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SAWHORSE
Cities preparing for building standards to get more green
November 08, 2010, 03:30 AM By Emily DeRuy Daily Journal correspondent
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=145527&title=Cities%20preparing%20for%20building%20standards%20to%20get%20more%20green
Local cities have been gearing up for a change in state building codes that will require increased emphasis on energy savings and sustainability by the end of the year.
Adherence to the new codes means there is a learning curve for both building officials and builders, but officials said the underlying message is getting across.
“The whole idea for all of this is that we save greenhouse gases,” said Joe Cyr, chief building official for the city of Burlingame. “We don’t want that message to get lost. The point of it all is ultimately to save energy and sustainability.”
Come Jan. 1, cities throughout California will be required to enforce the new California Green Building Standards Code, or the CALGreen Code. Finalized earlier this year by California’s Building Standards Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Development, the guidelines represent the first statewide mandatory green building code for newly constructed buildings in the nation.
The new code will regulate energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, site development, disposal and recycling using a three-tier system. The lowest tier will indicate the minimum levels needed for compliance, while the two upper tiers indicate voluntary measures for those who wish to exceed the required level.
City officials say the CALGreen code will contribute to public health by promoting green building practices, such as reducing the use of volatile organic compound (VOC) emitting materials, requiring construction waste recycling and extending storm water pollution prevention efforts.
Tom McGinley, executive director of the Peninsula Builders Exchange, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving standards in the construction industry, said the code from its inception has always been concerned with life, health and safety. This new code involves things like lighting, heat retention and water usage. The new code, he said, also gives people points for building an apartment complex near a train station, for example, because it encourages people to use public transportation instead of driving.
The cities of Burlingame and San Mateo have both exercised the option to adopt additional green building measures, saying the cities’ close proximity to earthquake fault lines, as well as local conditions like the expansive nature of the soil, increase the need for more restrictive legislation. Both cities have elected to require those renovating homes or businesses to exceed the CALGreen Code’s energy efficiency requirements by a minimum of 15 percent.
Stephen Lau, building official for the city of San Mateo, said people have been amenable to the green energy requirements.
“Every one of the projects I have seen recently meets that 15 percent requirement,” he said. “Quite frankly, it’s easy to meet the goal. There are a lot of ways to get points. A lot of homeowners know it’s going to be helpful with their monthly energy bill costs and that they’ll be healthier because of filters, low VOC paint and better ventilation.”
McGinley agrees the 15 percent increase is not necessarily a bad thing, if done intelligently, but said it is a shame it needs to be legislated.
Both cities will continue to utilize third party rating systems in rating renovation projects and new developments. Specifically, they will still apply the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the Build It Green’s Green Point Rated checklists and rules. Residents and builders will be able to choose the rating method.
In Burlingame, Cyr said people can elect to follow the Green Points Rated checklist, LEED for homes, Build It Green points, or a number of other methods. Applicants have the ability to determine how they earn points by choosing from a list of items, depending on the nature of the project. Currently, residential projects in San Mateo require the equivalent of 75 Build It Green points if they are new construction or remodels valued at more than $100,000. Burlingame requires residential projects valued at more than $50,000 to be the equivalent of 50 points or more. Both cities require new construction and additions of greater than 10,000 square feet in commercial space to obtain a LEED Silver rating.
The first year of implementation, Cyr said, will be a time to smooth out any inconsistencies.
“Cross referencing is going to be a challenge for the city,” he said. “We’re working on coordinating that.”
In San Mateo, Lau said a lot of it has to do with the design and planning of the project.
“A third party can get involved early in the design stage and provide recommendations, so that when people come into the application, they’re prepared,” Lau said.
San Mateo and Burlingame building officials think continuing existing green requirements will affirm the both cities’ commitment to reaching sustainability goals. They stress that allowing for third party rating systems permits residents to be flexible in choosing which green measures apply to their specific projects.
McGinley was apprehensive at first about using LEED standards as a guideline, but said he now finds the system reasonable.
“The twist is that when LEED changes, the law changes,” said McGinley. “I thought it was going to be awful, but it’s actually very sensible, very flexible. It encourages consistency because most cities in the county have adopted LEED. We don’t want a lot of different standards, because then it becomes difficult to navigate.”
