American University
OP-2: Building Design and Construction

Institution-owned buildings that were constructed or underwent major renovations in the past three years are:

1) Certified under the LEED® for New Construction and Major Renovations, LEED for Commercial Interiors, and/or LEED for Core and Shell Green Building Rating Systems,

and/or

2) Designed and built in accordance with green building guidelines and policies that cover the following topics:

• Impacts on the surrounding site
• Energy consumption
• Usage of environmentally preferable materials
• Indoor environmental quality
• Water consumption

This credit applies to institutions that have any Eligible Building Space (Design and Construction).

For this credit, eligible buildings are those for which construction was completed during the previous three years. 

Buildings that have registered for LEED certification but are not yet certified should not be counted as certified building space.  Institutions may omit such buildings from the calculations for this credit for up to one year following the completion of construction. 

New Construction and Major Renovations

New construction and major renovation projects must meet the following three “Minimum Program Requirements” of LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations.  An eligible building must:

• “[B]e designed for, constructed on, and operated on a permanent location on already existing land.  No building or space that is designed to move at any point in its lifetime [should be included].” 
• “[I]nclude a minimum of 1,000 square feet (93 square meters) of gross floor area.”

Furthermore, the institution, as the building’s owner, “must occupy more than 50% of the building’s leasable square footage.”

Major renovations should be included if they meet the following definition from USGBC: “involves major HVAC renovation, significant envelope modifications, and major interior rehabilitation” that 

• affects more than 50 percent of total building floor area;
• causes more than 50 percent of regular building occupants to relocate; or
• increases total building floor area by more than 50 percent

Buildings that do not meet these requirements and are therefore ineligible for LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations certification should be excluded from this credit. 

Commercial Interiors

Interior improvement projects must meet the following “Minimum Program Requirements” of LEED for Commercial Interiors: 

• “[B]e designed for, constructed on, and operated on a permanent location on already existing land.  No building or space that is designed to move at any point in its lifetime [should be included].”
• “[P]roject scope must include a complete interior space distinct from other spaces within the same building with regards to at least one of the following characteristics: ownership, management, lease, or party wall separation.”
• “[I]nclude a minimum of 250 square feet (22 square meters) of gross floor area.”

Core and Shell

Core and shell projects must meet the following “Minimum Program Requirements” of LEED for Core and Shell:

• “[B]e designed for, constructed on, and operated on a permanent location on already existing land.  No building or space that is designed to move at any point in its lifetime” should be included. 
• The project “must include the new, ground-up design and construction, or major renovation, of at least one building in its entirety.”
• “[I]nclude a minimum of 1,000 square feet (93 square meters) of gross floor area”

Institutions earn the maximum of 4 points for this credit by having all eligible building square footage be LEED Platinum certified.  Incremental points are available based on the percentage of floor area that is certified at each LEED level and/or designed and constructed in accordance with green building policies or guidelines.  For example, an institution that had 100 percent of its floor area certified at the Certified level would earn 2 points for this credit, while an institution that had 50 percent of its floor area certified at the Certified level would earn 1 point.

Timeframe

Report on the current certification status of buildings at the time of STARS submission.  Buildings for which certification is pending should not be counted as certified space, and these buildings may be excluded from the institution’s profile for up to two years following LEED registration. 

This credit focuses on buildings for which construction was completed within the past three years. 

Sampling and Data Standards

Include all buildings that meet the Eligible Building Space (Design and Construction) as defined in the Standards and Terms section below; reporting on a sample or subset of buildings is not allowed.