Building Codes: Can't Live With 'Em, Can't Live Without 'Em

By Scott Kriner, Green Metal Consulting

Green codes at all levels are on the increase, and becoming more stringent. One look at the International Code Council’s website, under their “Green Building” tab, gives you an idea about what’s happening at the national building code level. Headlines like:

• “ICC-ES to Launch Green Verification Program”
• “Green Clearinghouse”
• “Highlights of the Forthcoming ICC/NAHB National Green Building Standard”
• “Code Council Developing Green Building Certification for Inspectors”
• “The Case for the International Codes as the Foundation for Green Building Programs and Standards”
• “ICC Green Building Survey Results”
• “USGBC and International Code Council Formally Commit to Joint Educational, Business and Policy Initiatives to Further Green”
• “Initiating a Green Building Program”

Is anyone still thinking that green building is just a fad that will pass? When federal, state, and local laws are being written to encourage, and in some cases mandate, green building practices I think we’ve gone beyond a fad. And when the code-writing bodies are now fully entrenched in green code initiatives, the verification of green building materials and practices will soon be mainstream.

The ICC just created a Sustainable Building Technology Committee to support their green efforts. That committee will be the forum for discussing sustainability and how it relates to codes. Expect to see proposed code changes, training for code officials, and advice to the board of directors coming from this new committee.

More recently the ICC-Evaluation Service announced their Green Verification Program, as part of their Green Service. That program involves verification reports on the sustainable attributes of products. In their first phase, reports would verify the environmental (“cradle to gate”) attributes of products. The attributes fall into nine categories:

• Solar reflectance index and thermal emittance of roofing materials;
• Recycled content;
• Extracted raw materials;
• Biobased materials;
• Certified wood products;
• Urea formaldehyde resin content in composite wood products;
• Low-emission floor coverings;
• Volatile organic compound content (adhesives and sealants):
• Volatile organic compound content (paints and coatings).

And just when you thought things were getting too complicated, ICC-ES announced that in a subsequent phase of more verification reports, Life Cycle attributes will be evaluated.

In the field of cool metal roofing, we now have the International Code Council getting involved in verifying procedures used to determine the SRI and thermal emittance of materials. In some cases the ICC-ES language is similar to that of the Cool Roof Rating Council’s certification program. But in other cases, there are some differences. So now the marketplace needs to be aware of yet another program for verifying that a product is a cool roof, based on its own unique guidelines.

Like any other market, when something moves from an idea to a fad to a movement and finally to mainstream, things get complicated. Once again, it is very important for a building designer, architect, owner or contractor to know their locale. Differences may exist in local codes (some may be more stringent than national codes), available incentives, or specific standards from one jurisdiction to another. But keep your eye on the greening of the I-codes as the rule of the land. For more on this topic, visit www.icc-es.org.

Scott Kriner is the president and founder of Green Metal Consulting Inc. He is a LEED Accredited Professional who began his career in the metal construction industry in 1981. His company is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, the California Association of Building Energy Consultants and the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). Scott can be reached by email at skriner1@verizon.net, or by phone at (610) 966-2430. You can also visit him on the web at www.greenmetalconsulting.com.