With Prepainted Metal, Products Last Longer And The Environment Stays Greener

By Jim Dockey, National Coil Coating Association

While there are many benefits to using prepainted metal in terms of cost savings and production line efficiencies, many manufacturers choose coil coated metal for its durability. Prepainted metal provides products with increased performance and corrosion protection, helping coatings last longer, look better and end up in landfills less often. That’s a win for us all.

In the metal construction industry, prepainted metal is the de facto standard for metal roof and wall panel systems specified with a painted finish. And beyond metal cladding systems, prepainted metal is routinely used for HVAC units, truck trailers, bleachers, road signs, fuel tanks, exterior doors, window frames and metal furniture. Coil coated metal is used for these products because it provides the utmost protection from the elements.

Even when the same type of coating is used, prepainted metal parts outperform post-painted parts due to the application process. When the coil coating process is used, the metal is uniformly cleaned, primed, pretreated and painted as a flat surface on both sides before it is formed into parts. A primer coat is often used and prevents the undercutting of paint and enhances corrosion resistance, durability of the product, and overall quality. Furthermore, with prepainting, the primer and paint are tightly bonded to the metal and are often applied to both sides of the metal. Post-painted parts generally do not include the primer and are not coated as evenly as prepainted coils.

During the design phase, and then regularly thereafter during regular production, coil coated parts are tested for corrosion-resistance with standardized testing using salt, chemical sprays, and/or water immersion. They are also examined for weathering resistance with accelerated ultraviolet and other environmental exposure tests. Test relating to stain resistance, welding capability, and resistance to abrasion are also performed depending on final application.

Continuous testing and adjustments made during the coating process ensure high-quality output. The paint thickness, curing temperature, and production line speed are monitored and controlled throughout the process. And then before leaving the production line, physical characteristics including gloss, color, hardness, adhesion, and resistance to cracking and marring are tested. This high level of control is not possible with post painting processes.

For products with exposed cut-edges, prepainted coatings outperform post painted coatings significantly. In field tests, prepainted metal louvers with exposed cut edges were compared to the same type of louvers with three different post paint applications (electrocoat, powder finish and spray finish). The louvers were exposed to the same elements in Florida for five years. The prepainted cut-edge far outlasted all three types of the postpainted edges. Visit www.coilcoatinginstitute.com/tutorials/# for details on the independent field study on cut edge.

All in all, manufacturers using prepainted metal will find superior coating durability, increased corrosion resistance and consistent color, texture and thickness in their finished products. For more information about converting to prepainted metal, visit: www.coilcoatinginstitute.org.

Source: www.designandbuildwithmetal.com

 

The Ecological Benefits of Metal Roofing

Metal roofing has a long, successful history worldwide. It's proven track record spans all types of projects-new construction and remodeling for commercial, industrial, and residential buildings. With today's heightened interest in and demand for ecologically sound building materials, metal roofing rises to the top as the product of choice. The Metal Construction Association ardently supports metal roofing's inclusion in all lists of environmentally friendly or "green" roofing materials

The ecological benefits of metal roofing include:

Sustainability
Metal roofing's durability can virtually eliminate the need to use future raw materials to produce roofing. Metal roofing is unaffected by the hot-cold/wet-dry weather cycles that break down other materials. Other roofing materials, however, are heavily affected by weather extremes. In addition, metal roofing is known for its ability to hold up against other weather forces including windstorms, hail, ice, and snow. No other roofing material has greater ability to withstand a wider range of weather conditions than metal. There are many handmade metal roofs still in existence that date back to the 1800s. Commercially produced metal roofing systems have been available since about 1910; numerous profiles and types have been produced since then, and there are examples of these roofs across the country. While some metal roofs are quite lasting and durable, with exposed metallic surfaces, modern technology also has introduced quality paint systems that beautify metal roofing and are warranted for as long as 50 years. Metal roofs can be repainted for additional life, if necessary. As America's homes and other structures age, it is imperative that we choose long-term building products; metal is the product of choice for sustainability.

Recycled content
As consumers, many of us are careful to collect our recyclable materials and turn them in for collection. In reality, though, we are offered very few consumer products where we can "close the loop" by purchasing products that are high in recycled content. Metal roofing, however, offers that option to consumers by allowing them to choose a significant building product on the basis of its recycled content. Most metal roofs have recycled content ranging from 25% to 95%. This is in stark contrast to conventional roofing shingles, which have much shorter lives and use oil-based products as their primary raw material. The recycled content of metal roofing has been a compelling reason for several state and local entities, such as solid waste districts and departments of natural resources, to include metal roofing on their list of "green" and recycled content products.

