Sustainable and Green Buildings
Codes & Standards
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Sustainable and Green Building Codes and Standards
Current National Efforts
PCA is actively involved in the development and maintenance
of several national efforts to standardize and codify design and
construction requirements for sustainable or green buildings. These
activities include:
- National Green Building Standard jointly developed
by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the International
Code Council (ICC) and commonly referred to as ICC 700.
- Standard for the Design of High Performance Green Buildings
Except Low-rise Residential Buildings jointly developed by
the American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE), U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and Illuminating
Engineers Society (IES) and commonly referred to as ASHRAE 189.1
- International Green Construction Code jointly developed
by International Code Council (ICC), ASTM International (ASTM),
American Institute of Architects (AIA), and the American Society
of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE),
Illuminating Engineers Society (IES) and U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC), and commonly referred to as the IGCC.
- Plus a variety of standards being developed by ASTM International
(ASTM) Committee E60 on Sustainability commonly referred to as
ASTM E60.
Many of the provisions in these documents are based on or consistent
with the criteria in voluntary programs such as:
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design –
New Construction developed by the US Green Building Council and
commonly referred to as LEED and
- Green Building Initiative developed by Green Globe
and commonly referred to as GBI.
Current Efforts Remiss
The scopes of each of these efforts are, for the most part, limited
to sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials
and resources, and indoor air quality provisions being added to
a building that could be built to the minimum life safety provisions
of the state or local building code or less.
PCA continues its efforts to incorporate functional resilience into
the core criteria for sustainable buildings. Buildings that require
frequent routine maintenance, have short life spans, or are susceptible
to significant damage in the event of natural or other disasters
are contrary to the concepts of sustainability and should not be
used as the basis for codes and standards that are intended to encourage
sustainable building design and construction. Functional resilience
is crucial to the 1) design and construction of sustainable buildings,
2) having buildings that allow communities to be more sustainable,
and 3) truly minimize the long term negative impacts of buildings
on the environment.
The key aspects of functional resilience that should be considered
for all green or sustainable buildings are described in Functional
Resilience: Prerequisites for Green Buildings. Discussion
of a trend for more resilient buildings is provided with general
technical information that will educate all users and interest parties
on the need for and how to achieve enhanced functional resilience
for the design and construction of green or sustainable buildings.
Sufficient guidance is offered to allow designers to integrate functional
resilience into their building designs without having to go through
all the specific criteria presented as modifications to the International
Building Code in the High Performance Building Requirements
for Sustainability.
Alternative
Approaches
PCA continues to work within the national codes and standards development
processes to integrate the much needed functional resilience requirements
into codes and standards intended to address sustainability. However,
due to the nature of the current codes and standards development
process PCA’s position is not accepted primarily due to resistance
from entities 1) on record as opposing any provisions that increase
the initial cost of building regardless of the long term benefits
to owners, occupants, communities, or the environment which often
includes interest representing builders developers, owners and designers
and 2) interest representing materials and systems that may not
be able to affordably provide durability and disaster resistance
with economical long term service that is consistent with the intent
of sustainability.
To encourage action by others, including state and local jurisdictions,
PCA has developed criteria to integrate functional resilience into
green or sustainable building codes and standards. Two of these
efforts are: Functional Resilience Requirements to Modify
ICC 700 and High Performance Building
Requirements for Sustainability (HPBRS).
Further, PCA presents the aspects functional resilience
that should be integrated into the design and construction of green
buildings in non-code language in Functional Resilience: Prerequisites
for Green Buildings. The criteria and justification are presented
for inclusion in any project regardless of the presence of provisions
in building codes and standards.
Finally, since many codes and standards efforts are currently consist
with the scope of USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) programs, PCA has also prepared prerequisites for green building
design and construction that may be used to modify LEED programs
or used in conjunction with LEED design and construction criteria.
These criteria are presented as recommended revisions to LEED new
construction (NC), core and shell (CS), schools, retail, data centers,
warehouse and distribution centers, hospitality, and homes. The
functional resilience criteria are presented as Recommended
Revisions to LEED for NC and CS and Recommended Revisions
to LEED for Homes.
High Performance Building
Requirements for Sustainability (HPBRS)
The High Performance Building Requirements for Sustainability
(HPBRS) go beyond and enhance the key concepts of most
other national efforts intended to address green or sustainable
building design and construction. The HPBRS are a compilation of
recommended code changes presented in mandatory enforceable language
as modifications to thenational model building code that serves
as the basis for most state and local building codes, the ICC
International Building Code.
Functional Resilience: Prerequisite for Green Buildings.
A technical overview and justification for integrating functional
resilience into the design and construction of green buildings.
Useful guidance for design professionals and program developers
regardless of the presence of a green building codes or standards.
This overview is useful for all members of the building community
and community leaders.
High Performance Building Code Requirements for Sustainability
provides the specific code language modifying the International
Building Code in a manner to turns the IBC into a “green code.”
Functional
Resilience Requirements to Modify ICC 700
The functional resilience requirements for sustainability are provided
as additional chapters to be incorporated into the National
Green Building Standard by the adopting entity:
- Chapter 11 - Functional Resilience of One
and Two Family Dwellings and Townhomes Not More Than Three Stories
in Height
- Chapter 12 - Functional Resilience of Residential
Buildings Other Than One and Two Family Dwellings and Townhomes
Not More Than Three Stories in Height
When adopting either or both new chapters the current Chapter 11
on Referenced Documents in ICC 700 is to be renumbered accordingly.
For an overview of the modifications to ICC 700 and the concepts
of functional resilience, click here.
Chapter 11- Recommended modifications to ICC 700
for buildings under the purview of the International Residential
Code, are provided in Functional
Resilience of One and Two Family Dwellings and Townhomes Not More
Than Three Stories in Height.
Chapter 12 - The HPBRS are better coordinated with
the Requirements of the International Building Code for residential
buildings. However, modifications modifications to ICC 700 criteria
for buildings under the purview of the IBC are provided in Functional
Resilience of Residential Buildings Other Than One and Two Family
Dwellings and Townhomes Not More Than Three Stories in Height.
Recommendations for Integrating
Functional Resilience into LEED Programs
Many codes and standards efforts are currently consistent with the
scope of USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
programs thus having emphasis on energy, water, and material resource
management and conservation; indoor air quality; and site selection
and development with a lack of appropriate attention to functional
resilience. PCA has also prepared prerequisites for green building
design and construction that may be used to modify LEED programs
or used in conjunction with LEED projects. The functional resilience
prerequisites are presented separately and identified for appropriateness
for 1)
Recommended Revisions to LEED for NC and CS addressing
new construction (NC), core and shell (CS), schools, retail, data
centers, warehouse and distribution centers, and hospitality, and
2) and Recommended
Revisions to LEED for Homes for homes.
For an overview of the HPBRS and the concepts of functional resilience,
click here.
To download a free copy of the HPBRS, click
here.
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