Postponing Changes to LEED will Only Strengthen Our Sustainability Momentum

Posted June 12, 2012 By Lucas Hamilton and has no comments yet.
 

Lucas Hamilton

We are repurposing this blog post for this page. It contains thought leadership you may find interesting.

It was recently announced that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) decided to postpone the balloting on LEED 2012 until 2013 and they are changing the name to LEEDv4.  It makes perfect sense to create a more generic name since the shelf life of the standards are not related to a specific period of time.

Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chairman of USBGC outlined in his Blog the reasons for postponing and the following seem to be the key reasons:

  • The changes in the rating system where too much, too fast, especially in a weak real estate market.
  •  Some of the changes need more refinement especially with regard to the Materials & Resources category.  There appear to be whole new approaches to material selection which underwent continual revision with each public comment draft.
  • The tools and resources needed to achieve credits would not be widely available by the time the new system was slated to launch.

I applaud them for having the wisdom to postpone based on the feedback they received from their stakeholders in the build community. 

If you recall, when ENERGY STAR tried to make a leap from version 2 to version 3 it was such a significant change that many stakeholders felt they were not prepared a to meet the new standard.. This caused ENERGY STAR to back off on the full upgrade and we were left with a 2.5 version to enable the build community to bridge the gap.

I think that USGBC’s decision to postpone will help them to deliver a new version of standards that are achievable while still being a stretch. Programs such as this are important to help us to continue to raise the bar in the sustainability arena. LEED has been pivotal in moving the marketplace with regard to green building and we are seeing this in the changes to state building codes across the country. 

Stay tuned.  There will continue to be feedback opportunities as LEEDv4 is revised.

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed Corporation

About Lucas Hamilton

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed

Take a Peek at the Future of Building Codes – International Green Construction Code

Posted August 20, 2010 By Lucas Hamilton and has 2 comments.

It’s about time! The International Green Construction Code (IGCC), subtitled “Safe and Sustainable: By the Book” has just completed the public comment stage.  The draft code is a joint effort of the International Code Council (ICC), the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ASTM International. The AIA and ASTM have played a vital role in the development of the IGCC.

The AIA presence guarantees a focus on the AIA’s 2030 Carbon Neutrality Goal. ASTM International, which carries a worldwide reputation as a standards developer, strengthens the scientific basis that will drive the Code. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) joined the ICC/AIA/ASTM team in reviewing and commenting on the Code.

This model Code focuses on new and existing commercial buildings and addresses green building design and performance. It creates a baseline for green building by making our basic practices more sustainable while leaving plenty of room for improvement. With many of the lessons learned from the sustainable construction evolution to date being made code, it gives us an opportunity to push the targets of more advanced programs “further down field.” Can you imagine what we may learn or what innovations may come from that?  You can download a copy of the proposed code for review or you can view the video.

We need a green building code.  Up until now, we have only had green standards to define and support the sustainability movement. A standard is just an agreement but a code can be enforced.  The USGBC and NAHB paved the way toward making a solid commitment to build responsibly but creating a Code on a national and international level really changes the game.

Once we have a Green Construction Code the states will need to adopt or amend it to suite their unique requirements. But at least now we have a model Code to put in front of them as a starting point. It couldn’t get here soon enough. 

What are your thoughts as to the pros and cons to an International Green Construction Code?

 

Lucas Hamilton

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed Corporation.

About Lucas Hamilton

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed


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