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US Green Building Council LEED-AP-BD+C Exam - Topic 6 Question 15 Discussion

Actual exam question for US Green Building Council's LEED-AP-BD+C exam
Question #: 15
Topic #: 6
[All LEED-AP-BD+C Questions]

A new five-story building with a 30,000 ft2 (2 800 m2) footprint is being designed on a previously disturbed100,000 ft2 (9 290 m2) site. The remaining on-grade surface will be 35,000 ft2 (3 250 m2) of asphalt parking, and 35,000 ft2 (3 250 m2) of native vegetated open space. To achieve a point for exemplary performance under Option 1 of Sustainable Sites Credit, Site Development - Protect or Restore Habitat, the design team will have to incorporate a native and/or adapted vegetated roof with a minimum area of

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Suggested Answer: C

According to the LEED v4 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction, Option 1 of the Site Development - Protect or Restore Habitat credit requires restoring 25% of the site area (including the building footprint) with native or adapted vegetation1. To achieve exemplary performance, the project must double the credit requirements and restore 50% of the site area2. In this case, the site area is 100,000 ft2 (9 290 m2), so the project must restore 50,000 ft2 (4 645 m2) with vegetation. The project already has 35,000 ft2 (3 250 m2) of native vegetated open space, so it needs to add another 15,000 ft2 (1 395 m2) of vegetation. Since the on-grade surface is fully occupied by the building footprint and the asphalt parking, the only option is to incorporate a vegetated roof. Therefore, the design team will have to incorporate a native and/or adapted vegetated roof with a minimum area of 15,000 ft2 (1 395 m2). Reference: SS Credit Site Development - Protect or Restore Habitat, LEED v4 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction13


by Mattie at Jun 14, 2025, 05:47 PM

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Gregoria
2 months ago
12,500 ft2 seems too low for exemplary performance.
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Nina
3 months ago
I agree, native roofs are a must for sustainability!
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Tijuana
3 months ago
Wait, are they really going to use that much roof space?
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Francoise
3 months ago
Definitely need at least 15,000 ft2 for that roof!
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Francesco
3 months ago
That's a huge footprint for a building!
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Kayleigh
4 months ago
I thought the requirement was higher, like 35,000 ft2, since they want to maximize green space. But I could be wrong about that.
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Steffanie
4 months ago
I practiced a similar question where the roof area was crucial for habitat restoration. I feel like it could be 12,500 ft2, but I could be mixing it up.
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Alex
4 months ago
I remember something about needing to cover a significant portion of the footprint to get that exemplary performance point. Maybe it's 25,000 ft2?
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Olga
4 months ago
I think the minimum area for the vegetated roof might be around 15,000 ft2, but I'm not entirely sure.
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Tijuana
4 months ago
I'm not sure about this one. There are a lot of numbers to keep track of. I'll need to work through it step-by-step to make sure I don't miss anything. Maybe I should start by sketching out the site layout to visualize the different areas.
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Stephanie
5 months ago
I've got this! The question is asking for the minimum area of the vegetated roof, and the options are A) 12,500 ft2, B) 15,000 ft2, C) 25,000 ft2, and D) 35,000 ft2. Based on the information provided, I think the answer is B) 15,000 ft2.
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Jamey
5 months ago
Hmm, this seems tricky. I'm a bit confused about how to calculate the required vegetated roof area. I'll need to re-read the question carefully and make sure I understand all the details.
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Rene
5 months ago
Okay, let's think this through step-by-step. The key information is the total site area, the building footprint, and the areas for parking and open space. We need to find the minimum area for the vegetated roof to get the exemplary performance point.
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Wilda
7 months ago
Option B all the way! This is a no-brainer. Though I do wonder if the architect is planning to grow a small forest up there.
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Daron
7 months ago
It's great to see projects incorporating green elements like vegetated roofs for environmental benefits.
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Glory
7 months ago
I think the architect is aiming for a sustainable and eco-friendly design with that vegetated roof.
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Kirby
7 months ago
I agree, Option B seems like the best choice for this project.
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Francis
8 months ago
I was a bit confused at first, but after reading it carefully, I think Option B is the right answer. 15,000 ft2 sounds like the sweet spot here.
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Hermila
6 months ago
Yeah, 15,000 ft2 does sound like the right fit for the design team to achieve exemplary performance.
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Xuan
6 months ago
I agree, Option B seems like the best choice for this scenario.
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Adrianna
7 months ago
I think so too, 15,000 ft2 does sound like the right fit for the design.
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Joni
7 months ago
I agree, Option B seems like the best choice for this scenario.
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Sonia
8 months ago
I agree, Option B is the way to go. Anything less than 15,000 ft2 wouldn't be enough to qualify for the exemplary performance point.
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Loreta
7 months ago
User 3: Agreed, Option B is the way to go for sure.
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Kris
7 months ago
User 2: Yeah, anything less than 15,000 ft2 wouldn't meet the requirements.
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Joaquin
7 months ago
User 1: I think Option B is the best choice.
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Eileen
8 months ago
I'm not sure about this one. I think the answer might be D) 35,000 ft2 (3 250 m2) to ensure we meet the requirements for the credit.
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Christene
8 months ago
I agree with Linn. The larger the vegetated roof area, the better the habitat protection and restoration. So, C) 25,000 ft2 (2 300 m2) makes sense.
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Willie
9 months ago
Option B seems like the correct answer. The building footprint is 30,000 ft2, and the remaining on-grade surface is 70,000 ft2, so a vegetated roof of 15,000 ft2 would meet the minimum area requirement.
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Lindsey
7 months ago
Great, that makes sense. Option B it is then.
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Delisa
7 months ago
So, a vegetated roof of 15,000 ft2 would meet the minimum requirement.
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Juan
8 months ago
Yes, I agree. A vegetated roof of 15,000 ft2 would meet the minimum area requirement.
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Gaston
8 months ago
Yes, I agree. The building footprint and remaining surface area add up to 70,000 ft2.
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Daren
8 months ago
I think Option B is the right choice.
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Caren
8 months ago
I think Option B is the correct answer.
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Linn
9 months ago
I think the answer is C) 25,000 ft2 (2 300 m2). We need to incorporate a large vegetated roof to achieve exemplary performance.
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