Recyclability
While metal roofing is known for its extremely long life, it does have the added benefit of being 100% recyclable if it is ever removed in the future, perhaps as part of a building renovation. Whereas other old roofing materials are disposed of by the ton in landfills across the country each year, the steel, aluminum, and copper used in metal roofing can be recycled in their entirety, potentially even becoming another metal roof.

Low Weight
Depending on the product chosen, metal roofing has a weight that is 1/3 to as little as 1/8 the weight of conventional roofing shingles! In comparison to heavy tile and slate roofing, the weight of metal roofing is virtually miniscule. This low weight serves several valuable purposes. First, it puts less weight load on a structure. This helps extend the life of buildings and it also provides invaluable protection against roof cave-in threat in the event of seismic activity. However, with retrofit applications, many metal roofs can be installed over the old roofing material. This prevents the need to remove the old roof and fill up valuable landfill space. Each year, about 20 billion pounds of old composition roofing shingles are dumped into U.S. landfills. Metal roofing is the way to avoid this degradation of the environment. Additionally, metal's low weight and high strength present an ideal way to cover and encapsulate existing asbestos roofing shingles rather than create a health risk as a result of removing the asbestos and putting it in a landfill. State EPA offices support this practice of asbestos shingle encapsulation.

Product Safety
Metal roofing and the finishes used on it are inert, safe materials that do not pose a health risk. Furthermore, metal roofing is noncombustible, which provides additional fire protection for homes. Of course, one roofing material that has turned out to be very dangerous is asbestos shingle roofing. Asbestos was used extensively many years ago and now that we have realized the health hazards it poses, we're spending many millions of dollars each year to get rid of it. This worry does not exist with metal. Also, many consumers with chemical sensitivities are turning to metal roofing and finding that it does have the allergy problems associated with other roofing materials. Today's commercially produced metal roofing systems are carefully tested on an ongoing basis for performance, wind resistance, fire resistance, and hail resistance. They are listed with various building codes and entities including Underwriters Laboratories; International Congress of Building Officials; Dade County, Florida; Southern Building Code Congress International; and others.

Energy Efficiency
Metal roofing is rapidly gaining acceptance as a very energy efficient material. Property owners have reported energy savings of as high as 20% and even more after installing metal roofing. The reflectivity and subsequent energy efficiency of metal roofing has been confirmed in studies done by Florida Solar Energy Center, Florida Power and Light, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and other independent organizations. Ongoing studies are being conducted to continually substantiate and quantify the energy efficiency of metal roofing. Many available metal roofs are being documented to meet Energy Star requirements. Prepainted metal roofing can display solar reflectance of at least 65% and thermal emittance of 80%. This can have a tremendous impact on energy usage by reducing air conditioning costs and the smog and pollution that are created by the production of that energy. Additionally, the low thermal mass of metal roofing means that it dissipates heat very quickly once the sun goes behind a cloud or sets for the day. Other roofing materials have greater thermal mass and will continue to radiate captured heat into the structures beneath them even when the sun is not shining.

Conclusion
In light of the above benefits, the Metal Construction Association strongly encourages metal roofing's consideration and inclusion on lists of "green" building products. Many state "green" programs have already included metal roofing products on their published lists. Roofing is a major component of any structure, and it is a component where the product chosen can have a dramatic effect on the building's life cycle and energy costs. Metal roofing's many benefits, including sustainability, recycled content, recyclability, low weight, and energy efficiency, far outweigh virtually all other roof systems from an ecological standpoint.

Source: The Metal Construction Association, Sustainable Design: www.metalconstruction.org

 

Can You Claim Points on the LEED Regional Materials Credit?

It's time to clarify what qualifies and what does not qualify under the LEED-2009 program's Regional Materials Credit 5 in the Materials and Resources (MR) section.  One to two points are available for registered building products involved in new construction, schools or core and shell applications that meet the requirements of MR Credit 5.  Those requirements pertaining to metal building envelope components state:

"Use building materials or product that have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured within 500 miles of the project site for a minimum of 10% or 20%, based on cost, of the total materials value.  If only a fraction of a product or material is extracted, harvested, or recovered and manufactured locally, then only that percentage (by weight) must contribute to the regional value."

