Credit

Description

Prereq 1

Storage and Collection of Recyclables

Required

Intent: To facilitate the reduction of waste generated by building occupants that is hauled to and disposed of in landfills.

Requirements: Provide an easily accessible dedicated area for the collection and storage of materials for recycling for the entire building. Materials must include at a minimum paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics and metals.

Implementation: Building owners and designers must determine the best way to create a dedicated recycling collection and storage area that is easily accessible within the building and encourages recycling yet is accessible to the waste hauler. Recyclable material collection and storage space might increase the project footprint in some instances. Consider how recycling activities might affect a building's indoor environmental quality. Activities that create odors, noise and air contaminants should be isolated or performed during nonoccupant hours. The requirements of this prerequisite do not regulate the size of the recycling area. However, the table below provides guidelines for the recycling storage area based on overall building square footage, including corridors, elevators, stairwells and shaft spaces. These guidelines will help the design team to determine the appropriate size for recycling facilities according to specific building operations.

Commercial Building (sf)	Minimum Recycling Area (sf)
0 to 5,000	82
5,001 to 15,000	125
15,001 to 50,000	175
50,001 to 100,000	225
100,001 to 200,000	275
200,001 or greater	500

MR 1.1

Building Reuse - Maintain Existing Walls, Floors and Roof

1-3 points

Intent: To extend the life cycle of existing building stock, conserve resources, retain cultural resources, reduce waste and reduce environmental impacts of new buildings as they relate to materials manufacturing and transport.

Requirements: Maintain the existing building structure (including structural floor and roof decking) and envelope (the exterior skin and framing, excluding window assemblies and nonstructural roofing material). Hazardous materials that are remediated as a part of the project must be excluded from the calculation of the percentage maintained. The minimum percentage building reuse for each point threshold is as follows:

If the new project includes an addition that is more than 2 times the square footage of the existing building, this credit is not applicable.

Implementation: If the project will reuse part of an existing building, inventory the existing conditions. The architect should develop a floor plan showing the location of existing structural components, exterior and party walls, and exterior windows and doors. The drawings should be detailed enough to determine the surface area of all elements to be reused. Confirm that the structural and envelope elements designated for reuse can be reused and take the necessary steps to retain and maintain them. Projects that incorporate part of an existing building but do not meet the requirements of MR Credit 1 may apply the reused portion toward the achievement of MR Credit 2, Construction Waste management. To do so, determine an approximate weight or volume for existing building elements.

MR 1.2

Building Reuse - Maintain Interior Nonstructural Elements

1 point

Intent: To extend the life cycle of existing building stock, conserve resources, retain cultural resources, reduce waste and reduce environmental impacts of new buildings as they relate to materials manufacturing and transport.

Requirements: Use existing interior nonstructural elements (e.g., interior walls, doors, floor coverings and ceiling systems) in at least 50% (by area) of the completed building, including additions. If the new project includes an addition that is more than 2 times the square footage of the existing building, this credit is not applicable.

Implementation: Confirm that the items designated for reuse can be reused and take the necessary steps to retain and maintain them in the finished work. Fixed items, such as nonstructural walls and doors, are included in this credit and count toward the percentage of reuse when they perform the same function (e.g., doors reused as doors). If materials are used for another purpose (e.g., doors made into tables), they can count toward the achievement of MR Credit 3, Materials Reuse, but they cannot count toward both credits. Projects that incorporate part of an existing building but do not meet the requirements of MR Credit 1 may apply the reused portion toward the achievement of MR Credit 2, Construction Waste management. To do so, determine an approximate weight or volume for existing building elements.

MR 2

Construction Waste Management

1-2 points

Intent: To divert construction and demolition debris from disposal in landfills and incineration facilities. Redirect recyclable recovered resources back to the manufacturing process and reusable materials to appropriate sites.

