In mid-March, the International Code Council in the US released the Public Version 1.0 of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). The new set of codes represents national partnerships developing adoptable and enforceable green building codes. It aims to further regulate construction of new and existing commercial buildings and through doing so, significantly reduce energy usage and greenhouse gasses. The IGCC addresses site development and land use and the preservation of natural and material resources.

“We talked to communities who indicate that their voluntary green building programs reach only, but an important, 30 percent of the built environment,” says Code Council CEO Richard P. Weiland. “This means that there is a clear need for a regulatory tool to establish a baseline to help jurisdictions meet their sustainability goals.”

As with all ICC items, the new model code has no legal standing until it is adopted as law by a legislative body (state legislature, county board, or city council). Steve Daggers, vice-president of communications for the ICC, says the new code is available to any country or jurisdiction worldwide that wishes to adapt and adhere to the new building code. The code is already gaining a lot of interest in the US and is being considered the most significant advancement in the building industry in the last ten years. It's likely that the code may have a place in Canada once the code is fine-tuned and all public comments have been considered.

The IGCC initiative launched in 2009 as a collaboration between the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ASTM International. It is now joined with a Standard developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Illuminating Engineers Society (IES). This is the first time a collaboration such as this has happened and is considered a positive step towards advancing green building practice across the US.

“Bringing together the code expertise of ICC with technical expertise of ASHRAE to create a comprehensive green building code will accelerate our transformation to more sustainable building practices,” says Gordon Holness, ASHRAE president.

Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO, and founding chairman of the US Green Building Council says the council's mission is market transformation. “We’ve long recognized the need to reach beyond the market leaders served by LEED to accomplish this goal.”

To download or to comment on the public version of the IGCC, visit <www.iccsafe.org>.