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Committee to Vote Next Month on Green Standard Proposals
Proposals on everything from roof overhangs and the percentage of recycled content in building materials to an increased emphasis on panelized construction — and a new ultra-green “diamond” designation — are among the recommendations to be reviewed when the Green Building Standard consensus committee meets next month.
Last week, the seven task groups of the committee members — each assigned to work on a different part of the proposed standard — released their recommendations and those will be voted on by the entire committee when it meets July 9-13 at the National Housing Center in Washington, D.C.
Hundreds of pages of proposals, along with justifications for each, are available at the green building standard section of the NAHB Research Center’s Web site. The Research Center is serving as secretariat for the standards process, which is being conducted according to protocols developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and in cooperation with the International Codes Council. When completed around the end of this year, the document will be the first ever consensus-based residential green building standard.
The standard will be used for all residential construction types, including remodeling and multifamily developments, both high and low-rise.
The proposed standard is based on the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines, which were unveiled in January 2005 and are now used by 20 home builders associations as the basis of their state and local green building programs.
Also, green, resource-efficient lot and site development, which was included in the appendix of the guidelines, will become a part of the standard itself.
“If communities are seeking an ANSI standard for voluntary green building, the National Green Building Standard will provide one-stop shopping,” said Green Building Consensus Committee Chair Ron Jones.
“To have remodeling, multifamily and land development as part of this residential standard is a huge advantage for builders, too,” Jones said. “Many of our members do more than one kind of home building, and having a comprehensive standard like this makes it much more user-friendly.”
After the next consensus committee meeting, the revised standard document reflecting the votes of the committee will be released for a public comment period. The Research Center will gather the comments and then circulate them to the appropriate committee members for their review and response.
Interested groups and individuals will also be able to appeal committee decisions. “The transparency is integral to the development of this standard,” Jones said. “This is not some plan that’s being foisted onto the industry. This is common sense green building — a baseline for all of us that will encourage this industry to become greener and greener.”
For more information, e-mail Calli Schmidt at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8132.
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