by John H. Cluver, AIA, LEED
We’re about to get another code. To the ranks of the zoning code, building code, fire prevention code, property maintenance code, private sewage disposal code (yes, there is such a thing), and many others, we will soon be able to add a Green Code. The International Code Council, publisher of model codes used by many states and local municipalities, is currently working with several other organizations to create the International Green Construction Code (IGCC), with the intent of adding it to their other offerings with the triennial release of the 2012 family of codes. The IGCC looks at issues of site development, material resource conservation, energy conservation, and water use, and sets minimum requirements for provisions within these categories. In addition, it lists other potential requirements and compliance thresholds that adopting agencies (state and local governments) can set, along with requiring a minimum number of project compliance electives. This approach provides a degree of customization not found in other components of the construction code, giving the states and local governments that choose to adopt it with a surprising degree of flexibility. This is a good thing, because I anticipate that there will be many areas that add the IGCC to its quiver of codes given the push we are seeing in many areas to make sustainable design practices mandatory…
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Posted in Preservation