International Green Construction Code Draft Open for Feedback

A first draft of the International Green Construction Code was just released by the International Code Council (ICC) for public comment on March 15. This new model green building code is intended to integrate with existing I-Codes, such as the International Building Code and International Energy Conservation Code, to create a new regulatory baseline for green construction and "accelerate the construction of high-performance green buildings across the United States," says the ICC.

As readers of this report are aware, NAHB partnered with the ICC in 2007 to develop the National Green Building Standard (ICC 700), which was the first standard for residential green building to be approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Like the National Green Building Standard, the newly released International Green Construction Code (IGCC) includes requirements for energy and water conservation and efficiency, land use and development, and a remodeling component.

Importantly, the IGCC will apply to all buildings, including residential. If adopted by a jurisdiction as a mandatory green code, the IGCC will require all single-family and multifamily housing to comply with the National Green Building Standard, except that designers will have the option of using either ICC 700 or the provisions of the International Green Construction Code for high-rise multifamily buildings.

Public comments are due by May 14 and hearings will be held in Chicago on Aug. 14-22. After that, the proposed IGCC will be subjected to a full cycle of code development hearings in 2011, with the first published edition due in early 2012. NAHB’s Construction, Codes & Standards staff will be covering the development of the IGCC to ensure the interests of home builders are addressed.