While it seems like every organization is positioning to demonstrate its "green" credentials, the International Code Council (ICC) has finalized the first green construction code for commercial buildings. The International Green Construction Code (IGCC) is coordinated with the existing International Codes, making it more easily enforceable, useable and adoptable. The IGCC development process deliberately included diverse experts from government, industry and advocacy organizations to produce a consensus IGCC Public Version 1.0 through a public and participatory series of meetings.

The IGCC goes beyond voluntary systems, industry-driven standards, and regulations that are unrelated to existing codes. Instead, the IGCC responds to the need expressed by jurisdictions who struggle with developing their own green code without the experts that have advised them on developing the rest of their codes.

Now there is no need to wait for the leader in codes and related services to publish comprehensive green building codes because IGCC Public Version 1.0 is available on March 15.

The IGCC is the latest in a long list of sustainable design codes and provisions the Code Council has been publishing for years...long before everyone jumped on the "green" bandwagon. Unique in the world of codes and standards, the same superior code development and approval process was followed for the IGCC as has been used for decades in the development of the International Codes in all areas of construction.