B3-MSBG Support
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B3-MSBG Frequently Asked Questions
If you have questions that are not answered here, please contact Garrett Mosiman at 612-625-8409 or msbghelp@umn.edu for assistance.
| Category | Question | Answer |
| Housing | Q: What if a housing project is funded by General Obligation Bonds and is funded by Minnesota Housing, is it subject to Green Communities criteria with the Minnesota Overlay or B3-Minnestoa Sustainable Building Guidelines? | A: Housing projects receiving funding from General Obligation Bonds (GO Bonds) are required by statute to use the B3-Minnestoa Sustainable Building Guidelines. Minnesota Housing has waived the Green Communities criteria with the Minnesota Overlay requirement for GO bonded projects (dual compliance is not required). Dual compliance maybe required by Minnesota Green Communities or Enterprise for projects receiving grant funding from them. If receiving these types of funding check with your granter for information related to compliance. |
| Applicability | Q: Is there a minimum square footage for a building that exempts it from the requirements of the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines? | A: There is not a minimum square footage exemption for new buildings funded in whole or part by State of Minnesota bonds. All new buildings are required to follow the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines. There is, however, a variance process within the Guidelines that the appropriated agency and design team can use to exempt required guidelines that are deemed inappropriate to the programming and scope of the building. See the section on Applicability in the introduction of the guidelines for more information. |
| Applicability | Q: Are there a minimum number of utility connections for a building that exempts it from the requirements of the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines? | A: There is no minimum number of utility connections that exempt new buildings funded by State of Minnesota bonds. If a building is not considered a building under the Minnesota Building Code then it is not considered a building under the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines. See the section on Applicability in the introduction of the guidelines for more information. |
| Applicability | Q: Are remodelings, renovations or additions to buildings exempt from the requirements of the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines? | A: Remodeling and renovations are not considered new buildings and thus are exempt. Additions may or may not be exempt based on the following. Additions are considered new buildings that require compliance with the guidelines if they are substantially "stand alone" and have both of the following characteristics: -If heated, the addition has its own heating plant(s) (eg. boiler, etc.) whether or not its source of energy (eg. fuel) is from an adjacent building -If cooled, the addition has its own cooling plant(s) (eg. chiller, rooftop unit, etc.) whether or not its source of energy (eg. electricity) is from an adjacent building |
| Applicability | Q: Do I have to comply if my project is only partially state funded? | A: Yes, if the project is a new building, compliance is required, whether it is funded fully or partially by State of Minnesota bonds. See other Frequently Asked Questions and the section of the guidelines on applicability for more information. |
| General | Q: How are the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines (MSBG) different from the Minnesota Sustainable Design Guidelines (MSDG)? | A: Since September 2006, the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines (MSBG) Version 2.0 has been available on the Center for Sustainable Building Research web site at www.msbg.umn.edu. Version 2.0 replaced both the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines Version 1.1 as well as the original Minnesota Sustainable Design Guide (MSDG). The two previous versions have been retired since the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines Version 2.0 is more outcome oriented which reflects more fully the state of the art in sustainable building guidelines. If you want to continue to use the previous guides, access to them is available by request to csbr@umn.edu. However, we encourage you to consider using the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines Version 2.0 because of its user-friendly format and outcome-based decision making tools. |
| Reporting | Q: When are Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines Submittals due for each phase and who do I send them to? | A: Submittals are due by 2 weeks after the completion of a phase. They are to be sent to the Appropriated Agency for the project (the one that received the bond money on behalf of the project) AND to The Center for Sustainable Building Research at the U of MN (CSBR) who act as the tracking team for the State of Minnesota. See guideline P.1 Guideline Management and its supporting information for more details. |
| General | Q: Under Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines is my building "certified"? If so who certifies it? | A: The MSBG is not a certification program. Projects receiving state bond money are required to comply by law. Projects are "compliant" rather than certified. Compliance is signed off by the planning, design and operations team, and the level of compliance is reviewed and approved by the appropriated agency. See guideline P.1 Guideline Management for more information. |
| General | Q: How do the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines compare to LEED™? | A: The Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines(MSBG) and LEED(tm) cover similar issues and in many cases have compatible criteria. However, in contrast to LEED(tm) MSBG are required by law for new, state-bonded construction, and MSBG have a base level of required criteria complemented by recommended criteria instead of a point system. MSBG has a focus on outcome-based criteria where possible. Project teams may wish to use LEED(tm) or other green building assessment systems to complement use of MSBG in order to gain recognition for more advanced design, and to be affiliated with a nationally recognized green assessment system. Complying with the required elements of MSBG corresponds loosely to a "certified" level in LEED(tm); Complying with all of the required and reccommende elements of MSBG corresponds loosely to a "platinum" level in LEED(tm). Compliance with MSBG does NOT include any recognition in LEED(tm) which has it's own specific criteria and documentation processes and fees. For a more detailed comparison, see the MSBG-LEED_Comparison.pdf document on the "Support Tools" section of the MSBG website. |
| General | Q: Can I still use the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines if I don't receive state funding and don't have to comply? | A: Yes, they are free and available for viewing or downloading on the website www.msbg.umn.edu. You may contact CSBR MSBG support, but technical support may be more limited if the project is not required to comply. |
| Project Intitiation | Q: Do I need to register my project with someone to get started? | A: Regarding project compliance with MSBG, project teams should be in regular contact with the Appropriated Agency (who received the bond funds on the project's behalf) and CSBR (the Tracking Team for the State of Minnesota.) CSBR keeps a list of projects and their status, and periodically reports this to the State. By contacting CSBR MSBG Support early on, you will be on a mailing list for issues, or clarifications that may come up. |
| Project Intitiation | Q: When do I need to start complying with the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines? | A: There are some tasks and documentation required in each phase from Agency Planning through Ongoing Occupancy. |
| General | Q: What is the legislation that makes B3 Guidelines required and where do I find it? | A:This is the text from the legislation:
16B.325, Minnesota Statutes 2006 Copyright © 2006 by the Office of Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota. 16B.325 SUSTAINABLE BUILDING GUIDELINES. The Department of Administration and the Department of Commerce, with the assistance of other agencies, shall develop sustainable building design guidelines for all new state buildings by January 15, 2003. The primary objectives of these guidelines are to ensure that all new state buildings initially exceed existing energy code, as established in Minnesota Rules, chapter 7676, by at least 30 percent. The guidelines must focus on achieving the lowest possible lifetime cost for new buildings and allow for changes in the guidelines that encourage continual energy conservation improvements in new buildings. The design guidelines must establish sustainability guidelines that include air quality and lighting standards and that create and maintain a healthy environment and facilitate productivity improvements; specify ways to reduce material costs; and must consider the long-term operating costs of the building, including the use of renewable energy sources and distributed electric energy generation that uses a renewable source or natural gas or a fuel that is as clean or cleaner than natural gas. In developing the guidelines, the departments shall use an open process, including providing the opportunity for public comment. The guidelines established under this section are mandatory for all new buildings receiving funding from the bond proceeds fund after January 1, 2004. History: 2001 c 212 art 1 s 2 As of this writing, a copy of the legislation can be found at the following URL: http://ros.leg.mn/bin/getpub.php? pubtype=STAT_CHAP_SEC&year=2006§ion=16B.325 |