Rating System

LEED BD+C: New Construction, LEED BD+C: Core and Shell

Rating System Version

v2 - LEED 2.2, v2 - LEED 2.0

Inquiry

At over 2 million GSF, Beijing Parkview Green (PVG) is one of China\'s largest sustainable architecture projects. PVG is comprised of four buildings, including two 11-story and two 20-story towers (Blocks A-D) that house a retail area, offices and a six-star hotel - all of which are enclosed in a "Microclimatic Envelope" (ME) comprised of glass and plastic (ETFE - ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene). As a separate, non-structurally tied edifice, the ME operates in concert with the buildings at the site, providing benefits in energy conservation, solar reflectance, and stormwater management, while providing insulation value to the structures within. If you think of a glass covering on a cake stand, you have a pretty good idea of the nature of the ME. The project earns SS Credit 2, and in the context of SSc5.2, we are proposing that public plazas under the microclimatic envelope be considered "pedestrian oriented hardscape" for the purpose of compliance with this credit. The project area is 332,484 sq. ft., of which 176,724 sq. ft. (53%) is building footprint. The project contains a total of 155,760 sq.ft. of open space of which, 52,536 sq.ft. is vegetated. Pedestrian oriented hardscape totals 103,225 sq.ft: 33,619 sq. ft. located outside the ME and 69,606 sq. ft. under the ME. According to these figures, the vegetated open space exceeds the required 25%, representing 34% of the total open space. Because the plaza under the ME is fully publicly accessible, we believe it meets the intent of Credit SS 5.2, and we should be able to count the pedestrian oriented hardscape under it toward compliance with this credit. Given the current figures for vegetated open space and pedestrian oriented hardscape we exceed the requirement of 20% of the project site area. We seek this CIR to confirm that the use of the plaza area within the ME helps us comply with SSc5.2 and that the 47% total open space qualifies this project for exemplary performance under this credit.