A developer is considering pursuing LEED for an eight-story, multi-family residential project. How would the baseline building performance be determined?

The determination of baseline building performance for a LEED project, particularly in the context of energy and atmosphere, is primarily guided by established guidelines and standards. In this case, calculations made using ASHRAE 90.1 are the appropriate method to establish baseline performance for the eight-story multi-family residential project.

ASHRAE 90.1 is a widely recognized standard that specifies minimum energy efficiency requirements for buildings. It provides a framework for assessing energy performance and often serves as the baseline against which energy performance can be measured for LEED certification. By using this standard, the developer can ensure that the building meets industry benchmarks and can accurately calculate energy savings from the implemented design measures compared to this baseline.

Relying on comparisons with similar projects, energy audits from previous buildings, or arbitrary performance metrics would not offer a consistent or recognized method of baseline determination as per LEED requirements, potentially leading to discrepancies in energy reporting and performance evaluation. Therefore, ASHRAE 90.1 is the established and reliable choice for setting this baseline.