USGBC, GBI Support for Code Council’s IGCC Builds Momentum toward First Development Committee Meeting

Support of Green Advocacy Organizations Important Step to Create Nation’s First Safe and Sustainable Code

The International Code Council’s International Green Construction Code (IGCC) initiative is receiving support from influential and leading industry organizations, including the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Green Building Initiative (GBI), as the code’s developing committee prepares for its first meeting later this month.

The first meeting of the Sustainable Building Technology Committee (SBTC), July 28-30 in Chicago, will launch development activities geared toward the creation of the IGCC. All meetings of the SBTC are open to the public, with stakeholder participation highly encouraged. Both the USGBC and GBI have weighed in with their support of the design and development of the IGCC, the nation’s first code to address green commercial and high performance buildings. The Code Council’s IGCC initiative was launched with the naming of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ASTM International as cooperating sponsors.

USGBC President Richard Fedrizzi said, “Congratulations on taking such an important step to ensure the creation of such a code system. We are pleased to support this effort in any way possible.” Fedrizzi complimented the Code Council for “undertaking a collaborative approach to this important work.”

GBI President Ward Hubbell offered to provide a representative to work with the Code Council on determining how the IGCC will interact with green building rating systems, and technical support to the work of the SBTC. “The Green Building Initiative commends the ICC on its intentions to move forward with the creation of a green code to address commercial buildings,” Hubbell said.

The Code Council Board designated the members of the SBTC, including the selection of Board Member Ravi Shah of Texas as Chair and AIA Member Chris Green of Colorado as Vice Chair. While the specific language of the IGCC code draft will be developed over several months of SBTC meetings followed by public comment, draft review hearings, and formal code hearings, the scope and intent of the code was articulated by Code Council Chief Executive Officer Richard P. Weiland at a June 29 launch of the IGCC initiative in Washington, D.C.

Weiland said, “We are now at a place in the evolution of the sustainability movement that requires the specificity, the reliability, and enforceability that only a code can bring. Through the work of our members and friends, this action will create a code that addresses both safety and sustainability. He added that, “Our mission moving forward is to develop a green code for commercial buildings that will acknowledge the information and resources that have been developed to date, and provide every stakeholder with guidance that is grounded in the knowledge and capabilities of our diverse community.”

Particular emphasis has been placed by the Code Council on the integrated nature of its codes and the value of having a green construction code that would augment and complement its existing family of I-Codes. In particular, the IGCC initiative has been introduced as providing a step beyond existing administrative provisions in the I-Codes and responding to the desire of jurisdictions for a regulatory framework that is enforceable and a useful tool for building designers as well as contractors, building owners and inspectors.

For more information on the IGCC and the activities of the SBTC, please log on to www.iccsafe.org/igcc.

About the U.S. Green Building Council

The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. With a community comprising 78 local affiliates, more than 20,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 100,000 LEED Accredited Professionals, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to soar to $60 billion by 2010. The USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students.

About the Green Building Initiative

The Green Building Initiative (GBI) is a not for profit organization whose mission is to accelerate the adoption of building practices that result in energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable buildings by promoting credible and practical green building approaches for residential and commercial construction.

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.