Which of the following is necessary to satisfy the requirement for the outdoor space to be physically accessible when calculating the Sustainable Sites Credit, Open Space?

A commercial office building with a footprint of 70,000 ft2 (6 503.2 m2) has an overall site area of 200,000 ft2 (18 580.6 m2). The project design includes 15,000 ft2 (1 393.5 m2) of pedestrian oriented hardscape and 18,000 ft2 (1 672.3 m2) of vegetated open space.

Which of the following is necessary to satisfy the requirement for the outdoor space to be physically accessible when calculating the Sustainable Sites Credit, Open Space?
A . A garden space dedicated to industrial food production for use by local communities
B . A garden space with only one vegetation type and species during the summer for visual interest
C . A dark paving area with site elements to encourage parking near wetlands or naturally designed ponds
D . A pedestrian-oriented paving or turf area with physical site elements that accommodate outdoor social activities

View Answer

Answer: D

Explanation:

A pedestrian-oriented paving or turf area with physical site elements that accommodate outdoor social activities is necessary to satisfy the requirement for the outdoor space to be physically accessible when calculating the Sustainable Sites Credit, Open Space. This is because the outdoor space must be designed to encourage regular use by occupants and visitors1. A garden space dedicated to industrial food production for use by local communities may not be accessible to the building occupants and visitors2. A garden space with only one vegetation type and species during the summer for visual interest does not meet the requirement of having two or more types of vegetation or overhead vegetated canopy1. A dark paving area with site elements to encourage parking near wetlands or naturally designed ponds is not considered as pedestrian-oriented hardscape and may have negative impacts on the natural environment3.

References:

• Open Space, p. 1

• NC-v4 SSc3: Open space, p. 2

• LEED v4 for Building Design and Construction, p. 72