The 2018-International Green Construction Code (IgCC), released in November 2018, is the result of collaboration among three NASEO Affiliate members: the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), International Code Council (ICC), and ASHRAE. It brings together elements of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, IgCC and ASHRAE 189.1 to reduce confusion and provide a unified green building code. The new code establishes criteria for energy efficiency, water efficiency, land use, site development, resource conservation, indoor air quality, and building performance which go above and beyond the model code.
According to a USGBC policy brief, the new code “establishes minimum green requirements for buildings, providing baseline green benefits and a foundation for applying complementary voluntary systems.” In communities where the IgCC has been adopted as code, building project teams that pursue LEED certification for their projects will benefit from reduced paperwork submissions, as the USGBC will recognize code compliance as sufficient to meet documentation requirements for LEED points.
States and other jurisdictions may be interested in the IgCC as a pathway to a “stretch code” for their jurisdiction or as a lead by example opportunity for publicly owned facilities. The IgCC combines LEED certification requirements with code language and ASHRAE standards to streamline the process of building a green building and eliminates the need for double documentation of building practices to obtain a LEED Certification.
Additional information is available on the ICC, USGBC, and ASHRAE websites:
• ICC: Overview of the IgCC
• USGBC: Green Building Codes
• USGBC+: New Streamlining for Building Code Makes it Easier to Achieve Green Projects
• USGBC Policy Brief: LEED and the International Green Construction Code
• ASHRAE: 2018 International Green Construction Code Powered by Standard 189.1-2017