WASHINGTON — Drafters of the International Code Council’s International Green Construction Code (IGCC) are nearing completion of the integrated green code for traditional and high-performance commercial buildings, set for a public release in March 2010. 


“This will be the first time code officials, owners and designers will have an integrated regulatory framework to put into practice that meets the goal of greening the construction and design of new and existing buildings,” according to Code Council CEO Richard P. Weiland.

The IGCC is designed to integrate and coordinate with the other International Codes already being enforced by governmental code officials. All 50 states and more than 20,000 U.S. jurisdictions use the International Codes developed by the Code Council. The International Code Council is a non-profit membership association dedicated to building safety, fire prevention, energy efficiency, and sustainable building construction and performance.


The IGCC’s drafting approach links the International Codes to a public process bringing together areas of expertise to create an integrated, regulatory framework for green commercial buildings. The American Institute of Architects and ASTM International are Cooperating Sponsors. Other organizations represented on the IGCC drafting committee, known as the Sustainable Building Technology Committee, include the U.S. Green Building Council and the Green Building Initiative, along with over a dozen others. 


“We are not an industry or advocacy organization, but rather the same folks who have written the building codes used throughout the United States and around the world for decades,” said Code Council Board Member and SBTC Chair Ravi Shah.

The Code Council’s consensus process invites continual public input, culminating in a final approval from code officials. A critical element of the IGCC is that it is coordinated with existing International Codes that cover building, energy conservation, fire safety, plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas, and existing buildings among others. 


The last drafting meeting of the SBTC was slated for January in Austin, Texas. The first public version of the IGCC will be published in March. At the same time, the IGCC will undergo continual maintenance with the solicitation of additional public comments through hearings being conducted in August. The IGCC will then go through another round of review, comments and public hearings in 2011 for the publication for the 2012 ICC Family of Codes. 


Additional information is available at www.iccsafe.org/igcc.