Free LEED AP BD+C Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A project team decided to install a garden canopy covered by photovoltaic (PV) panels. Which of the following prerequisites/credits will this decision make a positive contribution to? (Choose three.)
- Optimize Energy Performance credit (Correct answer)
- Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite
- Heat Island Reduction credit (Correct answer)
- Renewable Energy Production credit (Correct answer)
- Demand Response credit
Correct answer: Optimize Energy Performance credit
Explanation: <br> Under Option 1: Whole-Building Energy Simulation part of the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite, the percent improvement in the baseline building performance must be established without considering the on-site renewable energy sources (such as PV panels for this question). However, on-site renewable energy sources can be counted toward energy savings under the Optimize Energy Performance credit. <br> Installing a canopy covered by PV panels will also contribute to the Heat Island Reduction credit because providing shade with structures covered by energy generation systems is one of the “nonroof” strategies under that credit. <br> Since installing PV panels will result in producing on-site renewable energy, this will also contribute to the Renewable Energy Production credit. <br> However, installing PV panels will not contribute to the Demand Response credit.
Question 2: A project team pursuing the EQ credit Indoor Air Quality Assessment has completed the flush-out. However, per the owner’s request, the team has ordered some additional furnishings to be installed in one room after the flush-out. Which of the following actions should the project team take?
- There is no need to take any action since the flush-out can occur before installing some furnishings.
- The flush-out must be restarted from the beginning for that room. (Correct answer)
- The flush-out must be restarted from the beginning for the whole project.
- The project team should write a credit interpretation ruling and ask for clarification on this issue.
Correct answer: The flush-out must be restarted from the beginning for that room.
Explanation: <br> If any partial work occurs during the flush-out in any space (such as installing furnishings), the flush-out process must be restarted from the beginning for that space.
Question 3: A project team pursuing the EQ credit, Enhanced Indoor Air Quality Strategies is discussing strategies for complying with the “interior cross-contamination” requirements in the printing rooms. Which of the following strategies is an “interior cross-contamination” strategy under the mentioned credit?
- Installing permanent entryway systems at least 10 feet (3 meters) long in the primary direction of travel at the regularly used exterior entrances
- Installing exhaust fans to spaces that may contain hazardous materials or chemicals (Correct answer)
- Each ventilation system that supplies outdoor air to the occupied spaces should contain particle filters or air cleaning devices that have a MERV rating of 13 or higher, in accordance with ASHRAE 52.2-2007
- Designing the building to minimize and control the entry of pollutants into the building
Correct answer: Installing exhaust fans to spaces that may contain hazardous materials or chemicals
Explanation: <br> Under the Enhanced Indoor Air Quality Strategies credit, for “interior cross-contamination,” projects should exhaust spaces that may contain hazardous materials or chemicals, to create negative pressure with respect to the adjacent spaces when the doors to the room are closed. These types of spaces should also contain self-closing doors and a deck-to-deck partition or a hard-lid ceiling. Some examples of spaces that may contain hazardous materials or chemicals would be garages, laundry areas, or copying and printing rooms. <br> Installing permanent entryway systems at least 10 feet (3 meters) long in the primary direction of travel at the regularly used exterior entrances would be an “entryway systems” strategy. <br> Designing the building to minimize and control the entry of pollutants into the building would be an “exterior contamination prevention” strategy.
Question 4: A LEED AP is making calculations to confirm that the project is eligible to pursue the Path 3: Zero-Lot-Line Projects Only—85th Percentile part of the SS credit Rainwater Management. If the total square feet of the whole lot of the building is 10,000 square feet, at a minimum, how much should the total square feet of the building be to be eligible for this path?
- 10,000 square feet
- 15,000 square feet (Correct answer)
- 20,000 square feet
- 30,000 square feet
Correct answer: 15,000 square feet
Explanation: <br> Path 3 of the Rainwater Management credit is only for zero-lot-line projects in urban areas with a minimum density of a 1.5 floor-to-area ratio. (Zero-lot-line projects are types of projects in which the buildings are built on the entire lot.) <br> For this question, since the project should have a minimum density of a 1.5 floor-to-area ratio, the total square feet of the building should be 15,000 square feet at a minimum. <br><br> 1.5 FAR = 15,000 square feet / 10,000 square feet
Question 5: Which of the following projects cannot pursue Option 2: Prescriptive Compliance: ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide part of the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite?
- 80,000-square-foot office project
- 90,000-square-foot retail project
- 110,000-square-foot office project (Correct answer)
- 120,000-square-foot school project
Correct answer: 110,000-square-foot office project
Explanation: <br> Option 2: Prescriptive Compliance: ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide is for projects that do not contain unique designs and systems beyond simple improvements to the MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) systems. Office buildings of less than 100,000 square feet (9,290 square meters), retail buildings between 20,000 and 100,000 square feet (1,860–9,290 square meters), school buildings of any size, and hospitals larger than 100,000 square feet (9,290 square meters) are eligible to pursue this option.
