Since 2000, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has developed an array of green building tools to provide building owners and operators with a framework to identify and implement practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. Participating buildings may achieve a level of LEED certification representing the amount of high performance measures successfully incorporated into the project. Since its inception, LEED has transformed the way built environments are designed, constructed, and operated, and has helped to make sustainable building practices more commonplace.
LEED certification tools were not written or intended for adoption by local jurisdictions; therefore the USGBC participated in the early development of the International Green Construction Code (IgCC). The IgCC is a high performance building code currently under development by the International Code Council and slated to be published in March of 2012. The influence of LEED is demonstrated throughout public version 2.0 of the IgCC, as seen in the following examples of building and site requirements:
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Preferred parking for high occupancy, low emission, and fuel-efficient vehicles
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Heat island mitigation
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Fifty percent diversion of non-hazardous materials from landfills
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Required use of used, recycled content, labeled wood, and indigenous materials
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On-site renewable energy
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Water-efficient landscaping
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Reduced water use in buildings
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VOC limits for adhesives and sealants, paints and coatings, flooring, and glued wood products
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Building commissioning
Over the years, LEED has helped to educate and encourage the use of green building practices which has increased owner awareness, proficient industry professionals, and product availability. With proven success, the IgCC will incorporate some of these high performance measures, written in enforceable code language for use by jurisdictions. The IgCC will become the platform for minimum high performance requirements, and benchmarking tools such as LEED will build on that base to encourage even higher performance tactics.
For more information, contact:
Kathleen Petrie
(206) 615-0541
kathleen.petrie@seattle.gov