The U.S. Green Building Council and three other organizations -- the International Code Council (ICC), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) -- have launched the International Green Construction Code, representing the merger of two national efforts to develop adoptable and enforceable green building codes.

The newly launched International Green Construction Code (IGCC) establishes a previously unimaginable regulatory framework for the construction of high performance commercial buildings that are safe, sustainable and by the book, according to USGBC.

An important addition to the technical content of the IGCC is the inclusion of ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, as an alternate path of compliance. Standard 189.1 is a set of technically rigorous requirements which covers criteria including water use efficiency, indoor environmental quality, energy efficiency, materials and resource use, and the building’s impact on its site and its community. Standard 189.1 was written by experts representing all areas of the building industry, who contributed tens of thousands of man hours. Developed in a little over three years, the standard underwent four public reviews in which some 2,500 comments were received.

“The U.S. Green Building Council’s mission is market transformation and we’ve long recognized the need to reach beyond the market leaders served by LEED to accomplish this goal,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, ceo and founding chairman of USGBC. “We are thrilled to see this set of complementary green building codes and standards; our organizations working collaboratively will advance green building nationwide in a way that was never before possible.”

“The emergence of green building codes and standards is an important next step for the green building movement, establishing a much-needed set of baseline regulations for green buildings that is adoptable, usable and enforceable by jurisdictions,” added ICC CEO Richard P. Weiland. “The IGCC provides a vehicle for jurisdictions to regulate green for the design and performance of new and renovated buildings in a manner that is integrated with existing codes as an overlay, allowing all new buildings to reap the rewards of improved design and construction practices.”

“Bringing together the code expertise of ICC with technical expertise of ASHRAE to create a comprehensive green building code will accelerate our transformation to more sustainable building practices,” noted Gordon Holness, ASHRAE president. “ASHRAE is committed to providing the design guidance building designers and engineers need to reduce the energy consumption of buildings.”

"IES is pleased to support the collaborative efforts of the organizations which demonstrate expertise in code and technical standards development in this comprehensive green building code,” said Rita Harrold, IES director of technology. “IES looks forward to ongoing guidance for sustainable building practices."

For more information on IGCC, click here. For more information on Standard 189.1, click here.