In the time since this language first appeared in the LEED program, there has been confusion about how to define or interpret the meaning of "extracted, harvested, or recovered, as well as manufactured" as it relates to a particular product.  This confusion has resulted in a marketplace where product producers have different interpretations, resulting in some producers claiming these points and others feeling that the points do not apply.

In order to obtain clarification on this controversial credit, MCA contacted the USGBC Technical Customer Service staff familiar with this language.  After much correspondence with technical persons at the USGBC, we reached the following collective response:

"In the case of recycled metal, the harvesting location is considered to be the plant from which the metal is made available for resale.  This location must be located within the 500-mile radius of the project site.  For example, since steel is made up of so many recycled components, the original point of salvage is often impossible to identify. 

However, in the case of mined ores and minerals, making sure the mined materials are in fact harvested from within the 500-mile radius would be required.  If both the source of the metal (recycled or ore) and "the melt shop" are within the stipulated radius, that would certainly meet the intent and requirements of the credit.

For recycled materials, the more applicable term from the credit language is the point of "recovery."  If the "raw material" for the product that is being used on the LEED Project is recycled material that was 'recovered' from the scrap yard, the scrap yard should be used as the point of extraction/harvest/recovery (i.e., origin) for the raw material.

In the case of steel or aluminum, when a re-melting of scrap is part of the manufacturing process, if the "melt shop" for the metal is more than 500 miles from the project site, then that material will not be eligible for this credit.  All of the extracting, harvesting, recovering and manufacturing of the product must be within a 500-mile radius."

Based on these responses from the USGBC, it appears that a metal roof or wall panel provided to a LEED registered building project could not be eligible to contribute to the 1-2 points in MR Credit 5 Regional Materials unless the mined ore or minerals, or scrap used as raw materials; the mill where the raw materials are refined into a final flat sheet product; and the manufacturing facilities that process the flat sheet product into a final metal roof or wall panel sold to a customer are all located within a 500-mile radius of the building project site.

Source: "MCA News" Summer 2009

 

International Green Construction Code Available From ICC

Washington, DC - The International Code Council® (ICC®) announces that it has finalized the first green construction code for commercial buildings. The International Green Construction Code (IGCC) is coordinated with the existing International Codes, making it more easily enforceable, useable and adoptable. The IGCC development process included diverse experts from government, industry and advocacy organizations to produce a consensus IGCC Public Version 1.0 through a public and participatory series of meetings.

ICC says that the IGCC was designed to respond to the need expressed by jurisdictions who struggle with developing their own green code without the experts that have advised them on developing the rest of their codes.

IGCC Public Version 1.0, available on March 15, 2010, is the latest in a long list of sustainable design codes and provisions the Code Council has been publishing for years.

In addition to creating a new regulatory baseline for jurisdictions, the IGCC will allow additional customization at the jurisdictional level, and be compatible with voluntary rating systems (e.g., LEED, Green Globes) According to ICC, the IGCC also offers many unique features and benefits in that it:

• Will offer the most comprehensive and effective code for alternative water sources such as graywater, rainwater and reclaimed water. This is important, not just for regions struggling with limited water supplies, but to offset possible water shortages in the future, even in areas where this has never been an issue;

• Encompasses the latest alternative energy technologies such as wind turbines, geothermal heating, solar energy, energy recovery, and management and control systems;

• Is the first and only construction code that establishes code requirements for a minimum level of sustainability in commercial buildings;

• Is based on the same clear, easy-to-use sequence that makes the I-Codes® the most accepted code adoption platform in the U.S. This, combined with the extensive support and level of devotion the Code Council offers its users, is why they’re the leader in codes and related products, and is a key reason for why more and more countries around the world are choosing to adopt ICC Codes over others;

• Offers the flexibility jurisdictions need in order to customize the code based on local factors such as flood areas, greenfield sites, light pollution, and many others.

Jay Peters, Executive Director of the ICC’s Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Group indicates that understanding sustainable design and the codes that support it are not a passing phase, but rather instead, part of an evolution that will result in the integration of green construction practices into standard construction practices. “It will soon become second nature to implement greener plumbing, mechanical and other energy- and resource-saving practices,” Peters said.

For the same reasons why ICC codes are adopted in more jurisdictions than any other, building departments and key building and sustainability stakeholders are applauding ICC’s development of this unique tool. Visit www.iccsafe.org/igcc for more information and to download a free copy of the IGCC.

