SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug 05, 2009 -- BUSINESS WIRE
Furthering California's commitment to lead the nation in environmental
protection initiatives, the California Building Standards Commission
announced that the nation's first Green Building Standards Code became
effective August 1, 2009.
"California continues to lead the way in its efforts to reduce the
impact buildings have on our environment. This new code encourages the
use of renewable, recyclable, and recycled material in the building
process, requiring all California buildings to be constructed with the
environment in mind," said Dave Walls, Executive Director of the
Commission. "While the new code is voluntary, it is the first step
toward meeting the Governor's 2010 objective."
The code, the culmination of a two-year effort by the administration,
encourages the reduction of a building's potable water use by 20 percent
and a reduction beyond California's Energy Code, which is already one of
the most stringent codes for energy efficiency in the nation.
Additionally, the new code establishes methods for significant
improvements in water usage for plumbing fixtures, has measures for
specific household and landscape water conservation reductions, and
establishes a two tiered 15 or 30 percent energy savings above current
levels for all buildings through a combination of more efficient
appliances and windows, better insulation, and other performance
enhancing measures. This code also identifies improvements to air
quality, resource conservation, and suggests various site improvements
such as parking for hybrid vehicles and better storm water plans.
While expediting the greening of California's building standards in
2007, Governor Schwarzenegger directed the commission to work with other
state agencies to develop mandatory green building standards applicable
to all occupancies in the state as part of the 2010 California Building
Standards Code. The code has been designed to pave the way for further
advances in the development of cutting-edge green building standards in
an effort to meet the challenges of global warming identified by the
governor as a critical issue. The Governor applauded the commission for
adopting the first-in-the nation code on July 17, 2008.
The California Building Standards Commission along with the
International Code Council (ICC), the California Building Officials (CALBO),
and state agencies such as the Department of Housing and Community
Development (HCD) plan to participate in various public-private
partnerships for future green building training and educational outreach
efforts throughout the state.
August 1 also marks the effective date of new amendments to some of
California's other building codes:
-- The Office of the State Fire Marshal (SFM) made revisions to the 2007
California Building Code and 2007 California Fire Code for the annual
supplements. In its amendments, the SFM has taken extraordinary measures
to ensure that this supplement represents the best in fire and life
safety considerations.
-- Access for persons with disabilities remains a high priority in
California, and the building codes will now include several revisions
intended to parallel the current federal Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) requirements for accessible design. These amendments enhance the
public health and safety standards for homes, public schools, public
accommodations, and hospitals as well as other occupancies throughout
the state.
-- The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), a
significant partner in the development of the California Green Building
Code, is striving for uniform green construction practices. HCD's 2007
code supplement includes many of the same measures and in addition,
specifies a mandatory effective date.
-- The approval of cross-linked polyethylene flexible plastic pipe,
commonly known as PEX will now provide a safe, durable and economic
option to plumbing standards. The statewide adoption of PEX follows the
certification of an environmental impact report (EIR) that carefully
reviewed the PEX material to ensure the health and safety of its
implementation for long term use.
The International Code Council (ICC), publisher of multiple
international model codes, publishes the California Green Building
Standards Code. For information on the California Green Building
Standards Code or how to obtain a copy of the California Building
Standards Code please visit the commission website at www.bsc.ca.gov or
contact the commission at (916) 263-0916.
SOURCE: California Building Standards Commission
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