Green Building Codes and Standards

Building ‘green’ is a trend that has swept the nation as stakeholders at all stages of a building's life, from conception and design to operation and maintenance, look for new and innovative ways to conserve energy, improve air quality, and minimize the amount of nonrenewable energy used by the structures in which we spend most of our time. Buildings themselves are a significant source of pollution, and improving their efficiency from construction through operation is an excellent way to decrease our growing impact on the environment. A variety of green building codes have been considered all over the country, but California is the first to institute a mandatory state-wide green building code. This code became effective on January 2011.

CALGreen

The California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen) became effective January 2011. This new code establishes minimum green building standards for most new construction projects in California. It is having a significant impact on product manufacturers, the design and construction industry, and local jurisdictions that are charged with implementing the code. Visit the official CALGreen website to download the code and view other important state documents.

Several organizations have collaborated to develop a matrix, (download here), comparing the provisions of CALGreen (Commercial) with LEED Building Design and Construction (BD&C) and a second matrix, (download here), comparing CALGreen (residential) with Build it Green and LEED for Homes. The code is complex, with both mandatory and optional provisions. It is unknown how local jurisdictions will implement the optional indoor environmental quality requirements, but, the mandatory provisions regarding VOC emissions from flooring products and CARB ATCM compliance of composite woods are already in effect now for most California projects.

 To learn more about product testing to meet the indoor environmental quality requirements of the mandatory and optional sections of CALGreen, contact us.

The following table identifies the mandatory product VOC emissions requirements in CALGreen and outlines the VOC emissions sections of ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 and the International Green Construction Code (IgCC).