Strictest Green Building Code in the U.S.
Introduction
Effective January 1, 2011, possibly the most stringent environmental
building code in the United States is now being enforced applying to new commercial
buildings, hospitals, schools, shopping malls and homes. The new code for the
state of California is called CalGreen requiring reduced indoor water use,
diverting 50 percent of construction waste from landfills to recycling, use of low-pollutant
materials, and installation of separate water meters for different uses in
nonresidential buildings. The new code requires energy system inspections by
local officials to ensure that heaters, air conditioners and other mechanical
equipment in nonresidential buildings are working efficiently.
Marketing for CalGreen states “once projects have passed the
state building inspection, property owners can label their facilities CalGreen compliant
without the additional involvement and cost of third-party certification
programs”. Local and state building departments verify the mandatory CalGreen
code requirements with the infrastructure the state has established to enforce
its health, safety, fire, energy, and structural building codes.
California indicates the ultimate goal of CalGreen is provide
a uniform and consistent code that can be used in coordination with all building
codes. The effort focused on helping local building officials, governments, and
the building industry by providing uniform and consistent requirements.
However, as you would guess, the new code were opposed by several private
organizations that offer their own green construction rating systems, including
the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) which said “it could result in
confusion for builders, design professionals, local governments and the public”
reported several media sources.
The CalGreen code has five categories:
1. Planning and design
2. Energy efficiency
3. Water efficiency and conservation
4. Material conservation and resource efficiency
5. Environmental quality
The code is broken down into four basic parts:
1. Residential Mandatory Measures
2. Residential Voluntary Measures
3. Nonresidential Mandatory Measures
4. Nonresidential Voluntary Measures
The new code establishes baseline mandatory standards with
also Tier One and Tier Two voluntary categories for those who wish to position
their buildings as even “greener” than the mandatory baseline.
Key Mandatory Requirements:
- Reduce water consumption by 20 percent and 50 percent in
landscape irrigation.
- Divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills.
- Install low VOC materials.
- Separate indoor and outdoor water meters for nonresidential
buildings.
- Moisture-sensing irrigation systems for large landscape
projects.
- Mandatory inspections of energy systems, such as furnaces
and air conditioners for nonresidential buildings over 10,000 square feet.
- Operation and maintenance manual at the time of final inspection
CalGreen currently is focused on new buildings, so
requirements do not apply to existing buildings at this time. The next step
will be to include existing buildings in future updates of the green code. Exemption to the CalGreen code includes
Federal buildings, buildings built on Indian land, or reservations and others.
Green Construction Enhancements
In response to number of stakeholders requests for a
statewide, consistent method of enhancing green construction practices beyond
CalGreen mandatory minimum limits, additional Tiers have been established.
To meet Tier requirements, designers, builders and property owners must
increase the number of green building measures and further reduce percentages
of water and energy use and waste to landfills in order to meet the thresholds
of each Tier. The optional provisions identified as “CalGreen Tier 1” and “CalGreen
Tier 2,” have a number of more stringent sustainable building practices and
features. Both Tiers include a detailed list of green building features within the
five categories; 1) energy efficiency, 2) water efficiency, 3) waste reduction,
4) material conservation and 5) indoor air quality. The voluntary standards
provide a likely preview of future mandatory standards for the CalGreen code.
The following are examples of CalGreen elective measures for
residential project Tiers after meeting the mandatory requirements.
Tier 1
- Comply with 20% permeable paving requirements
- Exceed California Code by 15%
- Comply with reduced flow rate of sink faucets for Tier 1
- Water use reduction for landscape irrigation for Tier 1
- Cement reduction of 20%
- Recycled content of 10%
- Reduction of construction waste of 65%
- Resilient flooring systems of 80%
- Thermal insulation requirements for Tier 1
- Compliance with 1-4 electives for each division
Tier 2
- Comply with 30% permeable paving requirements
- Exceed California Code by 30%
- Comply with reduced flow rate of sink faucets for Tier 1
- Comply with dishwasher requirements for Tier 2
- Water use reduction for landscape irrigation for Tier 2
- Cement reduction of 25%
- Recycled content of 15%
- Reduction of construction waste of 75%
- Resilient flooring systems of 90%
- Thermal insulation requirements for Tier 1 and Tier 2
- Compliance with 1-6 electives for each division
CalGreen Certified
Buildings which meet the applicable provisions can be
labeled as “CalGreen Certified,” “CalGreen Tier 1 Certified,” or “CalGreen Tier
2 Certified,” as appropriate. The idea is to provide a certifiable green
standard in the marketplace that does not require third-party verification and
the attendant costs.
Conclusion and Considerations
To avoid trying to hit a moving target, as state sustainable
building codes change, such as CalGreen now being a building code requirement, it
is recommended that code standards at the time of signing the contract be
clearly identified. Ensure stated services will be in compliance with green building
code requirements at that time. Be aware there are at least a dozen local
jurisdictions are considering adopting more than the minimum mandatory measures of
CalGreen.
The first step is identifying if the building will be classified as
residential or non-residential project.
The provisions are different for each classification and it is important
to understand which entities govern the requirements. The Department of Housing
and Community Development (HCD) is responsible for residential projects and the
Building Standards Commission (BSC) is responsible for non-residential
projects.
Expect each jurisdiction to create various policies and procedures
for the adopted level of the CalGreen building code. It is necessary for the
design team to have early and close communication with local building and
planning departments to assure that documentation is acceptable, and meets submittal
requirements.
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