Rating System

LEED BD+C: New Construction

Rating System Version

v2 - LEED 2.0

Inquiry

Our project is an infill Class A office building in the historic coastline of the harbour area of Hamilton, Bermuda. The project is on the iconic Front street, forming part of the historic streetscape, right opposite the harbour, with its property boundary just over the 100\' foot requirement from the warf at the shore line. Being in Bermuda, the site is not documented by FEMA for the 100 year flood plain and there are no local records or documents to document the same. The site is a redevelopment of a previous prime retail site, preserving the historical character of the previous building on the site. The site is within an hurricane area. As part of risk assessment, the client commissioned a \'STORM SURGE ASSESSMENT\' report. The recommendations of the report are as follows: "It is recommended that with the inclusion of a freeboard allowance, the working floor elevation of the bank should be set at a level of +0.5 m above the outside ground level (or equally, at a level of +2.4 m above highest astronomical tide). This height is expected to safeguard the operations and equipment of the bank against inundation from a 1-in-150 year storm surge event. Statistically speaking, this 150-year event has a 28% chance of occurring within the next 50 years." (Full report will be attached for your reference) To counter this potential of storm serge, the project design has incorporated significant safeguards to protect the building from hurricane related damage including incorporating \'waterproof and watertight\' first floor and basement using water tight doors, special waterproof concrete additives, water bar concrete joint detailing, and programming of functions in a way that in case of storm event, minimal disruption to the building operations would be experienced. In addition, the project well exceeds the BOCA code requirements for Hurricane wind loading and projectile resistance, and has adapted the Florida Miami-Dade County Regulations for small and large missile impact resistance in High Velocity Hurricane Zones, for exterior glazing and building envelope design. Per the LEED NC 2.1 Template, projects may attempt this credit under special circumstances, even if there is technical non-compliance noted with one of the five site criteria. Considering the urban historical nature of the project site, the \'water and hurricane proof\' design strategies to counter act the potential for a storm serge occurring on the site from hurricane activity, and the absence of 100 year floor plain line documentation due it\'s Caribbean location, would this project site be eligible to pursue the Site Selection Credit? Thank you for your consideration.