The former head of the U.S. Green Building Council says the Biden Administration’s formation of the National Building Performance Standards Coalition is a “tremendous” step in the right direction to raise building performance standards in the U.S.
This action, along with an effort to boost sustainability on federal properties, has the “potential to merge federal leadership and fiscal resources with lower governments’ capacities for experimentation and execution,” writes Mahesh Ramanujam, former USGBC CEO. The coalition could achieve much while circumventing gridlock on Capitol Hill, he says.
The coalition, a partnership between the White House and 33 state and local governments, aims to deliver cleaner, healthier, and more affordable buildings by advancing building performance policies in each of the members’ jurisdictions by Earth Day 2024.
The coalition recognizes that there is no “one-size-fits-all” standard when it comes to standards and codes for buildings. Differences in climates and environments, energy resource distributions, material supply chains, legacy building stock compositions, community preferences, market dynamics, and other variables add complexity.
Taking these variables into account could make code development more effective locally, but on the other hand, Ramanujam adds, the lack of a true national building performance standard may limit its impact.
Related Stories
Building Team | Feb 13, 2019
3 exciting tech developments that show promise for AEC adoption
The BD+C editorial team is on a mission to track and evaluate the latest tech tools and trends that show promise for widespread AEC adoption.
Building Team | Jan 10, 2019
Skilled labor shortages continue to make off-site fabrication and construction attractive
But the AEC industry’s “culture” impedes greater acceptance, according to a recent National Institute of Building Sciences survey.
Building Team | Jan 7, 2019
2019 outlook: Firms not betting on another record-setting year
Despite the positive indicators for the market, AEC professionals remain largely cautious when it comes to growth prospects for 2019.
Building Team | Jan 4, 2019
Design-build delivery is setting new parameters for project management
FMI paper provides clues to what makes these contracts click (or not).
Building Team | Dec 11, 2018
And then there were two: HQ2 sites, in hindsight, seemed obvious
The two cities already had the greatest number of Amazon employees outside of Seattle.
Building Team | Oct 16, 2018
Dead lobby syndrome: An affliction only experience can cure
The competition for great tenants has rarely been as fierce as it is today.
Building Team | Aug 21, 2018
Five habits that are keeping your digital strategy from working
Strategies are always created with the best of intentions for improving business, the effort involved in executing the strategy – especially ones involving disruptive digital capabilities – is greatly underestimated.
Building Team | Aug 17, 2018
Silicon Valley is here. Get over it.
AEC firms continue to have angst about a tech-industry takeover of the market. One expert’s advice: “Embrace technology. Do not fear. You can shape it.”
Sponsored | Building Materials | Aug 1, 2018
Building for now... and the future
Metal building systems are often selected for large-sized structures, and with good reason.