About The International Code Council

The International Code Council (ICC) publishes building safety, energy efficiency and fire prevention codes that are used in the construction of residential and commercial buildings. Most U.S. cities, counties and states choose the I-Codes based on their outstanding quality. The ICC’s Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas (PMG) Group is devoted exclusively to providing PMG products and support to jurisdictions and construction industry professionals across the country and around the globe, with one or more PMG code adopted in 49 states. The over 200 products and related services were developed specifically by and for plumbing and mechanical professionals. Contact the PMG Group for additional information at 1-888-ICC-SAFE, x4PMG, PMGResourceCenter@iccsafe.org, or visit www.iccsafe.org.

Source: www.designandbuildwithmetal.com

 

States Starting to Require Architects and Contractors to Design and Construct Public Buildings to Achieve LEED Silver Certification

By Angela Stephens, Stites & Harbison, PLLC

While many local jurisdictions and cities across the country have started passing regulations which implement and require sustainable design and construction practices, relatively few states have taken steps to mandate that certain public buildings achieve certain levels of LEED® Certification.

Eighteen states (Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and Washington) have adopted laws and regulations mandating that the construction of public buildings achieve LEED Silver Certification. Although the majority of States do not yet require that public buildings be designed and constructed to achieve a LEED Silver Certification, many of these States encourage their agencies to use green building practices or use LEED as a guideline.

The Kentucky law is illustrative of those states that have enacted a LEED requirement on public buildings. Kentucky requires that, after July 1, 2009, all public buildings (for which fifty percent (50%) or more of the total capital cost is paid by the Commonwealth of Kentucky) shall be designed and constructed in accordance with Kentucky’s new High Performance Building Regulations.

Under Kentucky’s new regulations, all public buildings (as defined above) worth $25 million or more in budget “shall be designed, built, and submitted for certification to achieve a rating of Silver Level or higher” using LEED 2009. Public buildings between $5 million and $25 million shall be designed, built, and submitted for certification to achieve a rating of LEED Certified or higher. Additionally, public buildings greater than $5 million shall achieve a minimum of 7 points under the LEED Energy and Atmosphere Credit 1, Optimize Energy Performance. Public buildings between $600,000 and $5 million in budget shall be designed and built using the LEED rating system as guidance.

There are two exceptions to the new regulations. The first exception applies when a public building fails to achieve the LEED rating due to the sole failure to receive a point for Material and Resource Credit 7 regarding certified wood. Under this first exception, the building will be deemed to meet the LEED rating required, if the project used wood products certified under the American Tree Farm System or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
Under the second exception, a building which is required to meet the high performance building standards may be granted an exemption if there is an “extraordinary undue burden on the agency if project compliance is required.” Factors that will be considered in determining if such an extraordinary undue burden exists include whether (1) the cost of compliance exceeds a building’s life cycle cost savings, (2) compliance increases costs beyond the funding capacity for the project, (3) compliance compromises the historic nature of a building, (4) compliance will violate any laws, (5) the unique nature of a project makes it impractical, or (6) the building will use another high performance building program such as Energy Star or Green Globes.

In addition to the requirements mentioned above, all public buildings (as defined above) shall be designed and constructed so that they are capable of being rated as Energy Star buildings. However, unlike the requirements discussed above, an exemption cannot be granted from this requirement.

For more information about these regulations or other green initiatives which may impact your business, please contact Angela Stephens at astephens@stites.com or at 502-681-0388.

About the Author: Stites & Harbison, PLLC has a Green Law Practice Group which is devoted to the unique legal issues associated with green initiatives and new regulations addressing environmental stewardship and sustainability. The Green Law Group is comprised of attorneys including construction attorneys, business and finance attorneys, tax attorneys, and environmental attorneys. Within this group, 10 attorneys are LEED Accredited Professionals (APs), and one attorney is a LEED Green Associate (GA). LEED AP and GA attorneys have demonstrated a thorough understanding of green building practices and principles and have the tested ability to apply the LEED Rating System standards to designing and building projects. For more information visit www.stites.com.

Source: Design Cost Data November/December 2009

 

Zero Energy Building Initiatives

By Scott Kriner, Green Metal Consulting

The DOE estimates that over the next twenty years 40% of the commercial building market will be built. By 2030 we will build an additional 40 billion square feet of commercial building space. The Energy Information Administration estimates that 60% of our nation’s electricity growth over the next twenty years will be related to commercial building usage.

