Issues & AdvocacyIssues & Advocacy

As energy costs approach record levels, towns and municipalities are striving to establish standards and increase their sustainability profile. Currently, there is no lack of confusion on how best to make buildings energy efficient and sustainable using regulatory approaches. With a plethora of checklists, rating systems - and a lot of debate as to what approach is truly effective - it is imperative that local governments have a credible, enforceable and adoptable code in place. It is through the effective application and enforcement of standardized codes that the most meaningful improvements to the health, safety and welfare of the public have been achieved.

That’s why the International Green Construction Code (IgCC), which is due to be finalized and issued in late March by the International Code Council (ICC), the leading code authoring organization in cooperation with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) - is so important.

There has been a lot of input into the development of the IGCC and it has already been endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and a handful of states, including Rhode Island and Maryland, have already adopted it in earlier versions, though so far there are no strict mandatory adoptions to date.

So what is so good about yet another building code? Here are the IgCC’s main attributes:

• The IgCC is enforceable, but flexible. The IGCC is easily customized by local municipalities and states to meet the goals that are locally established. Most importantly it will read and be administered like other codes and utilize the same distribution, training, permitting and enforcement procedures that are already in place across the country. There will be no special “green permit” associated with the IGCC.

• The code is necessary to make a dent in the nation’s energy consumption. Buildings account for almost 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions and 76% of all power plant generated electricity.  

From the beginning, my profession has taken a leadership position in the development of – and advocacy for – the IGCC. The AIA decided early on to get behind the Green Code and to have a leading voice in its development and completion. Market forces over the past 15 years have ensured that the game has changed – green construction practices are becoming more main stream every day. The IgCC offers much-needed clarification in a regulatory framework incorporating these practices at minimum levels. AIA members have the sustainable design knowledge to help their communities determine if and when the IgCC is right for them. The support of the public is needed to adopt this new code. For more information talk to a local AIA architect or go to AIA.org or iccsafe.org/igcc.

We hope you will join us in this important endeavor. Let your local elected leaders know that adoption of the IgCC is one of the best ways the nation can conserve fuel and move America closer to energy independence.

<Joe Smith is President of the Local Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.>

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