Rating System

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

Rating System Version

v2 - LEED 2.2, v2 - Schools 2007

Inquiry

We are designing an addition to a solid waste transfer station facility for the South Bayside Waste Management Authority in San Carlos, CA. The floor area of the addition will be about 22,000 SF, and the overall building area including the addition will be about 75,000 SF. After the addition has been completed, there will be no wall or physical barrier between the addition and the original structure of the building, although both the new and the existing component will be served by independent HVAC systems, lighting controls, etc. Several floor openings to a tunnel below will prevent traffic between the addition and the existing portion of the building, but the two structures will basically be open to each other. May we certify only the addition to the transfer station, or must the existing building be certified as well? If the addition may be certified as a single structure, we propose that the interface between the addition and the existing building be modeled as a partition with no R-value. Is this acceptable?