ShareThisThe Scoop on LEED for Homes Mid-Rise
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After several years as a pilot program, the LEED for Homes Mid-Rise rating system was officially launched by the USGBC near the end of 2010. We now have several projects that have been enrolled in the program and are now under construction.
The Mid-Rise program is designed for multifamily projects in the 4-6 story range, including those that may have a mixed-use component. It can be seen as a hybrid program between the LEED for Homes low-rise rating system and the LEED for New Construction program for commercial projects. Major differences in the Mid-Rise program from the standard LEED for Homes program include full unit-compartmentalization, measures that address the nature of larger multifamily projects such as bicycle parking, increased compact development, and tobacco smoke reduction. One other big difference is that the energy pathway for mid-rise projects will require the project’s energy performance to be at least 14% better than the ASHRAE 90.1 standard.
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The mid-rise program will require projects to work with an energy consultant and this will potentially add to the costs for project teams. However, LEED mid-rise projects do not need to perform as much commissioning as is the case with LEED for New Construction. This tends to beone of the big ticket items with commercial program and can reduce a cost burden to project teams that desire to certify their project.
Also, in addition to the financial benefits, we believe projects will benefit from going with the Homes mid rise rating system because it is a program that is designed specifically for this project type by representing project team’s design choices in a much more user-friendly fashion. The Homes process in general is simpler because project teams work directly with an Earth Advantage LEED Representative and utilize on site verification versus the arduous documentation and back and forth with the USGBC required for the commercial programs.
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