Legal and Regulatory

2018 International Green Construction Code: Streamlined Code Development

Groundbreaking model for building codes helps municipalities save money, protect resources and increase the resilience, safety and standards of living for communities across the globe.
By ASHRAE
December 18, 2018
Topics
Legal and Regulatory

ASHRAE’s 2018 International Green Construction Code® (2018 IgCC®), a joint initiative of the U.S. Green Building Council, International Code Council, ASHRAE and the Illuminating Engineering Society aligns the technical requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/ICC/USGBC/IES 189.1-2017-Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low Rise Residential Buildings, with ICC’s multi-stakeholder IgCC.

Goals of the updated code are to help governments streamline code development and adoption and improve building industry standardization by integrating the two previously separate guidance documents. As a result, the 2018 IgCC is now a unified code that emphasizes adoption, ease of use and enforcement for building projects.

“The 2018 IgCC leverages ASHRAE’s technical expertise to offer a comprehensive tool that has a direct effect on how green building strategies are implemented,” said Sheila J. Hayter, 2018-2019 ASHRAE President. “Improving energy efficiency, building performance and indoor air quality are at the core of ASHRAE’s mission and we are encouraged by the impact of this landmark model towards realizing more a sustainable future for us all.”

As a standing project committee, ASHRAE SSPC 189.1 updated the technical aspects of Standard 189.1-2014 using ASHRAE's continuous maintenance procedures. The final set of changes to the 2017 edition of Standard 189.1 provided the foundation for ICC to develop the administrative procedures for the technical content and codify of the document into the 2018 IgCC.

“Building safety codes help our communities prepare for the future,” said Dominic Sims, CEO, International Code Council. “Taking into account the latest technologies and cost-effective strategies for dealing with resource scarcity, the IgCC helps cities, states and countries build stronger, smarter, sustainably and more resiliently.”

“Our hope is that building professionals and policymakers alike adopt better, greener building strategies that help them better implement LEED® and achieve higher performance in sustainability,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC.

by ASHRAE
ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is a global society advancing human well-being through sustainable technology for the built environment. The Society and its more than 56,000 members worldwide focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability. Through research, standards writing, publishing, certification and continuing education, ASHRAE shapes tomorrow’s built environment today.

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