The International Code Council is expected to release the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) in March 2012.  The following are some bullet points on IGCC taken from the Synopsis of Public Version 2.0, which was issued in November 2010:

  • Applicable to new construction, as well as alterations and additions to existing buildings.
  • Intended to be adopted by jurisdictions on a mandatory basis.
  • Incorporates features which allow jurisdictions to customize requirements to suit local geographical conditions and environmental priorities and agendas.
  • Incorporates a relatively small number of “project electives”, a minimum number of which must be selected by the owner or design professional and implemented on each project, as a means to:
    • Encourage practices which are difficult to mandate; and
    • Encourage higher performance buildings (buildings with lower environmental impact which exceed the minimum requirements of the IGCC).

The Maryland legislature has already passed House Bill 972, adopting the IGCC and making Maryland the first state in the country to authorize use of the IGCC for private and public construction.  It will be interesting to see whether the Pennsylvania legislature follows suit.