The federal government recognized these alarming statistics and legislated a goal for all commercial buildings to become zero net energy structures by the year 2050. That legislation was part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Congress created the Zero Net Energy Commercial Buildings Initiative (CBI) as part of that legislation. The CBI was officially launched by the Department of Energy on August 5, 2008. Its goal is “to develop and disseminate technologies, practices, and policies for establishment of zero net energy commercial buildings.”

Currently there are nine buildings that are operating at zero energy today, according to the DOE. These are verified buildings where the utility bills and operations are being closely monitored. Some of these buildings are completely off the grid, and some are sharing the grid.

The CBI is charged with a goal of demonstrating marketable zero net energy commercial buildings as early as 2025. Their milestones include .achieving zero net energy buildings in the new commercial building sector by 2030, in 50% of all commercial building stock by 2040, and in all commercial buildings by 2050. A tall order indeed.

To achieve the goal of the CBI, several alliances and partnerships have been created by the federal government. These include the Commercial Building Energy Alliances, the Commercial Building Partnerships, the National Laboratory Collaborative on Building Technology, and the High Performance Green Building Partnership Consortia.

Funding for the program has remained strong, with additional resources provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In fact, in October of 2009 the DOE awarded a contract to form the Zero Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium as another partnership supporting the CBI. The Consortium is designed to coordinate the public and private involvement with the DOE’s work to develop and identify technologies that would help to achieve zero net energy buildings.

The Zero Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium brings together a diverse group of commercial building stakeholders to help DOE accelerate innovation, technology development and market transformation. The National Association of State Energy Officials acts as the steering committee for the Consortium. Currently the Consortium members total over 250. The members include building products manufacturers, utilities, energy providers, trade associations, engineering firms, laboratories, research organizations, federal agencies and departments and universities.

The group is planning and assisting in the implementation of a strategy to change the way commercial buildings use energy. The Consortium will identify promising new technologies and effective public policies. Some of these developments will result in demonstrations and pilot programs. The involvement of the private sector allows the Consortium to design, initiate and evaluate programs aimed at deployment of proven energy-saving technologies.

All aspects of construction and operation of commercial buildings are being considered. This includes development of more energy efficient building envelope assemblies and systems. A zero energy building, by definition, is one that generates as much electricity as it consumes. The first step is to find ways to significantly lower the use of energy through conservation efforts and improvements in efficiency. The second step is to design methods for generating energy on-site in many cases. When selecting a solar power, solar thermal or wind energy system for on-site usage, it is important to consider and compare the service life of those systems to the platform being used. A metal roof with more than 40 years of expected service life is an excellent platform for photovoltaic systems whose service life is approximately 25 years. In addition, new dynamic envelope technologies are being evaluated with metal roofing to dramatically reduce heat gain/loss while utilizing heat energy that is contained in the roof assembly.

The metal construction industry is involved in the Zero Energy Commercial Building Consortium. Just look at the list of the 250 members and you will find many companies and organizations involved in metal construction. We need to remain a part of this solution to our nation’s energy needs.

Scott Kriner, MCA's Technical Director, is the president and founder of Green Metal Consulting Inc. He is a LEED Accredited Professional who began his career in the metal construction industry in 1981. His company is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, the California Association of Building Energy Consultants and the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). Scott can be reached by email at skriner1@verizon.net, or by phone at (610) 966-2430. You can also visit him on the web at www.greenmetalconsulting.com. 

Source: www.designandbuildwithmetal.com

 

Fifty Percent Increase in Green Building Programs Since 2007

In the wake of an extended global economic slump, local communities are pushing ahead and expanding their green building programs.  More than one in five U.S. cities with populations greater than 50,000 surveyed by the American Institute of Architects, Washington, D.C., report having a policy to promote green buildings, accounting for more than 53 million people.  The AIA initially conducted this survey in 2007 for a “Local Leaders in Sustainability” report that has just been updated.  The new report, “Green Building Policy in a Changing Economic Environment,” is an inventory of policies and best practices intended to help policymakers advance a more sustainable legislative agenda for growth and development.

The report also contains detailed case studies of the green building programs in Los Angeles; Philadelphia; Boston; Nashville, Tenn; and Green Rapids, Mich.