Question 6: Which of the following project types are required to consider the “perimeter floor area” instead of the “regularly occupied floor area” under the Daylight credit calculations?
- Retail
- Core and shell
- Healthcare (Correct answer)
- Major renovation
Correct answer: Healthcare
Explanation: <br> For all the options under the Daylight credit, all LEED BD+C projects except healthcare should consider the regularly occupied floor area while the LEED BD+C: Healthcare projects should consider the perimeter area.
Question 7: Under Option 2: Lighting Quality part of the Interior Lighting credit, projects should choose four of the eight strategies defined under the credit. Which of the following is not one of them?
- Using light sources with a color rendering index (CRI) of 80 or higher for the entire project
- Using lighting fixtures with a luminance of less than 2,500 cd/m2 between 45 and 90 degrees from nadir in the regularly occupied spaces
- Providing individual lighting controls that enable occupants to adjust the lighting to suit their preferences (Correct answer)
- Using direct-only overhead lighting for 25% or less of the total connected lighting load for all regularly occupied spaces
Correct answer: Providing individual lighting controls that enable occupants to adjust the lighting to suit their preferences
Explanation: <br> Providing individual lighting controls that enable occupants to adjust the lighting to suit their preferences is addressed under Option 1: Lighting Control part of the Interior Lighting credit. As the name implies, Option 2: Lighting Quality deals with the lighting quality rather than the lighting controls.
Question 8: A LEED AP of an office-building project, working on the Access to Quality Transit credit, creates a table to evaluate the number of trips for different transit types. The project contains a bus station, a ferry terminal, and a light rail station within a half-mile (800-meter) walking distance of a building's functional entry. Which of the following statements would be true if none of the eligible transit types is providing weekend trips?
- The project cannot earn the credit. (Correct answer)
- The project can earn points if the total number of bus, ferry, and light rail trips exceeds the threshold set forth in the credit.
- The project can earn points if the total number of ferry and light rail trips exceeds the threshold set forth in the credit.
- The project can earn points only if the number of ferry trips exceeds the threshold set forth in the credit.
Correct answer: The project cannot earn the credit.
Explanation: <br> Under the Access to Quality Transit credit, the qualifying transits should meet the required total number of trips for both weekdays and weekends. <br> Only school projects can neglect weekend trips if the students do not commute to school on weekends. However, for this question, the project is an office building.
Question 9: A project owner decides to install a permanent steel structure to carry the national flag next to the building’s main entrance. The project team is in pursuit of the SS credit Light Pollution Reduction, and the owner wants the national flag to be illuminated at night. If the project is located inside an MLO3 zone, what should the LEED AP suggest about the national flag lighting?
- Suggest nothing, as national flag lighting will already be exempt from the credit requirements (Correct answer)
- Suggest including this lighting under the uplight calculations to confirm its compliance
- Suggest turning this lighting off from midnight to six in the morning for credit compliance
- Suggest choosing a luminaire with a low backlight rating
Correct answer: Suggest nothing, as national flag lighting will already be exempt from the credit requirements
Explanation: <br> Under the Light Pollution Reduction credit, the following types of lighting are exempt from the credit requirements if they are controlled separately from the nonexempt lighting: <br> Specialized signal, directional, and marker lighting for transportation <br> Lighting solely used for facade and landscape lighting in MLO lighting zones 3 and 4 and that is automatically turned off from midnight to six in the morning <br> Government-mandated roadway lighting <br> Lighting for theatrical purposes, stages, and video performances <br> Hospital emergency department and helipad lighting <br> National flag lighting in MLO lighting zones 2, 3, or 4
Question 10: LEED refers to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) under which of the following prerequisites/credits? (Choose three.)
- Sensitive Land Protection credit (Correct answer)
- Environmental Site Assessment prerequisite
- Site Assessment credit (Correct answer)
- Integrative Process credit
- Site Development—Protect or Restore Habitat credit (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Sensitive Land Protection credit
Explanation: <br> For the Sensitive Land Protection credit, avoid building on prime farmland, unique farmland, or farmland of local importance. This is defined by the US Department of Agriculture. <br> For the Site Assessment credit, identify soil types, prime farmland status, healthy soils, and past development using Natural Resources Conservation Service soil surveys. <br> Under the Site Development—Protect or Restore Habitat credit, don't use prime farmland or soils from other greenfield sites, unless they are a byproduct of construction.
Question 11: Which of the following is NOT a category in the LEED AP BD+C?
- Sustainable Sites
- Energy and Atmosphere
- Environmental Quality (Correct answer)
- Materials and Resources
Correct answer: Environmental Quality
Explanation: The LEED AP BD+C covers categories such as Sustainable Sites, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and more. However, "Environmental Quality" is not specifically listed as a category.
Free LEED AP BD+C Questions and Answers
A project team decided to install a garden canopy covered by photovoltaic (PV) panels.
Which of the following prerequisites/credits will this decision make a positive contribution to? (Choose three.)