ICC’s International Green Construction Code Coming Soon!
It’s finally starting to happen. As LEED becomes more and more a part of construction projects across the country, the International Code Council, or ICC, has announced it is putting the finishing touches on the first International Green Construction Code. With its scheduled release in March of this year, this code will be an integrated green code for traditional and high- performance commercial buildings. The ICC pulled together multiple groups, such as the AIA, ASTM, and USGBC, just to name a few, to draft this code, which is designed to fully integrate with the existing ICC codes already in place in all 50 states. Although it will be 2012 before it’s gone through all of the reviews and public comment sessions and can be incorporated into the ICC Family of Codes, this is the first step towards making green building something we have to do, and not just want to do. California has started the trend with its recent adoption of CALGREEN, the first statewide green building code, which will go into effect January 1, 2011. With the IGCC’s release, it is only a matter of time before all states have adopted some sort of green building code. While this may add some responsibilit to the code inspector’s job, it will ultimately be a positive development and something that will benefit the building owner’s, tenants, and the employees who work in these buildings. Energy savings, water savings, and clean indoor air are always a good thing!
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