Requirements: Recycle and/or salvage nonhazardous construction and demolition debris. Develop and implement a construction waster management plan that, at a minimum,  identifies the materials to be diverted from disposal and whether the materials will be sorted on-site or comingled. Excavated soil and land-clearing debris do not contribute to this credit. Calculations can be done by weight or volume, but must be consistent throughout. The minimum percentage debris to be recycled or salvaged for each point threshold is as follows:

Implementation: This credit addresses how much waste material leaving the site is diverted from landfills. the percentage requirement represents the amount diverted through recycling and salvage divided by the total waste generated by the construction project.

Identify construction haulers and recyclers to handle the designated materials; they often serve as valuable partners in this effort. Make sure that job-site personnel understand and participate in construction debris recycling, and ask them to provide updates throughout the construction process. Obtain and retain verification records (e.g., waste haul receipts, waste management reports and spreadsheets) to confirm that the diverted materials have been recycled or salvaged as intended. Diversion may include salvaged materials such as furniture, computers and equipment, white boards, lockers, doors, lighting and plumbing fixtures. Salvaged material can be donated to charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, reuse centers, nonprofit organizations or other buildings. Materials sold to the community can also be counted.

A project may choose to separate construction waste on-site or have comingled construction waste sorted at an off-site facility. On-site separation provides immediate feedback of the ongoing waste diversion efforts, but may require additional labor. Although comingled recycling can increase recycling costs, it might also simplify the waste management effort on-site and ensure that diversion rates will be high. This option is especially useful for projects with tight space constraints and no room for multiple collection bins.

MR 3

Materials Reuse

1-2 points

Intent: To reuse building materials and products to reduce demand for virgin materials and reduce waste, thereby lessening impacts associated with the extraction and processing of virgin resources.

Requirements: Use salvaged, refurbished or reused materials, the sum of which constitutes at least 5% or 10%, based on cost, of the total value of materials on the project. The minimum percentage of materials reused for each point threshold is as follows:

Mechanical, electrical and plumbing components, and specialty items such as elevators and equipment cannot be included in this calculation. Include only materials permanently installed in the project. Furniture may be included if it is included consistently in MR Credit 3: Materials Reuse through MR Credit 7: Certified Wood.

Implementation: Using salvaged and refurbished materials in building projects extends the life of materials and can reduce overall initial costs. Use of salvaged materials can also add character to the building and can be used effectively as architectural details.

Reused Materials Found On-site - Items that were "fixed" components on-site before construction began. To qualify for this credit, these items must no longer be able to serve their original functions and must then be installed for a different use or in a different location. An example would be a door removed and modified to serve as the countertop for the receptionist station.

Reused Materials Found Off-site - Reusable materials eligible for this credit are not limited to items found within the project building. Materials obtained off-site qualify as reused if they have been previously used. These materials may be purchased as salvaged, similar to any other project material, or they may be relocated from another facility, including ones previously used by the occupant. The salvaged materials from both on-site and off-site can be applied to MR Credit 5, Regional Materials, if they comply with the requirements of that credit. Materials qualifying as reused for MR Credit 3 cannot be applied to MR Credits 1,2,4,6 or 7.

MR 4

Recycled Content

1-2 points

Intent: To increase demand for building products that incorporate recycled content materials, thereby reducing impacts resulting from extraction and processing of virgin materials.

Requirements: Use materials with recycled content such that the sum of postconsumer recycled content plus 1/2 of the preconsumer content constitutes at least 10% or 20%, based on cost, of the total value of the materials of the project. The minimum percentage materials recycled for each point threshold is as follows:

The recycled content value of a material assembly is determined by weight. The recycled fraction of the assembly is then multiplied by the cost of assembly to determine the recycled content value.

Mechanical, electrical and plumbing components, and specialty items such as elevators cannot be included in this calculation. Include only materials permanently installed in the project. Furniture may be included if it is included consistently in MR Credit 3: Materials Reuse through MR Credit 7: Certified Wood.

Implementation: Establish goals for recycled content during the design phase and include them in the project specifications. Doing so is not a requirement, but it can help in achieving the credit. Many standard materials contain recycled content because of how they are manufactured; examples are steel, gypsum board and acoustical ceiling tile. Design and construction teams may need to research which materials contain high levels of recycled content or verify which models of a certain product line feature the desired recycled content; examples include carpet and ceramic tile.

