USGBC Updated LEED-AP-BD+C Exam Questions and Answers by marley

Providing an educational program on the environmental and human health benefits of green building practices is a potential innovation strategy that is not addressed by any existing LEED credit. It also meets the criteria of being measurable, replicable, and having a positive impact on the project and the environment.References: LEED v4 BD+C Reference Guide, Innovation Category, INc1: Innovation, Option 1. Innovation (1 point), page 704.

New Construction is the appropriate rating system for a new mixed-use building with 300,000 ft2 (27 871 m2) of residential units, 150,000 ft2 (13 935 m2) hotel and 50,000 ft2 (4 645 m2) of retail space. According to the LEED rating system selection guidance1, the New Construction rating system applies to buildings that are being newly constructed or going through a major renovation, and that include any of the following use types: office, retail, hospitality, education, residential, warehouse and distribution centers, or data centers2. The New Construction rating system can also be used for mixed-use buildings that have more than one use type3. Since the project involves new construction of a mixed-use building with residential, hospitality, and retail uses, the New Construction rating system is the most suitable option. The other rating systems are not applicable because they are either specific to one use type (Retail and Hospitality) or to buildings that are not complete at the time of certification (Core and Shell Development). References:

LEED rating system selection guidance | U.S. Green Building Council

LEED v4: Building Design + Construction Guide - U.S. Green Building Council

LEED v4 Rating Systems | USGBC-LI

Exemplary performance credits are one of the options to earn innovation points under the LEED v4.1 rating system. They are typically awarded for achieving double the credit requirements or the next incremental percentage threshold of an existing LEED v4.1 prerequisite or credit that allows exemplary performance. For example, to earn an exemplary performance point for the Energy and Atmosphere credit Optimize Energy Performance, the project must demonstrate a percentage improvement in the proposed building performance rating compared to the baseline building performance rating per ASHRAE 90.1-2010 by at least 12 percentage points for new construction, or by at least 16 percentage points for major renovations.

References: = NC-v4.1 INc1: Innovation | LEEDuser, Guide to Exemplary Performance Credits in LEED-NC v4 | LEEDuser

The correct answer is A, site conditions. According to the LEED v4: Building Design + Construction Guide, the Integrative Process Prerequisite, Integrative Project Planning and Design, requires the project team to perform a preliminary “simple box” energy modeling and analysis before the completion of schematic design. The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the energy performance goals of the project and to identify and compare the energy-related design strategies. The analysis should include the following aspects1:

Site conditions, such as climate, solar orientation, shading, and natural ventilation potential

Massing and orientation, such as building shape, size, and orientation, and how they affect the heating and cooling loads, daylight availability, and passive design strategies

Basic envelope attributes, such as insulation levels, window-to-wall ratio, glazing properties, infiltration rates, and thermal bridging

Lighting levels, such as the target illumination levels, daylighting potential, and lighting power density

Plug and process loads, such as the equipment and appliances that consume electricity, and their schedules and controls

Programmatic and operational parameters, such as the occupancy, operating hours, and zoning of the building

Thermal comfort ranges, such as the acceptable temperature and humidity levels for the occupants

HVAC system selection, such as the type, efficiency, and control of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system

The other choices are not aspects that should be analyzed when pursuing an integrative design process focusing on energy-related systems, because:

Potable water availability is related to the water efficiency and water quality goals of the project, not the energy performance goals2.

Acoustic performance of the project is related to the indoor environmental quality and occupant comfort goals of the project, not the energy performance goals3.

Applicability of green vehicles to the project is related to the location and transportation and greenhouse gas emissions goals of the project, not the energy performance goals4.

References: LEED v4: Building Design + Construction Guide, Integrative Process Prerequisite, Integrative Project Planning and Design, Option 1. Energy-Related Systems1; LEED v4: Building Design + Construction Guide, Water Efficiency Prerequisite, Indoor Water Use Reduction, Requirements2; LEED v4: Building Design + Construction Guide, Indoor Environmental Quality Prerequisite, Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance, Requirements3; LEED v4: Building Design + Construction Guide, Location and Transportation Credit, Green Vehicles, Requirements4