by Brianna Crandall — November 26, 2010—After much input from stakeholders, the International Code Council unveiled on November 18 its latest edition of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC), known as IGCC Public Version 2.0, at the U.S. Green Building Council’s annual Greenbuild conference.
Cooperating sponsors of the IGCC are the American Institute of Architects, ASTM International, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).
The IGCC applies to new and existing, traditional and high-performance buildings. It includes ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 as a jurisdictional compliance option. Coordinated with the ICC family of codes, the IGCC is designed to go beyond traditional code requirements for communities that are pursuing a sustainability goal.
The most significant revision made by the Committee occurred in the area of energy conservation. References to Total Annual Net Energy Use (TANEU) in Version 1.0 were replaced with a Zero Energy Performance Index (zEPI), requiring buildings to use no more than 51 percent of the energy allowable in the 2000 International Energy Conservation Code.
Other key changes in Public Version 2.0 include: new requirements for identification and removal of materials containing asbestos; land use regulations including new provisions addressing flood risk, development limitations related to “greenfields,” and use of turf grass and minimum landfill diversion requirements; clarification of responsibilities from the registered design professional to the owner to prevent potential conflicts with state and local requirements; and greater consistency with industry standards for air handling systems.
The IGCC development process now moves to two hearings in 2011. Code change proposals for Version 2.0 are due to the Code Council by January 3. The final version of the IGCC will be issued in early 2012.
