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The International Green Construction Code (IGCC) establishes a strong framework for a regulatory approach to better building design, construction and renovation.
The International Code Council has been in the process of developing a new International Green Construction Code (IgCC) which is intended to be a comprehensive set of requirements to help reduce the negative impacts of buildings on the natural environment. According to the ICC website:
“The IgCC applies to new and existing, traditional and high-performance commercial buildings and includes ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 as a compliance option. Coordinated with the ICC family of codes, the IgCC is designed to go beyond traditional code requirements for communities that are pursuing safe and sustainable construction.”
Though the IgCC is not meant to be a rating system, it is applicable for a broad range of projects, including new construction as well as retrofits and additions and is intended to be adopted by jurisdictions on a mandatory basis to be administered by building officials, though it is also usable by manufacturers, design professionals, and contractors. It covers everything from design and construction to building location to equipment selection to ongoing maintenance requirements.
Version 2.0 of the IgCC which was released in November, 2010 includes a Zero Energy Performance Index (zEPI) which requires that buildings use no more than 51% of the energy allowable in the 2000 International Energy Conservation Code. It also covers other crucial environmental factors, such as:
- Site development and land use
- Material resource conservation and efficiency
- Energy conservation, efficiency, and earth atmospheric quality
- Water resource conservation and efficiency
- Indoor environmental quality
- Building operation, maintenance, and owner education.
You can read more about how the program works via the ICC’s IgCC Synopsis.
Jeremy Sigmon at the USGBC had this to say about the development: “In truth, the shift is actually quite powerful. When multiplied over and over in nearly every building across the land, the seemingly minute human and environmental health risks that green building rating systems – and now green building codes – intend to address are staggering: pollution of all types, escalating emissions from greenhouse gases, depletion of scarce resources, destruction of habitat, human health risks of inactive or at least indoor lifestyles—and the list goes on.”
We agree. The code has already been adopted by several jurisdictions in the US, including Richland, Washington; Kayenta Township and Phoenix, Arizona; Keene, NH; Fort Collins, Colorado; the state of Maryland; and Boynton Beach, Florida, and many more are sure to follow.
