Rating System

LEED BD+C: New Construction

Rating System Version

v2 - LEED 2.2, v2 - LEED 2.0

Inquiry

The Blanchard College Center will function as the student center facilities for Mt. Holyoke college. The design team is currently exploring project actions that could secure LEED points available in the Alternative Transportation Credits for LEED V2.0. The unique building type for this project presents the design team with scenarios not currently covered in the LEED V2.0 reference guide and subsequent LEED Credit Rulings.\nThe peak occupant load of this building is estimated at between 400 and 600 students, with 30-40 staff members. It should be noted that these occupant numbers refer to transient users from the over all Mt. Holyoke campus. The overall student body for Mt Holyoke consists of approximately 2100 students with a faculty of approximately 210.\nIt should also be noted there is no parking facility in the scope of this project. There are adjacent parking facilities that the project could potentially intervene on in order to earn Alternative Transportation Credit points.\nIn light of these project statistics, the Blanchard College Center design team is making the following inquiries relating to Sustainable Site Credit 4: Alternative Transportation.\n\nBlanchard College Center, being the college\'s student center, is an obvious candidate for a central secure bicycle rack area. LEED V2.0 calls for enough bike racks and shower facilities to accommodate 5% of the building occupants. The design team is proposing to use the peak occupant load figure to determine the proper number of bike racks.\nIn addition, there are currently enough shower/changing facilities with lockers available in the student athletic center. In order to conserve resources, the design team would like for those facilities to count towards this credit. While there is a credit ruling for the pilot version of LEED that specifies that shower/changing facilities need to be within a 100 ft. radius of the project, this campus setting context should allow for added flexibility to that ruling. The Blanchard College Center design team would like for the USGBC Credit Ruling committee to consider that these facilities are only 1,320 feet from the project, which seems sufficient to award the project the respective points.