Overview

The Sustainable Sites category of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) rating system for new construction version 2.2 (LEED-NC 2.2) consists of one prerequisite and eight credit subcategories which together may earn a possible 14 points (credits), not including exemplary performance points. The notation format for the prerequisites and credits is, for example, SSp1 for Sustainable Sites prerequisite 1 and SSc1 for Sustainable Sites credit 1. Also, in this chapter, to facilitate easier cross-referencing between this text and the USGBC rating system, the second digit in a section heading, equation, table, or figure number represents the credit subcategory number for sections that deal directly with a USGBC LEED-NC 2.2 credit subcategory.

The Sustainable Sites (SS) portion deals with issues outside of the building, including some of the building exterior, the land that is being developed, and the surrounding community. It is not the only category that includes factors outside of the building, but comprises those exterior issues that do not fit readily into the other categories and those that have a direct impact on the local community or microenvironment. The intent of the Sustainable Sites portion is summarized in LEED-NC 2.2 as follows:

Project teams undertaking building projects should be cognizant of the inherent impacts of development on the following:

• land consumption

• ecosystems

• natural resources

• energy use

Preference should be given to buildings with high performance attributes in locations that enhance existing neighborhoods, transportation networks and urban infrastructures. During initial project scoping, preference should be given to sites and...