WASHINGTON, D.C. – The International Code Council and its stakeholders have a long history in promoting the contribution of codes and code officials to a more sustainable planet. From site development and land use through construction materials, energy and water conservation to air quality, codes play an important role in the future of energy-efficient, sustainable construction. The Code Council provides guidance on how everyone impacting  buildings and their construction can be a better environmental  steward, ranging from  building and fire code officials, to architects, designers, engineers, building owners or managers, contractors, tradespersons or any other discipline associated with building safety and sustainability.

Today, the Code Council provides regulations for adoption at the state and local level in the U.S., as well as globally, to specifically address issues of conservation and building performance, including the International Energy Conservation Code and the new International Green Construction Code. Code Council services to support professional development and industry capability extend to training, certification and testing, Evaluation Service reviewing green products, and Accreditation Service that approve green manufacturers. Scores of Code Council publications provide insight from the top experts in green design and construction.

“All of us recognize that we have seen enormous growth in the desire to create and maintain buildings that are considered ‘green,’” said ICC Chief Executive Officer Rick Weiland. “Yet 40 years after the first Earth Day we are still at the beginning of a national and global approach to creating specific language that will contribute to green design and ensure green performance. Much has been done, ranging from rating systems to guidelines and standards, and especially the development of our International Green Construction Code. Now that we have the benefit of accessing what has been done to date, the task before us is coming into focus.”

Looking back, ICC’s rich history runs parallel with the sustainability movement. Dating back to 1977, the first-ever energy conservation code, dubbed the Code for Energy Conservation in New Building Construction, served as a roadmap for future green model codes. Over several adaptations, this document was called the Model Code for Energy Conservation (MCEC) and later the Model Energy Code (MEC). Finally, in 1998 the model code was reintroduced by ICC as the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), a code that exists to this day and is a cornerstone of sustainable building practice.

Today, ICC’s most prominent efforts in this area are through the International Green Construction Code (IGCC), which is the first construction code of its kind dedicated to promoting environmentally friendly design and construction practices. The IGCC is written to be consistent with the other international codes currently being enforced in jurisdictions around the United States and globally. The IGCC covers a wide range of topics, from conservation of materials to land use and environmental quality, and it’s designed to be adoptable, usable and enforceable.

While the IGCC is still in development, IGCC Public Version 1.0 is now available for jurisdictions that want to immediately incorporate “green” components into their building codes.

With IGCC Public Version 1.0, governing jurisdictions have a specific “road map” that can be used to ensure compliance with criteria that has been informed by the latest sustainable science, safety, performance and policy considerations.  Public Version 1.0 will continue to be refined through ICC’s Governmental Consensus Process. Details on the IGCC Public Comment and future development may be found online at www.iccsafe.org/cs/IGCC.

"These efforts have brought into focus, how and where a code fits," Board President Ron Lynn said, "We can now present a baseline code that on one hand integrates with existing codes and standards and on the other hand compliments the systems and standards that will continue to promote new technology and advances approaches in green construction."

Safety meets sustainability through many of ICC’s initiatives, proving that you don’t have to sacrifice a commitment to the environment for the sake of progress in construction. Here are a few of the other ways that ICC is focused on following Earth Day principles all year long:

• To assist in identifying products whose sustainable attributes have been independently verified, the ICC Evaluation Service, Inc. (ICC-ES) has developed the SAVE™ program: Sustainable Attributes Verification and Evaluation. SAVE™ is a voluntary program where manufacturers can apply to have their products evaluated by ICC-ES. The program is designed to provide reliable third-party verification about sustainable products that are easily accessible online and at no cost to specifiers, designers, code officials and consumers.
• ICC is involved in a number of sustainable construction initiatives with both federal and private sector partners. One initiative of note is the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) 2030 Commitment, which challenges design and construction firms to achieve carbon neutrality in new buildings in 20 years. The newly developed IGCC has helped to create the blueprint for how to make this goal a reality.
• ICC has launched its Green Building Professional Certification program, which will help verify a code official’s knowledge of the green attributes of international codes as well as various green building rating systems. Ultimately, the program will help ensure that green building programs will be coordinated by other international codes.
• The organization offers a number of training courses, including webinars and online courses, dedicated to teaching the fundamentals of green design and code enforcement. From site development to energy conservation and indoor environmental quality, ICC covers the most relevant topics as they pertain to environmentally friendly principles.
• From smartphone applications to downloadable codes in PDF format, ICC is shifting more to a paperless and virtual environment every day. For example, ICC’s smartphone application offers you convenient access to eCodes, the ICC website and ICC-ES Evaluation Reports and PMG (Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas) Listings.

The International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety, fire prevention and energy efficiency, develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states choose the International Codes, building safety codes developed by the International Code Council. The International Codes also serve as the basis for construction of federal properties around the world, and as a reference for many nations outside the United States. . ICC members include state, county and municipal code enforcement and fire officials, architects, engineers, builders, contractors, elected officials, manufacturers and others in the construction industry. For more information on any of the programs mentioned above, visit www.iccsafe.org.