International Green Construction Code Released by ICC, ASHRAE, IES
March 23, 2010 // Published as a news service by IHS
The IGCC is applicable to new and existing, traditional and high-performance commercial buildings, and will provide ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 - Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings as an alternative compliance requirement.
Results of the increased building performance driven by IGCC implementation are expected to include:
- More efficient use of energy, water, materials and resources
- Renewable energy solutions
- Improved indoor environment quality
- An education for building owners and facility managers
- A reduction in overall carbon emissions
The IGCC represents the merger of two national efforts to develop adoptable and enforceable green building codes. It will provide the building industry with language that both broadens and strengthens building codes in a way that will accelerate the construction of high performance green buildings across the U.S., according to ICC.
An important addition to the technical content of the IGCC is the inclusion of ASHRAE 189.1 as an alternate path of compliance.
ASHRAE 189.1 is a set of technically rigorous requirements, which like the IGCC, covers criteria including water use efficiency, indoor environmental quality, energy efficiency, materials and resource use and the building's impact on its site and its community.
"The emergence of green building codes and standards is an important next step for the green building movement, establishing a much-needed set of baseline regulations for green buildings that is adoptable, usable and enforceable by jurisdictions," said Richard P. Weiland, ICC's chief executive officer.
"The IGCC provides a vehicle for jurisdictions to regulate green for the design and performance of new and renovated buildings in a manner that is integrated with existing codes as an overlay, allowing all new buildings to reap the rewards of improved design and construction practices," he said.
"The U.S. Green Building Council's [USGBC's] mission is market transformation and we've long recognized the need to reach beyond the market leaders served by LEED to accomplish this goal," said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman of the USGBC.
"Broadening the scope of the codes and establishing a higher floor allows us to continue to raise the ceiling, a critical factor in how the building industry is working to mitigate climate change," he said.
For more information, visit ICC's IGCC page. For more on ASHRAE 189.1, go to ASHRAE's green building standard page.
Source: International Code Council (ICC).