Green Building Law Update : Green Building & Construction LEED AP, Lawyer & Attorney Chris Cheatham : Washington DC, Virginia, New York City

Despite my previous suggestion that the USGBC's Greening the Codes could have done without the history of building codes, I do think it offers an interesting history lesson.  This paragraph caught my attention:   

The energy crisis of the 1970s brought yet another topic to the national stage. The soaring costs of energy and a growing concern about pollution and natural resource conservation caused Congress to pass the Energy Policy and Conservation Act that in 1978 would require states receiving federal funds to initiate energy conservation standards for new buildings. That same year, the State of California led the nation by adopting the California Energy Code, recognizing that energy consumption gone unchecked yields societal costs to consumers, to the economy, to the environment and ultimately to public health. It would take a number of compounding factors in the 1990s to revive this interest in building energy efficiency that ended up otherwise largely lost to other priorities in the 1980s.

The more recent surge in support for green building looks eerily similar to the 1970s.  
I have always thought that the most recent green building trend really took hold in 2008, just as gas prices skyrocketed.

Congress then included billions of dollars for the green building and renewable energy industries in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that passed in February 2009.  In order to receive some of the stimulus funds, Governors had to make promises to improve state building codes.  At the state level, California became the first state to adopt a mandatory, state-wide green building code in January 2010.

History teaches us that this combination - the federal government and then California push green building codes forward - tends to repeat itself. 

If history repeats itself, what lessons can we learn from the last cycle of green building support?  The 1970s saw a wave of sick building syndrome cases.  After building envelopes were tightened -- but ventilation remained the same -- the occupants grew ill from the indoor environment.  Concerns are already starting to emerge about indoor air quality in this cycle's green buildings.  

Any other lessons I missed?

Photo Credit: Stuck In Customs

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The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) recently published a white paper entitled "Greening the Codes" that is simultaneously very helpful and somewhat frustrating.  The most important information is buried on page seven after an unnecessary review of the history of building codes.  But if you can get through the first six pages, you will find that the USGBC has made an important statement, although one that could have been made more boldly:  

"Raising the Floor: While green building rating systems such as LEED have been designed to benchmark above-code leadership for buildings that intend to go beyond the minimum, it is equally important to complement this leadership with stronger, more comprehensive building codes. Safer, healthier, and more environmentally responsible codes are at the heart of sustainability planning for raising the floor for the entire community. These codes are a viable new baseline off which incentives for exemplary leadership and commitments for public buildings to pave the way can naturally be built.

For commercial buildings: Consider adopting the International Green Construction Code and its technically rigorous 189.1 compliance path.

For residential buildings: In addition to adopting and implementing the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code, consider a well-established local green homebuilding program in your area. In the absence of such a program, the ICC-700 compliance path of the International Green Construction Code should be considered as a means for jurisdictional oversight for residential buildings."

I wish the white paper had stated in big bold letters on page one "STOP USING THE LEED RATING SYSTEM FOR BUILDING CODES."  But the statement in the white paper is a good start. 

Based on this white paper, I would suggest that it is time to revisit the D.C. Green Building Act before it's too late.  As you may recall, starting in 2012, all private construction greater than 50,000 square feet will be required to achieve LEED certification in Washington, D.C.  The USGBC's white paper all but states that the LEED rating system should not be used as a de facto building code for commercial buildings.  

And there still remains the issue of the unavailable "bonds" required to enforce the Act, but I won't get started on that.  At least for now.  

What are your thoughts on "Greening the Codes"? 

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