LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification) Sustainable Sites 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A project team is designing a mixed-use development on a previously contaminated brownfield site. Which LEED Sustainable Sites credit does this scenario most directly address?
- Site Assessment
- High Priority Site (Correct answer)
- Protect or Restore Habitat
- Open Space
Correct answer: High Priority Site
The High Priority Site credit rewards projects built on brownfields, historic districts, or other priority redevelopment areas to encourage urban infill over greenfield development.
Question 2: Under LEED BD+C, which heat island reduction strategy specifically addresses paved surfaces such as parking lots and walkways?
- Reflective roofing materials with high SRI
- Shade trees planted within 5 years of occupancy
- Open-grid paving with a minimum 50% unbound material (Correct answer)
- Green roofs covering at least 75% of the roof area
Correct answer: Open-grid paving with a minimum 50% unbound material
Open-grid paving allows vegetation or air through gaps, reducing surface heat absorption on non-roof paved areas to combat the urban heat island effect.
Question 3: A project site borders a wetland. To comply with LEED's Protect or Restore Habitat credit, what is the minimum required buffer from the wetland edge that must be kept free of development?
- 15 feet
- 30 feet
- 50 feet (Correct answer)
- 100 feet
Correct answer: 50 feet
LEED requires a minimum 50-foot buffer from the edge of wetlands, streams, or water bodies to protect habitat and water quality.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes the purpose of the LEED Site Assessment credit?
- To confirm the site is free of hazardous materials before construction
- To evaluate topography, hydrology, climate, and ecology to inform sustainable design decisions (Correct answer)
- To calculate the stormwater runoff reduction percentage required
- To verify the project meets local zoning requirements for green space
Correct answer: To evaluate topography, hydrology, climate, and ecology to inform sustainable design decisions
The Site Assessment credit encourages project teams to survey existing site conditions—including soils, hydrology, vegetation, and climate—to make informed, site-responsive design choices.
Question 5: A LEED project team wants to minimize light pollution from their building. Under the Light Pollution Reduction credit, what is a required strategy for interior lighting?
- All interior lights must be on timers set to turn off by 11 PM
- Automatic shielding or controls that reduce interior light emissions by 10% after dark (Correct answer)
- Install window tinting that blocks at least 30% of light transmission
- Interior luminaires must not exceed 50 candela per 1,000 lumens
Correct answer: Automatic shielding or controls that reduce interior light emissions by 10% after dark
The Light Pollution Reduction credit requires interior lighting to have automatic controls that reduce light emission through windows during nighttime hours, limiting sky glow and wildlife disruption.
Question 6: Under LEED BD+C v4, which metric is used to evaluate a project's performance for the Rainwater Management credit?
- Total impervious surface area as a percentage of the site
- Peak discharge rate for a 2-year 24-hour storm event
- Percentile rainfall event managed on site using low-impact development (Correct answer)
- Reduction in potable water used for landscape irrigation
Correct answer: Percentile rainfall event managed on site using low-impact development
The Rainwater Management credit uses a percentile-based rainfall approach, requiring projects to manage a specified percentile (e.g., 95th) of regional rainfall events on site through LID strategies.
Question 7: A project earns the LEED Tenant Design and Construction Guidelines credit. What does this credit specifically require?
- Tenants must achieve LEED certification independently for their own fit-outs
- The base building owner must publish LEED guidelines for future tenant build-outs (Correct answer)
- All tenant spaces must use low-VOC materials specified by the base building owner
- The building must provide submetering for each individual tenant space
Correct answer: The base building owner must publish LEED guidelines for future tenant build-outs
This credit requires the base building owner or developer to create and publish guidelines documenting sustainable design and construction requirements for future tenants.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification) Sustainable Sites 2
A project team is designing a mixed-use development on a previously contaminated brownfield site.
Which LEED Sustainable Sites credit does this scenario most directly address?