More jurisdictions are utilizing the new International Green Construction Code as a tool to address sustainable construction for new and existing buildings. Fort Collins, Colo., and Kayenta Township, Ariz., are the most recent in a series of local and state governments that have adopted the IGCC, according to the International Code Council. These two actions follow earlier adoptions by Richland, Wash. and the state of Rhode Island. Fort Collins is the first jurisdiction in Colorado to adopt the IGCC and Kayenta is the first Native American tribal adoption and the first jurisdiction in Arizona to adopt the IGCC. The Code Council expects several more state and local adoptions of the IGCC within the next few months.
In March, the Fort Collins City Council voted to approve significant extractions from the IGCC and the National Green Building Standard, ICC 700, as part of green building code amendments to the city's building codes, which already includes nine I-Codes. The effective date for the provisions is January 2012.
Kayenta adopted the IGCC Public Version 2.0 on a voluntary basis and the code may be incorporated into the community’s Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. Kayenta adopted the code with specific requirements related to greenfields, conservation areas, and agricultural land.
“The emergence of green building codes and standards is an important next step to provide communities with the opportunity to build sustainable and safe buildings,” Richard P. Weiland, International Code Council Chief Executive Officer said. “We are pleased to recognize Kayenta Township and the Navajo Nation as the first Native American community in the United States to adopt the International Green Construction Code and Fort Collins for being the first jurisdiction in Colorado to adopt the code."
The IGCC applies to new and existing, traditional and high-performance commercial buildings. It 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.
The IGCC Public Version 2.0 offers a Zero Energy Performance Index (zEPI), requiring buildings to use no more than 51 percent of the energy allowable in the 2000 International Energy Conservation Code.
Examples of provisions in Public Version 2.0 include:
- A 20 percent water savings beyond U.S. federal standards for water closets in residential settings
- New requirements for identification and removal of materials containing asbestos
- Land use regulations including new provisions addressing flood risk, development limitations related to “greenfields,” use of turf grass and minimum landfill diversion requirements
- Clarification of responsibilities from the registered design professional to the owner to prevent potential conflicts with state and local requirements
- Greater consistency with industry standards for air handling systems
The IGCC’s cooperating sponsors are the American Institute of Architects (AIA), ASTM International, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the U.S. Green Building Council, and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).
IGCC will be published in 2012 after code development hearings in May and final hearings in November.
About the International Code Council
The International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety, fire prevention and energy efficiency, 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. The International Codes also serve as the basis for construction of federal properties around the world, and as a reference for many nations outside the United States.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
School district plans net-zero building
Camas (Wash.) School District is planning to utilize one of three energy sources—photovoltaics, wind turbine, or geothermal—to help take its new community high school completely off the grid. The school district commissioned Interface Engineering to explore all three options for the project, which is scheduled to break ground in August.
| Aug 11, 2010
Cooper Union academic building designed to reach LEED Platinum
Morphosis Architects and Gruzen Samton are collaborating on an ultra-green academic building for New York’s Cooper Union that is designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification. The program for the nine-story facility mixes state-of-the-art laboratories, classrooms, a multipurpose auditorium, and a range of public and social spaces.
| Aug 11, 2010
Toronto mandates green roofs
The city of Toronto late last month passed a new green roof by-law that consists of a green roof construction standard and a mandatory requirement for green roofs on all classes of new buildings. The by-law requires up to 50% green roof coverage on multi-unit residential dwellings over six stories, schools, nonprofit housing, and commercial and industrial buildings.
| Aug 11, 2010
TCF Bank Stadium first new football stadium to get LEED certification
The University of Minnesota has received LEED Silver certification for its 50,805-seat TCF Bank Stadium, making it the first new football stadium in the country to achieve LEED status. Designed by Populous, Kansas City, Mo., the facility features a stormwater management system that captures and stores rainwater in an underground filtering system, where it is harvested, filtered, and drained int...
| Aug 11, 2010
'Feebate' program to reward green buildings in Portland, Ore.
Officials in Portland, Ore., have proposed a green building incentive program that would be the first of its kind in the U.S. Under the program, new commercial buildings, 20,000 sf or larger, that meet Oregon's state building code would be assessed a fee by the city of up to $3.46/sf. The fee would be waived for buildings that achieve LEED Silver certification from the U.
| Aug 11, 2010
Goettsch Partners wins design competition for Soochow Securities HQ in China
Chicago-based Goettsch Partners has been selected to design the Soochow Securities Headquarters, the new office and stock exchange building for Soochow Securities Co. Ltd. The 21-story, 441,300-sf project includes 344,400 sf of office space, an 86,100-sf stock exchange, classrooms, and underground parking.
| Aug 11, 2010
Green HQ going up in Miami
Formgroup, Coral Gables, Fla., has been commissioned by communications company CIMA Telecom to design its 24,000-sf headquarters in Miami. The nine-story, LEED Gold pre-certified office building will get 25% of its power from solar panels and will minimize energy usage with the help of automated window shades and occupancy sensors.
| Aug 11, 2010
Nation's first multistory green industrial facility opens in Brooklyn
The $25 million Perry Avenue Building at Brooklyn Navy Yard is the nation's first multilevel green industrial facility and the first building in New York to incorporate building-mounted wind turbines. The wind turbines, along with rooftop solar panels, will provide electricity for the building's lobby and common areas.
| Aug 11, 2010
Manhattan's latest boutique hotel will be LEED Silver certified
New York-based developer Tribeca Associates has commissioned Brennan Beer Gorman Architects to design its latest mixed-use office and boutique hotel at 330 Hudson Street. Located in the downtown Hudson Square area of Manhattan, the LEED-Silver development will involve the redevelopment of a historic, eight-story warehouse building into 292,000 sf of office space, 15,000 sf of retail space, and ...
