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The International Code Council (ICC) announced that its International Green Construction Code (IGCC) will be available as of March 2010. The code will be the first integrated green code for traditional and high performance commercial buildings. Current drafts will ensure that installations of HVAC and refrigeration will not contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) or Halons.

There has been active participation from across the board in drafting the code. Code Council Board Member and SBTC Chair Ravi Shah stated that “From the beginning of our code development earlier this year, we’ve had 29 SBTC members and countless work group members from across the spectrum of government, industry, non-profit and academia weaving their views into a consensus code”.

The ICC’s Green Construction Code is expected to inform many policy discussions currently underway. At the same time the IGCC will undergo continual maintenance with the solicitation of additional public comments through hearings being conducted in August. The IGCC will enter an additional round of review comments and public hearings in 2011 for the final publication for the 2012 ICC Family of Codes.

“This will be the first time code officials, owners and designers will have an integrated regulatory framework to put into practice that meets the goal of greening the construction and design of new and existing buildings,” according to Code Council CEO Richard P. Weiland. “Only a code that is useable, enforceable and adoptable will have the capability of impacting our built environment in dramatic ways.”

The IGCC

The IGCC is designed specifically to integrate and coordinate with the other International Codes already being enforced by governmental code officials at all levels.

• It is not designed to compete against, or minimize, the systems and standards that are already in place. For measurable progress to occur there needs to be a regulatory framework in place. Only a code offers that tool.
• A code has the best chance of truly being enforced at the local level, due to its familiarity to the enforcement community.
• A code will carry with it the input of multiple disciplines who are all necessary to its success, ranging from code officials, architects and standards experts to contractors, building owners, tradespersons and other experts.