SSc7.1: Parking on roofs

Question:  Does a multi-level parking structure with parking on the top level, need to have a roof that meets the SRI requirements of 29 or greater?

Short Answer:  No, as long as exposed parking is less than 50 percent of the total parking surface area.

Long Answer:
SSc7.1, Heat Island Effect, Non-Roof, Option 2:
Requires placing “a minimum of 50% of parking spaces under cover (defined as underground, under deck, under roof, or under a building). Any roof used to shade or cover parking must have an SRI of at least 29.” (1)

Originally for a project that “has a multi-level parking structure that will contain parking on the top level… the top level is considered to be both a parking area and a roof cover and needs to have a minimum SRI of at least 29.” (2)  However, this has been overturned as of 5/6/2009. The current accepted approach is as follows:

“Roofs used to shade or cover surface parking in order to meet the Option 2 requirement, must have an SRI of at least 29. However, an SRI requirement does not exist for parking placed underground, under deck, or under a building, so long as the exposed parking surface area, if any, is less than or equal to 50 percent of the total parking surface area.”(3)


(1) LEED-CS Version 2.0 Reference Guide, pg.99
(2) LEED-NC v2.2 SSc7.1 CIR Ruling 5/23/2008
(3) LEED-NC v2.2 SSc7.1 CIR Ruling 2/14/2008, overturned 9/3/2008