“My passion for sustainability really comes out of the social side of the ‘triple bottom line,’” said Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell.  “We have hit a tipping point here in Grand Rapids, as I think that we are at the point now where the arguments around cost, have been proven to be, if not fallacious, at least weak arguments when you look at the long-term costs of maintaining a green building.”

“It is encouraging that cities are recognizing the economic benefits of energy-efficient buildings, and equally encouraging that the number of programs across the country are increasing despite such difficult economic conditions,” said AIA Executive Vice President/CEP Christine McEntee.  “Our ultimate goal is to achieve carbon neutrality in buildings by 2030 and that all design projects will be sustainable as a matter of course.”

Highlights from the report:
• 138 cities have green building programs, compared with 92 cities in 2007—an increase of 50 percent.
• 24 of the 25 most populated metropolitan regions in the United States are built around cities with a green building policy.
• The Western region has the most green building programs with 56 cities in just six states.
• The Mountain region is second in the percentage of cities with green building programs, with 24 percent of residents living in those cities.
• The Easter region has seen a 75 percent rise in green building programs since 2007.
• The Central region has 21 cities with green building programs.

Recommendations:
• Hire a director of sustainability
• Train and accredit municipal employees
• Pursue green economic development
• Implement additional sustainability initiatives
• Remove legal barriers
• Make program regional
• Take community-wide approach to green building and planning
• Utilize training and experience of architects
• Be inclusive
• Keep it simple

McEntee added: “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is helping to move sustainability efforts forward, with programs such as the Energy Efficient and Conservation Block Grant that are providing an unprecedented opportunity for the advancement of green building efforts nationwide.  The inclusion of strong green building provisions in energy and climate legislation before Congress shows that our message about the importance of sustainable design is getting through.”

Source: Metal Construction News magazine, January 2010

 

First Integrated Green Construction Code Poised For 2010 Debut

Washington, DC - Drafters of the International Code Council’s International Green Construction Code (IGCC) are nearing completion of the first-ever integrated green code for traditional and high-performance commercial buildings, set for a public release in March 2010.

“This will be the first time code officials, owners and designers will have an integrated regulatory framework to put into practice that meets the goal of greening the construction and design of new and existing buildings,” according to Code Council CEO Richard P. Weiland. “Only a code that is useable, enforceable and adoptable will have the capability of impacting our built environment in dramatic ways.”

The IGCC is designed specifically to integrate and coordinate with the other International Codes already being enforced by governmental code officials at all levels. All 50 states and more than 20,000 U.S. jurisdictions use the International Codes developed by the Code Council for safety and sustainability. The International Codes also serve as the basis for construction of federal properties around the world, and as a reference for many nations outside the United States. The International Code Council is a non-profit membership association dedicated to building safety, fire prevention, energy efficiency, and sustainable building construction and performance.

The IGCC’s unique drafting approach links the International Codes to a public process bringing together diverse areas of expertise to create the first integrated, regulatory framework for green commercial buildings. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ASTM International are Cooperating Sponsors. Other organizations with representation on the IGCC drafting committee, known as the Sustainable Building Technology Committee (SBTC), include the U.S. Green Building Council Green Globes Initiative along with over a dozen others.

“We are not an industry or advocacy organization, but rather the same folks who have written the building codes used throughout the United States and around the world for decades,” said Code Council Board Member and SBTC Chair Ravi Shah. “From the beginning of our code development earlier this year (2009), we’ve had 29 SBTC members and countless work group members from across the spectrum of government, industry, non-profit and academia weaving their views into a consensus code,” Shah said.

The Code Council’s unique consensus process invites continual public input from all perspectives, culminating in a final approval from code officials to ensure the best possible rate of compliance.

A critical element of the IGCC is that it is consistent and coordinated with existing International Codes that span the spectrum of the industry from building, to energy conservation, fire safety, plumbing, mechanical fuel gas and existing buildings among others.

“Voluntary systems have led market transformation and paved the way for a regulatory framework that includes specialized standards addressing highly technical areas around installation and equipment performance,” Weiland said. “And with our Cooperating Sponsors at the AIA and ASTM International providing the essential perspective of the design and standards communities, there is finally an option on the table that a local, state or federal code official can actually use, enforce and adopt to impact the built environment.”

