Climate-Moderated Contributions of Sustainable Sites and Water Efficiency to LEED NC V4 in Multifamily Residential Buildings
This study analyzes the influence of Stormwater Management, Outdoor Water Use Reduction, and Indoor Water Use Reduction credits on LEED NC v4 scores for multifamily residential buildings. Findings show that precipitation affects the value of outdoor water savings, while indoor water efficiency and stormwater management consistently contribute to higher LEED performance.
Subject Tags
- Climate adaptation
- Community-based conservation
Abstract
Understanding how specific credits drive overall performance is essential for effective Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) New Construction (NC) v4 strategy. This study examines the contributions of Stormwater Management (SS4), Outdoor Water Use Reduction (WE3), and Indoor Water Use Reduction (WE4) to the total LEED score of multifamily residential buildings. It evaluates whether long-term precipitation and temperature moderate these relationships. Total LEED score was logit-transformed and modeled using linear regression with interaction terms, complemented by Bayesian model averaging, using JASP v0.95.1, to quantify evidence for inclusion under model uncertainty. Across specifications, SS4 and WE4 showed robust, positive associations with total LEED score. WE3’s unconditional effect was small on average, but precipitation significantly moderated its relationship: as rainfall increases, the marginal contribution of outdoor water savings to the overall score declines. Climate main effects were modest: precipitation and temperature each exhibited small negative associations with LEED score. Crucially, temperature did not reliably moderate the effects of SS4, WE3, or WE4; interaction estimates were uniformly small and non-significant, and Bayesian intervals overlapped zero. Collectively, the findings support climate-aware LEED strategies: in drier regions, WE3 investments yield greater score leverage, whereas in wetter regions, SS4 provides more reliable gains; WE4 remains beneficial across climates. Programmatically, aligning outdoor water baselines more tightly with local hydrologic context could improve equity and performance orientation in credit incentives.
Citation
Goodarzi, M., Goodarzi, A. (2026). Climate-Moderated Contributions of Sustainable Sites and Water Efficiency to LEED NC V4 in Multifamily Residential Buildings. In: Rahimian, F., Hosseini, M.R., Akanmu, A., Lafhaj, Z., Ducoulombier, L. (eds) Proceedings of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment. SASBE2025 2025. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol 844. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-8489-5_12
TNC Authors
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Ava Goodarzi
Ecosystem Resilience Scientist. Global Science
The Nature Conservancy
Email: n.haghtalab@tnc.org