OVERVIEW
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.
IN-DEPTH
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Massachusetts Stretches the Energy Code
August 28, 2009News Brief
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ICC Announces Plan for Green Construction Code
July 30, 2009News Analysis
The International Code Council is tackling green building through the International Green Construction Code initiative.
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Graywater Collection and Use
February 26, 2009Primer
If properly stored and separated from potable water, graywater collected from sinks, showers, and clothes washers can be used to irrigate landscaping.
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PEX Tubing Passes California Environmental Review
February 26, 2009News Analysis
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DOE Requires More Stringent Energy Codes for States
January 29, 2009News Brief