The last drafting meeting of the SBTC will be in January in Austin, Texas. The first public version of the IGCC will be published in March, which is expected to inform many policy discussions currently underway. At the same time the IGCC will undergo continual maintenance with the solicitation of additional public comments thru hearings being conducted in August. The IGCC will then go through another round of review, comments and public hearings in 2011 for the publication for the 2012 ICC Family of Codes.

Information on activities about the IGCC is available for review at www.iccsafe.org/igcc.

Source: www.designandbuildwithmetal.com

 

Adapting to Climate Change

By: Alex Wilson

While the need to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions is greater than ever, we now also ought to focus attention on adapting our buildings to the inevitable impacts of climate change.

Climate change is no longer a question of whether or when.  It is a reality.  Northern regions have experienced significant warming in the past few decades.  Glaciers and pack ice in the Antarctic and Arctic are melting at an alarming rate.  Rising sea levels are driving residents of some low-lying island countries from their homes.  Changing precipitation patterns are turning arable land into deserts and exacerbating forest fires.  And powerful storms are appearing in unusual places with devastating ferocity.  Worse, the pace of these changes has surpassed even the most dire predictions of a few years ago.

A new report on the impacts of climate change that will be seen in the U.S. paints the clearest picture yet of what’s ahead.  The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), a multi-agency research effort set up under the George W. Bush Administration, produced “Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States” (available at www.globalchange.gov), a document that provides sobering projections about specific climate-change impacts for different regions of the country.  The impacts in the U.S. of the “unequivocal” global warming that is occurring, according to the report, will include higher temperatures in every region, greater incidence of intense rainfall events in the Northeast, droughts in the West, rising sea levels that will inundate key roadways and ports along the Gulf Coast, increased crop pests and reduced crop production in the Midwest, and rising heat-related deaths in cities.

The bottom line is that we must redouble efforts to mitigate (prevent or slow) climate change, but at the same time, we as designers, planners and developers, must create buildings and communities that can adapt to a changing climate.  Even if we were to somehow turn off the greenhouse-gas spigot tomorrow, global warming will continue.  The USGCRP report suggests that even with the most optimistic reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions, we can still expect 4 to 6.5 degrees Fahrenheit of warming in the U.S. by the end of the century-and 7 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit without significant emission reductions.

So what does adaptation look like?  How can we integrate the anticipation of climate change into our designs?

Doing this takes many forms and applies at different scales: from the individual building to the community and region.

As the realities of climate change increasingly move from the technical reports of climate scientists to practitioners, and as the remaining naysayers are finally forced to concede their positions to overwhelming evidence, we in the design profession will have to address these realities in our work.  Building codes will mandate that we design buildings and communities that will adapt to climate change, and building for future conditions may soon become part of the building professional’s “standard of care.”

Source: GreenSource magazine, November/December 2009

 

MCA Clarifies Green Industry Definitions

September 22, 2009, Glenview, IL - For those challenged by terms related to the green movement or just needing a high-quality compilation of them, the Glenview, IL-based Metal Construction Association has created a solution. It is MCA's compilation of Green Industry Definitions, which now is accessible in the Sustainable Design section of the association's Web site, www.metalconstruction.org.

This comprehensive, easy-to-understand list fills a need for companies who want to appropriately market products for the sustainable design movement, those trying to gather a better understanding of the terms, and building owners who want to be sure they use the right language in developing or marketing a high performance building.

The Green Industry Definitions help clear any confusion about similar terms and acronyms. It defines BEES; details carbon emissions, carbon footprint and carbon offsets; and explains carbon neutral, climate neutral, downcycle, DSIRE, E-scale, LCA, LLC, LCI sustainability, and sustainable design, and much more.

The tool was initially developed for MCA members, but fills a broader need. "It's important to have a starting point to help MCA member companies understand the terminology and definitions of the green building market. It's a great point of reference and a good tool to build on for the entire industry," says Brian Partyka, chair of the MCA Sustainability Council and president of Drexel Metals, Ivyland, PA.

MCA's Sustainability Council is designed to be a platform through which metal's green attributes can be promoted outside of the metal construction industry. The council's activities, which began in 2008, include assisting members with: marketing their products as green, becoming more sustainable in their operations, and understanding the latest strategies, trends and tools used by the green-building industry.

The council also represents MCA in coordinating sustainability initiatives with related organizations, such as the Copper Development Association, American Zinc Association, National Coil Coating Association, and the National Roofing Contractors Association.

Source: Metal Construction Association, www.metalconstruction.org