Environmental Leader

The National Green Building Standard (ICC 700-2008) for all residential construction work including single-family homes, apartments and condos, land development and remodeling and renovation has been approved by the American National Standards Institute.

The National Green Building Standard is the first green building rating system to be approved by ANSI, according to the national Association of Homebuilders.

The standard, first announced in 2007, competes with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating tools for residential and commercial buildings.

Key provisions of the standard include, construction of smaller homes to conserve resources; energy performance starting at 15 percent above the baseline requirements of the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code, use of low VOC materials and homeowner education on proper maintenance and operation to maintain a building’s green status throughout its life cycle.

The standard was developed by the International Code Council and National Association of Home Builders, with input from stakeholders ranging from code officials to the entire spectrum of the green building community.

In 2006, Building Design and Construction released a white paper which reviewed the financial and economic dimensions of green buildings across 10 different building types.