Green Building Codes

There seems to be a wave of Green Building Codes coming down the pipeline.  California developed their Green Building Standard several years ago,
and now they have upgraded to a fully-enforceable code for their 2010 round of code revisions (effective in 2011).  California's code seems pretty light weight, and there was even some obejection from the USGBC and others surrounding it's use of a voluntary Tier system, CALGreen.  The USGBC feels CALGreen, which is much less stringent than any LEED certification, would confuse the marketplace by allowing a lesser certification.

ASHRAE Standard 189.1 has been developed (with some bumps in the road) over the past few years and is now ready for publication. The new standard was developed by ASHRAE, IES, and the USGBC, which explain some of the reason the USGBC objected to the new California code.  The content of the standard seems to be strucutured similarly to the USGBC's LEED program, which would give some continuity to municipalities and states who have adopted a mandatory LEED certification level and would be looking to upgrade to a more comprehensive building code.

The International Green Construction Code, developed by the ICC, ASTM, and the AIA, will be making it's debut for public comment on March 15th.  This code is in the earliest stages of the three and will not be officially published until 2012, but it would seem to carry the most weight.  Most building codes have been coalescing around the ICC's model codes for years now, and one must assume the green building codes would do the same.

What does all this mean?  I think this will lead to lot's of confusion and aggravation for architects and other professionals in the building industry.  This will take years to get sorted out, and the mean time will have many different government entities picking different standards, and potentially coming up with their own as well.  In summary, business as usual.