Green Building Standard Approved

The National Green Building  Standard, known as ICC-700, was approved Jan. 29 as an  American National Standard. The new Standard provides guidance for safe and sustainable  building practices for residential construction, including both new and  renovated single-family to high-rise residential buildings. This is  the first and only green standard that is consistent and coordinated with the  Code Council’s family of I-Codes and standards.

Code Council Board President Adolf Zubia said, “this is an enormous step forward  in bringing focus to green practices for the built environment. ICC-700  provides a benchmark for green building in the residential market, serving as a  new and needed starting point for comprehensive approaches to green residential  construction. This is the result of many months of hard work by our members and  our partners around the country.”
 Code Council CEO Richard P.  Weiland said, “the development of high performance ‘greener’ housing can have a  tangible and positive impact on our environment and communities. This new tool  for state and local governments fills an important gap to provide a measurable  framework for efforts to produce green and sustainable housing. In concert with  energy codes such as the International  Energy Conservation Code, and rating systems such as the LEED Green  Building Rating System, Energy Star, the CHPS Criteria, Green Globes or similar  programs, application of ICC-700 can contribute to greater energy, water and  resource efficiency along with reduced long-term costs to consumers and to our  planet.”

The International Code Council  and National Association of Home Builders developed the Standard with broad input from several  thousand stakeholders, ranging from code officials and other building  professionals to the entire spectrum of the green building community. This  new standard provides a practical route to green, sustainable and high-performance  construction, especially in communities with little if any green/sustainable  buildings or guidelines to build green. The standard also promotes homeowner  education for the maintenance and operation of green residential buildings in  order to ensure long-term benefits.
 The standard’s rating system  allows builders, designers and communities to choose the levels of high-performance  green buildings that best suit their needs. Key provisions include:

• Land conservation
• Rainwater collection
• Construction of smaller homes to  conserve resources

Energy performance starting at  15% above the baseline requirements of the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code
The use of low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) materials and detached garages or  carports to improve indoor environmental quality
Homeowner education on proper maintenance  and operation to maintain its green status throughout its life cycle
ICC-700 is available along with related ICC  publications through the Code Council website .

Training on ICC-700 already is available, including  a special session March 23-26 at Codes Forum in New Orleans. Additional training is also  available on related topics such as current green building practices and their  relationship to the International Codes, overview of the LEED green building  rating systems, and developing green building ordinances to help governmental  departments and agencies tasked with establishing sustainable building  programs.
 

The Code Council is finalizing its Green Building  Technologies Certification program for building officials, inspectors,  planners, zoning personnel, mayors, city council members, developers and other  interested parties. The exams will be available in March. These certifications  will demonstrate the ability to understand the application of green building  technology and assess adherence with green building programs.
 In addition, the International Code Council Board  has approved the creation of a Sustainable Building Technology Committee to  support the Council’s many ongoing efforts in green, sustainable and safe  construction.

 A Code Council subsidiary,  ICC-Evaluation Service, has developed the Sustainable Attributes Verification and Evaluation  (SAVE) program to provide independent confirmation that  evaluated building products are sustainable and may qualify for points under  ICC-700 as well as major green rating systems such as LEED or Green Globes. A SAVE evaluation involves both  inspection of the manufacturer’s production process and reviews of independent  product testing, where required. Manufacturers that successfully complete the  evaluation process receive a Verification of Attributes Report in one or more of nine key categories. Design professionals will be able to use the  reports as evidence that products or systems they select qualify for points  under those programs.

Another Code  Council subsidiary, the International Accreditation Service (IAS), offers  accreditation to testing laboratories, inspection agencies and product certifiers  in several fields related to energy and sustainability to support manufacturers  and regulators involved in green building development and approval. IAS also  accredits curriculum developers and training agencies focused on green  initiatives.

The International Code Council, a membership  association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, develops the  codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes  and schools. Most U.S.  cities, counties and states choose the International Codes, building safety  codes developed by the International Code Council.  
    

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