Green Model Building Codes on the Not So Distant Horizon?

Authored by George M. Nicholos, AIA, Esq., NCARB, LEED Green Assoc.

While many are aware of or have heard of the, U.S. Green Building Council Inc’s, (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED voluntary building rating system, the International Code Council (ICC) in cooperation with the American Institute of Architects (AIA), ASTM International, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the Illuminating Engineering Society Society (IES) recently released the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). While ratings systems such as LEED are voluntary guidelines for the application of green building design, the IGCC is intended to establish similar minimum requirements for all buildings and to provide a natural complement for voluntary rating systems which presently extend beyond the IGCC’s baseline requirements.

The IGCC is fully integrated with the ICC’s family of Codes & Standards widely adopted throughout the country and is intended to further promote a transition from the current voluntary green construction certifications to mandatory green construction codes. Thus the IGCC acts as an overlay on other existing model codes, including the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) as a baseline.

The IGCC does not replace existing codes or force municipalities to make wholesale administrative changes, however the IGCC is designed to allow jurisdictions to use their administrative powers to exercise options incorporated into the IGCC. Presently the IGCC has only been adopted by select municipalities in Arizona, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, Oregon, and Rhode Island, however construction industry professionals should be aware that when working in jurisdictions which have adopted some form of the IGCC, compliance with the IGCC is mandatory embodying the force of law, unlike the requirements of LEED and other voluntary rating systems.

Authored by attorneys, these articles are meant to bring awareness to these topics and are not intended to be used as legal advice.
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