multifamily Core and Shell) projects with multiple buildings should contact us for guidance on how to register because the v4.1 multiple building registration functionality is not yet available in LEED Online. We recommend coordinating with your project's Green Rater prior to registering.

Is it mandatory to use the campus or group approaches if certifying multiple buildings at the same time or on a shared property/site?

Utilizing the Campus Program is entirely voluntary. Multiple building projects are under no obligation to register a Master Site, or to register as Campus or Group Projects; each building (or space/s within a single building) may certify as a separate Individual Project, instead. However, generally, there can be only a single building within a given Individual Project registration, with limited exceptions as explained in the FAQ "Can I certify multiple buildings in a LEED v4 BD+C Individual Project registration?" in Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs).

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

Please see this same FAQ in Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs).

How can I certify my campus?

LEED does not certify whole campuses. The Campus Program was developed to streamline the process of certifying multiple buildings and/or project spaces on a campus.

Can I receive a LEED certification for my master site?

No, a master site does not receive a LEED certification. The master site is used solely as a tool for streamlining the documentation and review process associated with campus credits. The outcome of a master site review is that campus credits are earned for use by LEED projects included within the LEED campus boundary.

How is the LEED campus boundary different from the LEED project boundary?

The LEED campus boundary functions as the LEED project boundary for all campus credits. The campus boundary may be the legal limits of the site or an alternative boundary defined for LEED purposes. Each LEED campus project that applies for certification must have its own LEED project boundary for use with all individual building credits, and all LEED project boundaries must be wholly contained within the LEED campus boundary. Both types of LEED boundaries should comply with the criteria explained in Minimum Program Requirement 'Must Use Reasonable LEED Boundaries' for LEED v4 projects or the LEED 2009 MPR Supplemental Guidance for LEED v2009 projects, as appropriate to the LEED version being used.

Can I exclude buildings from my LEED campus boundary?

The LEED campus boundary may include buildings for which LEED certification has not/will not be pursued. However, please note that all campus features and infrastructure within the campus boundary, including buildings, should be considered when documenting the campus credits. For instance, when documenting Option 1 of SSc: Heat Island Reduction as a campus credit, the project team is required to include all roof and non-roof (hardscape) areas within the campus credit calculations, including those associated with the buildings for which LEED certification will not be pursued. See the LEED Campus Guidance document for additional details.

Can I use the guidance provided in the LEED Campus Guidance document to certify my LEED BD+C precertification projects?

Yes. The Campus Guidance is applicable to LEED BD+C precertification projects. However, master sites can’t be used to help document the precertification phases of Core and Shell projects. Instead, each precertification project may indicate the intent to use a campus approach for pertinent campus credits during its precertification review. Campus credits can only be submitted and reviewed via the master site during the full certification review phases.

The campus approach doesn't work well for our project. Are there other ways of utilizing land area or features that fall outside of our project's LEED project boundary (LPB)?

Yes, when a building will be in a campus setting or a development with a master plan being designed to address the entire shared site, keep in mind that there are some credits that have built-in allowances to account for features falling outside of a given project's LEED boundary, even without the use of a master site following the Campus approach. For example in BD+C, the 'Multitenant complex' approach noted in the Requirements language of SSc Rainwater Management and SSc Open Space could be applied in this situation even though this project may not strictly meet the definition of a 'multitenant complex' provided in the reference guide. SSc Light Pollution Reduction allows utilizing a lighting boundary that is larger than the LEED project boundary for certain requirements in certain circumstances. LTc Bicycle Facilities does not require either bike storage or showers to be located inside the LEED project boundary. The LT Overview section explains how to account for parking spaces in pooled parking facilities whether they fall inside or outside the LEED project boundary. For EAc Renewable Energy (Production), renewable systems located within the same contiguous campus can be considered on-site (see credit requirements).

Updated September 2, 2023

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