MR 5

Regional Materials

1-2 points

Intent: To increase demand for building materials and products that are extracted and manufactured within the region, thereby supporting the use of indigenous resources and reducing the environmental impacts resulting from transportation.

Requirements: Use building materials or products that have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured, within 500 miles of the project site for a minimum of 10% or 20%, based on cost, of the total materials value. If only a fraction of a product or material is extracted, harvested, or recovered and manufactureed locally, then only that percentage (by weight) may contribute to the regional value. The minimum percentage regional materials for each point threshold is as follows:

Mechanical, electrical and plumbing components, and specialty items such as elevators cannot be included in this calculation. Include only materials permanently installed in the project. Furniture may be included if it is included consistently in MR Credit 3: Materials Reuse through MR Credit 7: Certified Wood.

Implementation: The point of manufacture is considered the place of final assembly of components into the building product that is furnished and installed by the tradeworkers. It may require careful research to determine what local products are available, so evaluate this credit early in the design process. This credit is achieved by summing the cost of all materials that are extracted and manufactured within 500 miles of the construction site. If the material contains components that were sourced from a place within 500 miles but he final assembly was farther away, the product cannot be counted toward the credit. In cases where products and construction components are assembled on-site, the individual components that are extracted within 500 miles of the site will be counted toward this credit.

The general contractor should work with subcontractors and suppliers to verify availability of materials that are extracted, harvested, or recovered and manufactured locally. The contractor should run preliminary calculations based on the construction budget or schedule of values during the preconstruction phase. This will allow the construction team to focus on those materials with the greatest contribution to this credit as early as possible.

MR 6

Rapidly Renewable Materials

1 point

Intent: To reduce the use and depletion of finite raw materials and long-cycle renewable materials by replacing them with rapidly renewable materials.

Requirements: Use rapidly renewable building materials and products for 2.5% of the total value of all building materials and products used in the project, based on cost. Rapidly renewable building materials and products are made from plants that are typically harvested within a 10-year or shorter cycle.

Implementation: Establish a goal for the use of rapidly renewable materials early in the design phase, identify possible building materials that may be substituted with rapidly renewable products, and find vendors that can achieve this goal. Identify products and vendors in the project specifications and plans and work with the general contractor to source acceptable alternatives. During construction, make sure that the specified rapidly renewable materials are installed. Examples of rapidly renewable materials include bamboo flooring and plywood, cotton batt insulation, linoleum flooring, sunflower seed board panels, wheatboard cabinetry, wool carpeting, cork flooring, bio-based paints, geotextile fabrics such as coir and jute, soy-based insulation and form-release agent, and straw bales.

MR 7

Certified Wood

1 point

Intent: To encourage environmentally responsible forest management.

Requirements: Use a minimum of 50% (based on cost) of wood-based materials and products that are certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council's principles and criteria, for wood building components. These components include at a minimum, structural framing and general dimensional framing, flooring, sub-flooring, wood doors and finishes. Include only materials permanently installed on the project. Wood products purchased for temporary use on the project (e.g., formwork, bracing, scaffolding, sidewalk protection and guard rails) may be included in the calculation at the project team's discretion. If any such materials are included, all such materials must be included in the calculation. If such materials are purchased for use on multiple projects, the applicant may include these materials for only one project, at its discretion. Furniture may be included if it is included consistently in MR Credit 3: Materials Reuse, through MR Credit 7: Certified Wood.

Implementation: Establish a project goal for FSC-certified wood products and identify suppliers that can achieve this goal. Research the availability of the wood species and products that they want to use, and make sure that they are available from FSC-certified sources. Another method for lowering the impact of wood resources is to research and specify quality grades that are most readily available from well-managed forests. Using lower grades of wood can dramatically reduce pressure on forests, which produce only limited quantities of top-grade timber. Contact local vendors, suppliers and manufacturers that provide FSC-certified products as early as possible.