Builders, Code Council to Develop "Green" Manual by Al Heavens
There are those who see the world through rose-colored glasses. If you are a residential or commercial builder these days, you are seeing the future through green-tinted specs. Two of the most-influential organizations in the home building industry and the code development and enforcement community are collaborating to bring uniformity to sustainable building practices. The National Association of Home Builders and the International Code Council announced that they would develop and publish a residential green building standard manual. During a press conference last week at the International Builders' Show in Orlando, Fla., representatives of the NAHB and the code council said that they were committed to sustainable building practices and the creation of national standards for green home building. This year’s Builders Show was a bully pulpit for sustainable building, with just about every product manufacturer introducing or reintroducing products that were both environmentally friendly and energy-efficient. The New American Home and Renewed American Home -- the first rehab undertaken as part of its convention that the NAHB has completed in the 26 year history of these convention showhouses -- were both examples of green building. NAHB has long recognized many of its members as leaders and innovators in building green homes, but their efforts were local and without any regional or national reference, an organization spokesman said. Members needed clearer guidance, but wanted to maintain flexibility and be able to incorporate regional distinctions. NAHB took on this task with the publication in 2005 of the Model Green Home Building Guidelines, which has received recognition as a green building certification tool. ICC has been promoting green building requirements through its widely adopted family of international codes, which set minimum standards for energy efficiency and sustainable building practices for the construction industry. The code council also has recognized the need for a national set of standards for home builders and others wishing to voluntarily adopt "above-code" practices -- meaning rules that exceed minimum standards. NAHB President David Pressly was joined by Wally Bailey, president of the International Code Council, for the historic announcement. The collaboration is another example of ICC's commitment to green building, said Wally Bailey, chairman of the International Code Council. "Strong, durable homes that are safe and affordable have a smaller impact on the world's limited resources. ICC is committed to educating our members on green building and participating in activities with other organizations that will assure green building practices are sustainable, safe and affordable," he said. Code council members “play an important role on code matters related to green building," said council chief executive officer Rick Weiland. "The council’s new world headquarters, two blocks from the Capitol in Washington, D.C., is in a green building and “demonstrates our corporate commitment to respect the environment. Green technology is going to play an important role in our collective future -- not just in the United States but around the world." The National Association of Realtors and NAHB headquarters in Washington are both “green" buildings. The announcement is also a resounding vote of confidence and measure of the success of NAHB's Model Green Home Building Guidelines, which now form the basis of more than 15 state and local green building programs around the country, said Pressly, a builder from South Carolina who has just completed his term as president. "NAHB members have proven that a voluntary, region-specific, flexible program can be both truly green and also allow for innovation," he said. “We believe in the Model Green Home Building Guidelines, we believe in the standards process, and we believe that the end result will be a better document for the home building community." "Because the guidelines were originally developed using a consensus-based process, it is anticipated we'll have a leg up in the standards-writing process," noted Pressly. "We will once again use the services of the NAHB Research Center, which is the American National Standards Institute-accredited standards developer that oversaw the development of the guidelines." "I'm delighted to announce our commitment to work with the Code Council to help advance green building practices for our industry," Pressly said. "We surveyed our members a year ago, and 92 percent of them said they would move to green building because 'it's the right thing to do.' That's true of the standards process as well. It's the right thing to do." NAHB and the code council are seeking applicants for membership in the consensus committee for the development for the ANSI green home building standard. Applications can be submitted at nahbrc.org/gbstandard and must be received by March 10 to be considered. | 
