Codes and Standards
Stay on top of the latest news related to building codes, standards, and regulations with BD+C's Codes and Standards blog. Topics include: green building, seismic design, high-wind design, water conservation, energy efficiency, and building performance tracking and measuring. To submit a topic for consideration, please email David Barista, Editor-in-Chief, at dbarista@sgcmail.com.
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The Las Cruces, N.M., City Council has adopted the 2009 editions of International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO’s) complete collection of Uniform Codes — the Uniform Plumbing Code® (UPC), Uniform Mechanical Code® (UMC), Uniform Solar Energy Code® (USEC) and Uniform...
The Northwest of the U.S. boasts some impressive sustainable building design accomplishments, but it has not incorporated adequate seismic resilience into green standards and codes, says environmental writer Edward Wolf. He argues that the Northwest, an active seismic zone, is at high risk for...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a set of guidelines to help states establish and maintain environmental health programs for schools. Part of EPA’s Healthy Schools program, “Voluntary Guidelines for States: Development and Implementation of a School Environmental Health...
Damage from Hurricane Sandy has New York City officials and real estate developers reviewing building codes. As they ponder a devastated landscape from the South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan to the Rockaways in Queens to Midland Beach on Staten Island, new flood protections for all building...
The U.S. Green Building Council unveiled a Web-based tool to research buildings that have achieved LEED status at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo in San Francisco this month. The Green Building Information Gateway will allow users to track the progress of green-building projects...
Sønderborg, Denmark is aiming for a high environmental standard: to be carbon-neutral by 2029. Achieving that ambitious benchmark depends on generating power and heat from renewable sources and making its buildings more energy-efficient. The Project Zero goal is to reduce carbon emissions in the...
The U.S. Green Building Council is fighting back after an article published late last month in USA Today claimed that across the country, the USGBC has helped thousands of developers to win millions of dollars’ worth of tax breaks by awarding certification under a system that rewards minor, low-...
Building automation systems (BAS) will be increasingly necessary to help building owners meet more stringent regulations. With states and communities adopting stricter energy efficiency standards, BAS is likely to become a more important component in meeting these new rules, and will reap savings...
GSA seeks new sustainable building technologies, practices to test in its buildings
The U.S. General Services Administration wants to hear from you about new sustainable technologies and practices. It recently issued a Request for Information (RFI) to learn about the latest in green building in...
Although few business leaders are fond of government regulation of their industry, 75% of real estate and construction leaders say that building energy-efficiency legislation is beneficial to their business, according to a global survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit commissioned by the Global...
