July 8, 2009—The International Code Council has launched its International Green Construction Code (IGCC) initiative, which it says will reduce energy usage and the carbon footprint of commercial buildings.
Entitled IGCC: Safe and Sustainable By the Book, the initiative is committed to develop a model code focused on new and existing commercial buildings. It will focus on building design and performance. Buildings consume approximately 40 percent of energy used and produce about the same amount of the nations carbon emissions, notes the Code Council.
The Code Council included a number of key organizations during its announcement, including noting special roles for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ASTM as cooperating sponsors for this project.
Code Council Chief Executive Officer Richard P. Weiland acknowledged the presence of many organizations that have developed “green tools” impacting the built environment and welcomed their support and assistance in crafting the new initiative.
After recognizing the historic role of Code Council members in the development codes such as the International Energy Conservation Code and the rapid evolution of new systems and guidelines to address green technology, Weiland said it was time to move into a “new era of codes that specifically focus on green buildings and high performance. We are now at a place in the evolution of the sustainability movement that requires the specificity, the reliability, and the enforceability that only a code can bring.”
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. For more information on the Code Council and its new initiative, see the Web site.
