Nation's First Green Building Standard Forges Ahead

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is strengthening its support of Standard 189.1 P, the nation's first green building code for commercial buildings.

The standard was created by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), in conjunction with the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

"As green building goes mainstream, government leaders are asking for tools that set minimum standards for green building,” says Jason Hartke, director of advocacy and public policy at USGBC. “Standard 189 will be an important part of that toolkit."

Doubts about the future of Standard 189.1 P were raised in late October by ASHRAE's decision to reconstitute the volunteer committee responsible for the development of the green building code. While rebuilding the committee will mean delays, USGBC remains confident in the quality of the final result.

"USGBC is deeply committed to our work with ASHRAE and to the integrity of the standard's content," said Brendan Owens, vice president of LEED technical development at USGBC. "Creating a national green building code is imperative to our mission of market transformation, and we will be 100% engaged to make sure it delivers on that promise."