LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification) Sustainable Sites 4

Question 1

Under the LEED Light Pollution Reduction credit, exterior lighting must comply with ASHRAE/IES 90.1's lighting zone requirements. Which lighting zone applies to a dense urban area with high ambient brightness?

Accepted Answer

LZ4

Answer

LZ4 applies to high-activity commercial districts and dense urban areas with the highest ambient brightness, allowing the most exterior light output while still meeting LEED's backlight, uplight, and glare (BUG) limits.

Question 2

A project team wants credit for restoring native habitat on their site. Under Protect or Restore Habitat, what percentage of the total site area (excluding the building footprint) must be restored with native or adapted vegetation for a previously developed site?

Accepted Answer

50%

Answer

For previously developed sites, LEED requires that at least 30% of the site area (excluding building footprint) be restored with native or adapted plants to earn the credit.

Question 3

Which of the following scenarios would qualify a project for the LEED Joint Use of Facilities credit under Sustainable Sites?

Accepted Answer

A school allows the public to use its athletic fields and auditorium after hours

Answer

The Joint Use of Facilities credit rewards projects—particularly schools—that make their facilities available to the broader community, expanding access to resources and reducing the need for duplicate infrastructure.

Question 4

A building owner installs a green roof covering 55% of the total roof area and uses high-SRI paving for 60% of hardscape areas. Under the Heat Island Reduction credit, which compliance path is this project using?

Accepted Answer

Option 3: Combined Roof and Non-Roof Measures

Answer

The combined path allows projects to use a mix of qualifying roof and non-roof strategies, calculated together using a formula to demonstrate sufficient overall heat island reduction.

Question 5

The LEED Construction Activity Pollution Prevention prerequisite references which EPA program's requirements as its baseline standard?

Accepted Answer

EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Construction General Permit

Answer

The prerequisite requires compliance with the NPDES Construction General Permit, which sets baseline requirements for erosion, sedimentation, and stormwater pollution control during construction.

LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification Practice Test

LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification Practice Test

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification) Sustainable Sites 4