Green Building Standard User’s Manual Offers Help to Engineers, Architects, Contractors

Users Manuel

by | Feb 1, 2016

This article is included in these additional categories:

Users ManuelA newly published user’s manual clarifies the intent and implementation of the building industry’s leading green building standard by explaining its requirements and providing example applications.

The User’s Manual to ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2014, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is intended to help engineers, architects, and contractors understand and comply with the standard and to help code officials and others enforce its requirements.

This new version of the User’s Manual updates the version published in 2010, which covered the content of Standard 189.1-2009.

Standard 189.1 addresses the areas of site sustainability, water-use efficiency, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, the building’s impact on the atmosphere, materials and resources, and construction and plans for operation.

The standard is published by ASHRAE, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) and the US Green Building Council (USGBC).

Among the many changes in the 2014 edition of Standard 189.1 that are addressed in the User’s Manual are:

  • Change of all site requirements to mandatory, with the previous prescriptive and performance options moved to the mandatory requirements.
  • Addition of minimum storm water management requirements for minimizing the impact of storm water discharge from the project site.
  • Inclusion of new requirements for bicycle parking; preferred park for low-emission, hybrid and electric vehicles; and a predesign assessment of native and invasive plants.
  • Adjustment of minimum on-site renewable energy requirements to provide two clear prescriptive paths for including on-site renewable energy in a project.
  • Establishment of two performance options for demonstrating compliance with the minimum energy efficiency requirements.
  • Addition of lighting quality to the scope of the indoor environmental quality section as well as requirements for lighting controls in specific space types.
  • Clarification of the requirements for air sealing of filtration and air-cleaning equipment; and new requirements for preoccupancy ventilation.
  • Addition of minimum moisture control requirements to reduce negative impacts associated with unintentional moisture migration through the building envelope.
  • Addition of new requirements for multiple-attribute product declaration or certification and maximum mercury content of certain types of electric lamps.
  • Update of requirements related to the environmental impacts associated with the idling of construction vehicles and new requirements to reduce the entry of airborne contaminants associated with construction areas.

The cost of the User’s Manual is $105 ($89, ASHRAE members).

Additional articles you will be interested in.

Stay Informed

Get E+E Leader Articles delivered via Newsletter right to your inbox!

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Share This