The Code Council and its partners — the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ASTM International — are developing a green code that jurisdictions can adopt and adapt to suit all manner of commercial structures, whether new or existing. The first Public Version will be unveiled in March.

“The Code Council spearheading the development makes sense for many reasons, mainly because we are the same professionals who have written the building codes used throughout the United States and around the world for decades,” said Code Council Board Member and Sustainable Building Technology Committee (SBTC) Chair Ravi Shah. “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 goal of the IGCC is to make stronger, more durable and sustainable non-residential built structures a reality. The IGCC will incorporate critical elements of usability, flexibility, adoptability and enforceability to achieve peak performance during the life of a building.

The SBTC has been in high gear since late last summer. Committee members hail from diverse geographies with distinct needs when it comes to building safety requirements. From California to Pennsylvania to Florida and points in between, the assembled team rolled up its sleeves to get an IGCC draft underway.

The SBTC pulled together Work Groups, which is its perogative under IGCC's Drafting Rules and Procedures, with members who have expertise on select topics relevant to the development of specific IGCC content. These groups are chaired by a member of the SBTC and are comprised of both SBTC members and interested parties. These individuals have proven knowledge in fields such as water use, renewable energy, land use and materials, and represent specialties such as construction, architecture and building inspection.

Since the existing I-Codes are unique in the industry on a national and global level, the Code Council is equipped to create a code — the IGCC — that aligns with both safety and sustainability guidelines.

How and Why Work Groups "Work"
"We formed the Work Groups based on former proven processes with code development in the drafting of the International Building Code (IBC),” said Mike Pfeiffer, PE, ICC Deputy Senior Vice President, Technical Services, who is acting as a project manager for the IGCC development effort. “While the IBC utilized groups of interested parties mainly for structural and material related issues, the IGCC differed in that the groups required a broad range of expertise in all facets of green including administration, materials, energy, water and indoor environmental quality."

"This is the first time we have assembled so many experts with such a broad range of unique experience to develop an individual code,” Pfeiffer added. “We saw the need to do this, following a lot of internal discussion about best practices to create an IGCC that would mandate peak performance and become the industry standard for commercial green building."

The makeup of the Work Groups attempts to balance various interests, as much as that is possible, while limiting the group to a manageable number in order to reach consensus. Participation in the effort is not limited to the members who have been appointed; rather, it is an open process where both SBTC members and interested parties are encouraged to participate.

The content of the first Public Version will be discussed at open meetings. While the SBTC will permit all participants to engage in the discussion and offer their views, the Work Group recommendation will determine the final result. But all who participate in the Work Group effort can also participate in the SBTC meetings where they can offer their views to the full Committee, including issues for which they disagree with the Work Group recommendation.

Specific Work Group Responsibilities
The SBTC created Work Groups in Administration, Compliance, Site/Land Use, Materials, Energy and Water/IEQ. Each group has about 10 members representing a variety of organizations.

The SBTC has charged the Administrative Work Group with developing content regarding duties of the code official, permits, inspections, fees and stop work guidelines.

“The IGCC needs to be a code that clearly reflects a significant shift in the way we look at buildings in the code profession," said Peter Bruck, Administrative Work Group Chair. “The biggest challenge will be coming up with a code that is credible as a ‘green’ document, yet doesn’t alienate code adopters because they are overwhelmed with how it will change their jobs. The IGCC will need to strike a balance that supports change toward environmental responsibility, while providing the necessary tools for potential users to enact these changes.”

The Compliance Work Group is responsible for creating the "road map" on how to use the new code, and is comprised of representatives from each of the five technical Work Groups.

With adoptability in mind, the Materials Work Group has focused on creating code guidelines for everything — recycled content, waste management, moisture control and more. This is no small task, considering the size of commercial facilities and the volume of waste they can generate in one day.

The Energy and Water/IEQ Work Groups concentrate on everything from building envelope and mechanical/electrical systems to HVAC and plumbing — in other words, the guts of the structure. Among the specific areas of concentration for this Work Group are the monitoring and reporting on maximum emissions and peak power periods. While still not mainstream in the United States, the IGCC will even address solar thermal heating and solar electric power requirements.

“As the first construction code to address sustainability in all of its dimensions, the IGCC will become the vehicle to establish new standards within the design and construction industries,” said Vernon Woodworth, a member of the Site/Land Use Work Group, which addresses transportation impact and heat island recommendations. “In jurisdictions where the IGCC is adopted, architects will no longer have to justify sustainable features or be tied to the LEED rating systems.”

Next Steps
“There are so many new and interesting aspects to the IGCC, that the unveiling of the first draft will be an exciting moment to witness,” said Pfeiffer. “The level of detail involved from land use, envelope and mechanical systems for next-generation commercial construction never ceases to amaze all of us. We are proud to be presenting the first draft for review and look forward to receiving feedback from the construction community.”

The final SBTC meeting of the Public Version drafting process took place in late January in Austin, Texas. The Committee is preparing new language from that meeting to include in the first Public Version of the IGCC to be published in March. Jurisdictions seeking to develop 2010 legislation can use this version as a resource tool. After this initial Public Version appears, there will be a period of public comment and hearings that runs throughout the summer of 2010. A revised version will be addressed at code development hearings and final action hearings in 2011, with publication in 2012.