International Code Council Recognizes Rhode Island as First State to Adopt Green Construction Code Rhode Island recently became the first U.S. state to formally adopt the International Green Construction Code (IGCC)—a model code developed by American National Standards Institute (ANSI) member and accredited standards developer the International Code Council (ICC) in concert with other ANSI-accredited developers the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), and audited designator ASTM International.
The IGCC covers green building design and performance for new, existing, traditional, and high-performance commercial buildings and addresses factors that impact a building's environmental footprint, including site design, energy and water use, indoor environment quality, materials and resources, and greenhouse gas emissions. ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings, Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is included as an alternative jurisdictional compliance option within the IGCC.
The Rhode Island Green Buildings Act identifies the IGCC as an equivalent standard in compliance with requirements that all public agency major facility projects be designed and constructed as green buildings. The Act applies to public projects that are owned, leased, or controlled by the State of Rhode Island, including new construction projects larger than 5,000 gross square feet, or renovations involving more than 10,000 gross square feet of occupied or conditioned space.
AARST Publishes American National Standard for Multifamily Radon Measurements The American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists' (ARST) Consortium on National Radon Standards recently released its long-awaited American National Standard (ANS), MAMF-2010, Protocols for Conducting Radon and Radon Decay Measurements in Multifamily Buildings.
According to estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), one in fifteen U.S. homes has radon levels above the recommended guideline of 4 picocuries per liter. MAMF-2010 offers guidance on conducting reliable radon tests and quality control measurement techniques for multifamily buildings.
The new standard is the first ANS to be developed by the AARST Consortium on National Radon Standards. The consortium is an independent entity within AARST that actively works on standards related to radon measurement and mitigation.
ASHRAE and IES Join Forces on Residential Energy Standard ANSI members and accredited standards developers ASHRAE and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) have collaborated to help homes attain higher levels of energy performance. They are working to strengthen ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 90.2, Energy Efficient Design of Low-Rise Residential Buildings, with the goal of making the standard thirty percent more efficient than the 2004 version. Standard 90.2 provides minimum requirements for the energy-efficient design of low-rise residential buildings.
For its part, IES will contribute its expertise in achieving energy savings through lighting. The low-rise residential building market is estimated to consume approximately 212 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) per year, or roughly 15 percent of residential electricity consumption.
The ASHRAE-IES partnership marks the third joint standards venture between the two developers. The partnership began 35 years ago with the development of the first building energy conservation standard, ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA 100, Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings, followed.
American Wood Council Seeks ANSI Accreditation The American Wood Council (AWC) has submitted an application for accreditation as an ANSI-accredited standards developer. AWC's standards activity would cover the development and maintenance of wood design standards, including the design of wood members and their connectors.
To obtain a copy of AWC's proposed operating procedures or to offer comments, please contact Bradford Douglas, AWC vice president—engineering, (firstname.lastname@example.org; fax: 703.581.1735; phone: 202.463.2770).
Comments to AWC should be submitted by December 6, 2010, with a copy to Jim Thompson, the recording secretary of ANSI's Executive Standards Council (email@example.com; fax: 212.840.2298).
To view or download SSPC's proposed operating procedures, click here.