Earlier this year, New York City's Department of Buildings began auditing thousands of architectural plans for new and renovated office and residential buildings. Nine of every 10 have failed to meet the energy code, a 30-year-old set of standards.
The compliance enforcement effort began under Mayor Michael Bloomberg last year, when he assigned auditors to pore over 212 randomly selected building plans. This year, auditors have examined more than 1,200 applications.
The standards are only now being enforced in earnest. In some cases, the Department of Buildings has stopped nonconforming projects. “We're very serious about this, and are trying to educate the industry on what is required,” said Gina Bocra, chief sustainability officer at the Department of Buildings, which set up a permanent audit unit this year. “Buildings are the largest source of energy consumption in our city, and how we conserve energy is key to making progress on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.”
Some are complaining about the potential costs of compliance and potential to lengthen construction schedules. Planned additions to the building code over the next year are boosting concerns. “The energy code can be an effective way to increase efficiency if it remains flexible, but the more mandatory and prescriptive any code is, the more difficult it is to build a building that complies — particularly in New York City,” said Angela Pinsky, a senior vice president of management services and government affairs with the Real Estate Board of New York.
(http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20140818/NEWS07/140819859?tags=|338|69|310|80|303)
Related Stories
| May 31, 2012
Natural gas industry opposes federal carbon-neutral construction rule
The natural gas industry and some allies are working to block a federal green building rule that was expected to be a national model for carbon-neutral construction.
| May 31, 2012
Lawsuits push the legal boundaries of green building definition
This article explores some legal issues stemming from lawsuits in which plaintiffs have charged developers with not delivering on a promised level of sustainability.
| May 31, 2012
ANSI approves Green Building Initiative’s design standard
The Green Building Initiative (GBI), a Portland, Ore. nonprofit organization, has had its new consensus-based standard for the design, construction, and operations of environmentally friendly buildings approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
| May 31, 2012
USGBC testing Minnesota buildings to see if they are living up to LEED standards
The Minnesota chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has teamed up with EnergyPrint, a St. Paul, Minn. energy consulting firm, to study the energy and water use of more than 150 buildings in the state that have LEED certification.
| May 29, 2012
Reconstruction Awards Entry Information
Download a PDF of the Entry Information at the bottom of this page.
| May 25, 2012
Major retail chains welcome LEED Volume option
Large national chains such as Starbucks, Marriott, Verizon, and Kohl’s are welcoming the LEED Volume Program that enables them to batch certify similar projects.
| May 25, 2012
Alaska’s okay of gravel aggregate with naturally occurring asbestos opens up development
Some long-delayed projects in the Upper Kobuk region of Alaska may now move forward thanks to legislation that allows construction in areas that have naturally occurring asbestos.
| May 25, 2012
Las Vegas building codes may thwart innovative shipping container development
A developer wants to build a commercial development out of steel shipping containers in Las Vegas, but city codes would have to be altered or the project would have to obtain waivers for it to receive the city’s go-ahead.
| May 25, 2012
Collapse of Brooklyn building that killed worker blamed on improperly braced frame
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited SP&K Construction with 11 safety violations, for which it could face more than $77,000 in fines.
