Committee on the Environment

This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Committee on the Environment and Practice Management Member Conversations .
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The AIA's participation in the development of the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) has revealed two distinct areas for examination and action. The first is the technical side, the content of the code, and just how green the new green minimum will be. The other aspect, one that may illicit the most passionate response by architects to the new code, is the professional practice side of the equation. What happens when we take what has been essentially a best-practices approach to design and turn it into the minimum requirement for every project for every practicing architect? While the technical content will be battled out among the myriad of industry stakeholders (including the AIA) that already engage in the code development process, perhaps even more important are the potential legal and practice related pitfalls.

When public version 2 is released by the ICC in a little over two weeks, AIA will be combing through the text, which incorporates changes made by the Public Comment Committee's dispositions during the first public hearing, but there are a number of important issues that we can already start examining in detail in preparation for the second version.  They include, but are not limited to: 

• the role of the design professional in responsible charge in the code
• potential standard of care changes
• additional responsibility, risk and liability
• expanding the notion of health, safety and welfare to incorporate 'green' principles

There are others big-picture items  to be identified, (please do so in this discussion!) as well as a number of detailed analyses to be done.  This forum is intended for discussion of these items.

Link to the report from the first public hearing:

http://www.iccsafe.org/cs/IGCC/Documents/PublicComments0810/IGCC2010ROH.pdf? 
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Jessyca Henderson AIA
Director of Sustainability Advocacy
The American Institute of Architects
Baltimore MD
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Is there a link to view the comments by the public between the actions identified in the report on the ICC link and the attached Public Version 1.0?  I'm new to the IgCC conversation and would love to view the commentary - it would give a lot of clarity to the report.

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Brian Kaplan AIA
Associate
Studios Architecture
New York NY
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I'm glad you approached this subject...the AIA (and numerous volunteers) are spending countless hours turning voluntary standards into mandatory requirements - cemented in "code" language that requires countless hours of education for professionals, code authorities, and building owners...

I've always maintained that the purpose of building codes is fire / life safety...using "green" principles as "health / safety" mandates is really stretching the envelope...by doing so, the standard-of-care of architects (as well as engineers) will change to incorporate "mandatory" code compliance and reporting issues (as embodied within the IGCC)...

I could be specific in my review of the IGCC (I've reviewed the draft); however, it's best to allow emotions to vent through the blogs - getting the advocates and deniers of "green" to discuss why a "green" construction code is really necessary - before true dialog can emerge on the true cost to professionals and owners...

I also understand that the true battlegrounds are the various municipalities that will be pressured for / against adoption of the IGCC...politics and reason will prevail at the local-level; however, my E&O insurance carrier will follow the discussions closely, as I attempt work in a "for"-jurisdiction...

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George Tracy AIA, NCARB, LEED AP
Senior Associate
Hermes Architects, Inc.
Houston TX
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My comment to a friend of mine was "And what will happen to your Green/LEED consulting business when 'Green' is codified? You'll be out of work!"  I'm delighted with the development of IGCC and hopefully universal adoption (dream on), but it will affect such consultants' businesses when eventually all architects are required to follow these practices as the basis of design.

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Mark Frauenglass AIA
Merrick & Company
Los Alamos NM
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Original Message

Original Message:
Sent: 10-19-2010 15:02
From: Jessyca Henderson
Subject: IGCC: Affects on the Profession

This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Committee on the Environment and Practice Management Member Conversations .
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... The other aspect, one that may illicit the most passionate response by architects to the new code, is the professional practice side of the equation. What happens when we take what has been essentially a best-practices approach to design and turn it into the minimum requirement for every project for every practicing architect? ...