Free Practice Questions for USGBC LEED-AP-BD+C Exam

For LEED BD+C Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Credit: Enhanced Air Quality Strategies, specific spaces that contain hazardous or odorous materials must be properly separated and ventilated to prevent contamination.

Chemical storage rooms require:

Deck-to-deck partitions (or hard ceilings) to contain contaminants.

Self-closing doors to reduce air transfer.

Dedicated exhaust systems to remove pollutants.

Data closets (Option A), conference rooms (Option B), and open offices (Option D) do not contain hazardous materials, so these ventilation strategies are not required.

Chemical storage areas require these measures to ensure air quality and occupant safety.

(Source: Official LEED BD+C Reference Manual)

The WaterSense label or local equivalent requirement in Water Efficiency Prerequisite, Indoor Water Use Reduction ensures that eligible newly installed plumbing fixtures will be both water efficient and high performing. The WaterSense label is a voluntary program by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that identifies and promotes water-efficient products that meet EPA’s specifications for water efficiency and performance. The label applies to tank-type toilets, water-using urinals, private lavatory faucets, and showerheads. For projects outside the U.S., local equivalents may be used if they meet the same criteria as WaterSense or are listed on the USGBC website. The label does not imply that the fixtures are LEED compliant, comply with mandatory federal government regulations, or comply with all international plumbing system requirements. References:

Water Efficiency Prerequisite: Indoor Water Use Reduction in LEED BD+C: New Construction v4.1 - LEED v4.11

What is the WaterSense Label and How Does it Apply?2

LEED QUALIFICATION GUIDE - v43

WaterSense Labeled Homes4

The make and model of fixtures is required in determining the baseline for the Water Efficiency Prerequisite, Indoor Water Use Reduction. This information is used to calculate the baseline water consumption of the building, which is then compared to the proposed water use to determine the percentage reduction.

USGBC’s vision for using LEED internationally is to promote green building practices that are globally applicable, locally relevant, and culturally sensitive1. To achieve this vision, USGBC provides opportunities for alternative compliance paths (ACPs) that meet the unique needs of a particular region, such as climate, codes, standards, market conditions, and priorities2. ACPs are modifications or additions to existing LEED credits or prerequisites that recognize regional differences and allow for more flexibility and applicability of LEED3. ACPs are developed by USGBC in collaboration with local green building councils, experts, and stakeholders, and are reviewed and approved by the LEED Steering Committee3. ACPs are available for various regions and countries, such as China, India, Brazil, Europe, and Canada2.

According to the LEED v4: Building Design and Construction Guide, an integrated, whole-building approach is a process that requires collaboration and communication among all project team members and stakeholders throughout all phases of a project, from pre-design to occupancy and operations. The goal of this approach is to optimize the environmental and human health performance of a building as a whole, rather than focusing on individual components or systems1.

One of the benefits of an integrated, whole-building approach is that it allows the project team to identify and evaluate the interrelationships and trade-offs among various design strategies and decisions, and to optimize the synergies and minimize the conflicts among them1. For example, increasing the size of a glazed opening on the south facing wall may have implications for the daylighting, solar heat gain, thermal comfort, energy use, and mechanical system design of the building2. Therefore, the team members who are first affected by this change are the mechanical engineers, who are responsible for designing the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system of the building, and ensuring that it meets the thermal comfort and energy performance requirements of the project3. The mechanical engineers may need to adjust the size, type, and location of the HVAC equipment, ductwork, and controls, as well as perform energy modeling and analysis to evaluate the impact of the change on the building’s energy consumption and emissions3. The mechanical engineers may also need to coordinate with the architects, lighting designers, and other team members to ensure that the change does not compromise the other design goals and criteria of the project3.

An accessible garden with native plants supports:

Sustainable Sites (SS) Credit: Open Space by providing outdoor access and promoting biodiversity.

Sustainable Sites (SS) Credit: Rainwater Management by improving stormwater infiltration and reducing runoff.

Other options are not directly related to native gardens.

(Source: Official LEED BD+C Reference Manual)

Detailed Explanation:

The LEED boundary for Phase 1 can include only the building site (Phase 1) but must commit to keeping the Phase 2 grounds undisturbed until the second phase begins. This approach aligns with LEED's requirement to define boundaries where work occurs and ensures environmental protection for future development areas.

Detailed Explanation:

To qualify as reused material under the Materials and Resources Credit, furniture must have been purchased at least two years prior to the project’s registration date. This ensures that the materials meet the definition of reuse, aligning with LEED's goal of reducing the demand for new materials and promoting the conservation of resources.

Sustainable Sites (SS) Credit: Site Development - Protect or Restore Habitat encourages projects to use native or adapted vegetation to restore natural habitats and support local biodiversity.

Using non-native or non-adapted plants negatively impacts this credit because these plants often require excessive irrigation, fertilizers, or pesticides, which can harm local ecosystems.

Vegetated roofs (green roofs) are eligible for this credit, but only if they use native or adapted plant species.

Heat Island Reduction (Option C) focuses on materials and shading, not plant selection.

Light Pollution Reduction (Option D) relates to outdoor lighting, not vegetation choices.

The use of non-native plants most directly affects habitat restoration efforts, making Option B the correct answer.

(Source: Official LEED BD+C Reference Manual)

The intent of the Water Efficiency Prerequisite, Outdoor Water Use Reduction is to reduce outdoor water consumption by either eliminating the need for irrigation or reducing the irrigation demand by at least 30% from the baseline. This prerequisite requires project teams to evaluate the project’s outdoor water budget and irrigation water demand using the EPA WaterSense Water Budget Tool or a local equivalent. This will help project teams to estimate and optimize water use in landscape designs by selecting appropriate plant species and irrigation system efficiency.