On March 15th the International Code Council (ICC), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) launched the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) with co-authors American Institute of Architects and American Society for Testing Materials.  The IGCC will accelerate the construction of high performance green buildings across the globe.  For decades, ICC and ASHRAE have developed building codes that become the standard of care.  The convergence of ICC and ASHRAE with the LEED certification program will accelerate the proliferation of green building codes and standards.  A landmark addition to the technical content of the IGCC is ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High Performance, Green Buildings.  Standard 189.1 was written in three years by industry experts who contributed tens of thousands hours and reviewed over 2,500 public comments.  Standard 189.1 is an alternate path of green compliance covering building impacts, water use, efficiency, indoor environmental quality, energy efficiency, materials and resource use.

1600 green building industry professionals from across the country surveyed by Allen Matkins, the Constructive Technologies Group and the Green Building Insider, overwhelmingly endorsed green building projects despite the recession, and cited savings in energy and operational expenses as the leading reason to build green projects.  Also, the survey reported a decrease in respondent support for LEED certification.

Click here for official Green Building Survey results.

The "Guide to Green Building Rating Systems" informs readers about the rating system selection process. Comparing essential issues such as cost, ease of use, and building performance, the book offers solid guidance on finding the right rating system for your project.

The reading list includes (1) "Value Beyond Cost Savings: How to Value Sustainable Properties," can be downloaded for free from the Green Building Finance Consortium website; (2) "Green Office Guide: Integrating LEED Into Your Leasing Process," by the USGBC; and (3) "Prefabulous + Sustainable: Building and Customizing an Affordable, Energy-Efficient Home" which profiles 25 prefabricated, sustainable homes.

Green buildings are so 2000s.  For the 2010s, the next big thing is Green neighborhoods or LEED-ND.  Instead of just a review of a building, LEED-ND addresses families and their back yards. Portland's vibrant walkable neighborhoods are a role model for some of the precepts of LEED-ND.

ASHRAE's ultimate goal: net zero energy for all new builds by 2030.  ASHRAE will complete the net zero energy guidelines in 2013-2015.  Meanwhile, ASHRAE's standard 189.1, sets the bar at 15% higher efficiency than Standard 90.1.  ASHRAE partnered with the USGBC to develop 189.1. Energy requirements in the next generation of LEED will likely refer to 189.1 as a baseline.  Standard 90.1-2010, set for release this summer, includes a 30% reduction in energy over 90.1-2004.

Robert Watson, one of the founders of LEED, is determined to take LEED to China and India.  He believes that market push, combined with government mandates, will spur sustainable development.  Watson believes that people will realize that not only are green buildings more comfortable and better for the planet, they are also more economical.  "We're finding that good green buildings now are coming in at the same construction costs as typical buildings.  So, the progressive developers, the developers that recognize value, the market leaders — they are the ones who are doing green."

The Bardessono hotel earned LEED Platinum. The 62-room boutique luxury inn and spa opened in February of 2009.

A Springfield shopping center is one of the first in the nation to achieve LEED Platinum certification.  The 23,000-square-foot center uses recycled materials, renewable energy and energy-efficiency technology, as well as using site selection to minimize tree loss.

The Phoenix office of Hines announced that 24th at Camelback earned LEED Gold.  24th at Camelback is an eight-story, 300,000-square-foot Class A office building.  The property has earned seven consecutive ENERGY STAR labels, four more than any multi-tenant building in the state.  Green features include: reduced heat island effect through covered parking and reflective roofing; a 50% reduction in landscaping-related water consumption; a 30% reduction in indoor, potable water use; use of low-VOC materials and finishes; enhanced indoor air quality systems; and a construction waste diversion rate of 50%.

Hine's One Atlantic Center earned LEED-EB Silver.  With upgrades and intensive retro-commissioning, the center is 37% more energy efficient and annually saves more than $1,000,000 in energy expenses when compared to the national average building.  The building is a 1.1 million-square-foot, 50-story office building and has a discounted parking for carpoolers; access to two on-site Zipcars for Zipcar members; and a single-stream recycling program that diverts approximately 50% of all office waste from landfills.

7-Eleven opened a new store in Deland, Florida, that they hope will be their first to earn a LEED Certified rating. The 7-Eleven store incorporates a number of features that help qualify it for LEED Certification including light-colored concrete parking and roofing surfaces; high-efficiency HVAC; LED signage and light fixtures; efficient water closets and lavatories; a waste management plan; many construction materials sourced within 500 miles of the site. In addition, many of the materials installed contain recycled content and half of the wood used is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

The 1.15 million sq. ft. Vancouver Convention Centre's complex looked for a new twist on green roofs – a system that used grass to hold water, an electronic field vector mapping system for leak detection, and a built-in irrigation system, all of which required special consideration when choosing a roofing material.

A Pentagon building, located in Arlington County, Virginia, is currently undergoing a big green renovation. The renovation is currently 80% complete and expected to be completed three years ahead of schedule in 2011.  So far, five renovation projects earned LEED Certified and the Pentagon Library and Conference Center earned LEED Silver.