Rating System

LEED BD+C: New Construction

Rating System Version

v2 - LEED 2.0

Inquiry

Alternative Transportation: Bicycle and Shower Facilities Background: 5% of the total building occupancy is 313 people which establishes the number of expected bicyclists for the project. Our project intends to meet the shower facility requirement by allowing bicyclist access to the onsite health club by policy. The health club membership maximum will be 2,500 (of which the 313 bicyclists are a subset) and the design of the health club will include the requisite number of showers for the expected number of peak or design club occupants which is 250. The local building code authority (Jersey City, New Jersey) has adopted the National Plumbing Code. For a recreation facility occupancy (heath clubs, academic athletic facilities, etc.) the National Plumbing Code requires 1 shower per 15 people for the first 150 people, and then 1 shower per 30 people for all people over the first 150 for expected peak occupancy. For the expected peak design occupancy (250 people) the health club design will include 28 showers. Credit Interpretation: The persons per shower requirement of 1 shower per 8 bicyclists as stated in the LEED Reference Guide is significantly higher (87% to 275%) than the persons per shower requirements of the National Plumbing Code for recreation facilities. Our project will be providing 28 showers (or 1 shower per 9 club occupants at peak use) which is 100% greater than the code requires for a recreational facility. Will this be adequate in meeting the intent of this point? Was the plumbing code misinterpreted when the authors of the requirement in the Reference Guide referred to it as a baseline guideline?