Codes

Photo: International Code Council

Building codes establish the minimum legal requirements for buildings. There are typically two types—prescriptive and performance.

Prescriptive codes tell a designer what must be done (such as requiring R-20 insulation in the walls). Performance codes simply provide a metric that must be met (such as total energy use relative to a baseline), allowing the project to meet that benchmark in a variety of ways.

Code requirements differ from locale to locale, so here we cover news related to sustainability or energy use in building codes, and ways in which innovative green technologies are limited by code requirements.

Codes

Deep Dives

Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.

Quick Takes

Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.

    Loading...

  • Graywater Collection and Use

    Explainer

    If properly stored and separated from potable water, graywater collected from sinks, showers, and clothes washers can be used to irrigate landscaping.

Product Guidance

Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.

In The News

We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.

Perspective

Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.

Learning Resources

Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.

  • Check if your spelling is correct, or try removing filters.
  • Remove quotes around phrases to match each word individually: "blue drop" will match less than blue drop.
  • You can require or exclude terms using + and -: big +blue drop will require a match on blue while big blue -drop will exclude results that contain drop.

Just For Fun

Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...

  • Check if your spelling is correct, or try removing filters.
  • Remove quotes around phrases to match each word individually: "blue drop" will match less than blue drop.
  • You can require or exclude terms using + and -: big +blue drop will require a match on blue while big blue -drop will exclude results that contain drop.