855773520-LEED-v5-ID-C-Reference-Guide-Launch-Edition-1 - Page 266

Extracted Content

The team must develop a baseline interior LCA for the project and demonstrate that both the baseline and the proposed project are of the same relative size, function, operating energy use, system boundaries, and service life. Baseline assumptions must be based on standard design and material selection for the project location and building type. Use the same life cycle assessment software tools and data sets to evaluate both the baseline and the proposed interiors scope and report all listed impact categories.

If a team iterates early in design and makes changes to create a lower embodied carbon design, they may utilize their early design iteration as a baseline given that it aligns with the comparative requirements listed above. A team may also make a copy of their proposed design which includes low embodied carbon materials and actual EPD data (for example), and use that copy to develop a baseline scenario by replacing materials with appropriate regional default or average material intensity values and recalculating the results. Points are awarded by providing a comparison between the baseline model and the proposed design and calculating reductions.

DOCUMENTATION

Project types	Options	Paths	Documentation
All	Option 1. Reduce Embodied Carbon of New Materials		Bill of Materials worksheet that includes the materials and quantities used, embodied carbon intensities, and unit of materials in the project.
All	Option 2. Interiors LifeCycle Assessment		Provide baseline LCA report and Proposed Design LCA report.
All	Option 2. Interiors LifeCycle Assessment		Compare the outputs of the baseline vs. proposed reports to identify reductions.

REFERENCED STANDARDS

• Athena (athenasmi.org/our-software-data/lca-databases/)

• Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) (buildingtransparency.org/ec3/users/me)

• Institut Bauen and Umwelt e.V. (ibu-epd.com)

• ISO 14044 (iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso:14044:ed-1:v1:en)

• LCA Digital Commons (lcacommons.gov)

• OneClick LCA (oneclicklca.com)

• Open LCA Nexus (nexus.openlca.org)

• Quartz (pharos.habitablefuture.org/common-products)

• Sustainable Minds (sustainableminds.com)

• Tally (choosetally.com)

• The ICE Database (circularecology.com/embodied-carbon-footprint-database.html)

• The International EPD System (portal.environdec.com)

• UL Spot (spot.ul.com)

U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Interior Design and Construction, April 2025 Launch Edition 255