Rating System

LEED BD+C: New Construction, LEED BD+C: New Construction

Rating System Version

v2 - LEED 2.2, v3 - LEED 2009

Inquiry

Office occupancy primarily consists of the use of a building for the transaction of business or for similar purposes, which is consistent with the operations of a branch bank. We are proposing that commonalities include hours of operation, mechanical systems, lighting types and levels, furnishings, finishes, equipment, and daily internal occupant activities. This building, located in Marana, Arizona, falls under the IBC 2006. According to IBC 2006 Sec. 304.1: Business group B occupancy includes, among others, the use of a building or structure, or a portion thereof, for office, professional or service-type transactions, including storage of records and accounts. Business occupancies shall include, but not be limited to, the following: Airport traffic control towers Animal hospitals, kennels and pounds Banks Barber and beauty shops Car wash Civic administration Clinic-outpatient Dry cleaning and laundries; pick up and delivery stations and self-service Educational occupancies above the 12th grade Electronic data processing Laboratories; testing and research Motor vehicle showrooms Post offices Print shops Professional services (architects, attorneys, dentists, physicians, engineers, etc.) Radio and television stations Telephone exchanges According to IBC 2006 Sec. 309.1: Retail stores fall under the Mercantile Group M occupancy, which includes, among others, buildings and structures or a portion thereof, for the display and sale of merchandise, and involves stocks of goods, wares or merchandise incidental to such purposes and accessible to the public. Request: As the IBC considers banks and retail establishments to be separate occupancy classifications, and that banks are consistent with "office, professional or service-type transactions," we propose that a branch bank building be considered office occupancy and therefore eligible for evaluation under the measures of ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings 2004, provided it meets the square footage requirement of the measure (under 20,000 s.f.).