To qualify for the Sustainable Sites (SS) Credit: Site Development - Protect or Restore Habitat, Option 1
, a project must use native or adapted vegetation and restore at least 30% of the previously disturbed site area, including the building footprint (C). This requirement supports biodiversity by using plants suited to the local climate and ecosystem. Restoration of disturbed land helps improve ecological health and reduces dependency on irrigation, fertilizers, and other resources.

Exemplary Performance is not available for Option 2 of Location and Transportation Credit, Surrounding Density and Diverse Uses. According to the LEED v4 BD+C Reference Guide, this credit has two options:
Option 1. Surrounding Density (5 points) and Option 2. Diverse Uses (1 point). Exemplary Performance is only available for Option 1, and it requires achieving a surrounding density of at least 405,000 square feet per acre (100,000 square meters per hectare)1. Option 2 does not have any Exemplary Performance criteria, and it only requires locating the project within a 1/2-mile (800-meter) walking distance of at least seven diverse uses2. References:
* Credit: Surrounding density and diverse uses | U.S. Green Building Council
* Surrounding Density and Diverse Uses - LEED v4

A pedestrian-oriented paving or turf area with physical site elements that accommodate outdoor social activities is necessary to satisfy the requirement for the outdoor space to be physically accessible when calculating the Sustainable Sites Credit, Open Space. This is because the outdoor space must be designed to encourage regular use by occupants and visitors1. A garden space dedicated to industrial food production for use by local communities may not be accessible to the building occupants and visitors2. A garden space with only one vegetation type and species during the summer for visual interest does not meet the requirement of having two or more types of vegetation or overhead vegetated canopy1. A dark paving area with site elements to encourage parking near wetlands or naturally designed ponds is not considered as pedestrian-oriented hardscape and may have negative impacts on the natural environment3.

The commissioning process is a quality assurance process that ensures that the building systems perform as intended, based on the owner's project requirements and the design team's basis of design. The commissioning process can provide value to the project by improving energy efficiency, reducing operation and maintenance costs, enhancing occupant comfort and satisfaction, and reducing risks and liabilities123.
References: LEED BD+C Reference Guide, Energy and Atmosphere, page 631; LEED BD+C Reference Guide, Enhanced Commissioning, page 661; LEED Building Commissioning: Why You Should Get Accredited

This option allows the project team to evaluate the impact of different window-to-wall ratios on the energy performance of the building, and to optimize the design accordingly. A simple box energy model is a preliminary analysis tool that can be used to compare different design alternatives and inform decision making in the early stages of the project12.