November 08, 2010, 03:30 AM By Emily DeRuy Daily Journal correspondent
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=145527&title=Cities%20preparing%20for%20building%20standards%20to%20get%20more%20green
Local cities have been gearing up for a change in state building codes that will require increased emphasis on energy savings and sustainability by the end of the year.
Adherence to the new codes means there is a learning curve for both building officials and builders, but officials said the underlying message is getting across.
“The whole idea for all of this is that we save greenhouse gases,” said Joe Cyr, chief building official for the city of Burlingame. “We don’t want that message to get lost. The point of it all is ultimately to save energy and sustainability.”
Come Jan. 1, cities throughout California will be required to enforce the new California Green Building Standards Code, or the CALGreen Code. Finalized earlier this year by California’s Building Standards Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Development, the guidelines represent the first statewide mandatory green building code for newly constructed buildings in the nation.
The new code will regulate energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, site development, disposal and recycling using a three-tier system. The lowest tier will indicate the minimum levels needed for compliance, while the two upper tiers indicate voluntary measures for those who wish to exceed the required level.
City officials say the CALGreen code will contribute to public health by promoting green building practices, such as reducing the use of volatile organic compound (VOC) emitting materials, requiring construction waste recycling and extending storm water pollution prevention efforts.
Tom McGinley, executive director of the Peninsula Builders Exchange, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving standards in the construction industry, said the code from its inception has always been concerned with life, health and safety. This new code involves things like lighting, heat retention and water usage. The new code, he said, also gives people points for building an apartment complex near a train station, for example, because it encourages people to use public transportation instead of driving.
The cities of Burlingame and San Mateo have both exercised the option to adopt additional green building measures, saying the cities’ close proximity to earthquake fault lines, as well as local conditions like the expansive nature of the soil, increase the need for more restrictive legislation. Both cities have elected to require those renovating homes or businesses to exceed the CALGreen Code’s energy efficiency requirements by a minimum of 15 percent.
Stephen Lau, building official for the city of San Mateo, said people have been amenable to the green energy requirements.
“Every one of the projects I have seen recently meets that 15 percent requirement,” he said. “Quite frankly, it’s easy to meet the goal. There are a lot of ways to get points. A lot of homeowners know it’s going to be helpful with their monthly energy bill costs and that they’ll be healthier because of filters, low VOC paint and better ventilation.”
McGinley agrees the 15 percent increase is not necessarily a bad thing, if done intelligently, but said it is a shame it needs to be legislated.
Both cities will continue to utilize third party rating systems in rating renovation projects and new developments. Specifically, they will still apply the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the Build It Green’s Green Point Rated checklists and rules. Residents and builders will be able to choose the rating method.
In Burlingame, Cyr said people can elect to follow the Green Points Rated checklist, LEED for homes, Build It Green points, or a number of other methods. Applicants have the ability to determine how they earn points by choosing from a list of items, depending on the nature of the project. Currently, residential projects in San Mateo require the equivalent of 75 Build It Green points if they are new construction or remodels valued at more than $100,000. Burlingame requires residential projects valued at more than $50,000 to be the equivalent of 50 points or more. Both cities require new construction and additions of greater than 10,000 square feet in commercial space to obtain a LEED Silver rating.
The first year of implementation, Cyr said, will be a time to smooth out any inconsistencies.
“Cross referencing is going to be a challenge for the city,” he said. “We’re working on coordinating that.”
In San Mateo, Lau said a lot of it has to do with the design and planning of the project.
“A third party can get involved early in the design stage and provide recommendations, so that when people come into the application, they’re prepared,” Lau said.
San Mateo and Burlingame building officials think continuing existing green requirements will affirm the both cities’ commitment to reaching sustainability goals. They stress that allowing for third party rating systems permits residents to be flexible in choosing which green measures apply to their specific projects.
McGinley was apprehensive at first about using LEED standards as a guideline, but said he now finds the system reasonable.
“The twist is that when LEED changes, the law changes,” said McGinley. “I thought it was going to be awful, but it’s actually very sensible, very flexible. It encourages consistency because most cities in the county have adopted LEED. We don’t want a lot of different standards, because then it becomes difficult to navigate.”