The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently reaffirmed its commitment to the development of Standard 189.1 P, which will be America's first National Standard developed to be used as a green-building code when completed. Created specifically for adoption by states, localities, and other building-code jurisdictions that are ready to require a minimum level of green-building performance for all commercial buildings, the standard is being developed as an ANSI standard under ASHRAE's leadership.
"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 the USGBC. "Standard 189 will be an important part of that toolkit."
Leading cities, including Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles, require most commercial buildings to reach LEED Silver certification; earlier this year, the State of California authored and adopted a statewide green-building code.
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, the USGBC remains confident in the quality of the final result.