|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
CALGreen - California Building Standards Code
The 2010 California Green Building Standards Code is a code with mandatory requirements for new residential and nonresidential buildings (including buildings for retail, office, public schools and hospitals) throughout California beginning on January 1, 2011.
The code is Part 11 of the California Building Standards Code in Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations and is also known as the CALGreen Code. In short, the code is established to reduce construction waste, make buildings more efficient in the use of materials and energy, and reduce environmental impact during and after construction.
It is essential that local government recognize this new code and take steps to ensure that building department personnel are properly trained to carry out enforcement activities beginning on January 1, 2011. In particular, building department personnel performing plan examinations and building inspections are those who will be primarily responsible for enforcing the code. Chapter 7 of the CALGreen Code provides a guideline for minimum inspector qualification criteria.
Builders and design professionals will be required to incorporate features within the design of buildings and site preparation in order to meet the new requirements. Plans and specifications will need to be supplemented by documentation of conformance with the CALGreen Code. The CALGreen Code contains requirements for construction site selection, storm water control during construction, construction waste reduction, indoor water use reduction, material selection, natural resource conservation, site irrigation conservation and more.
The code provides for design options allowing the designer to determine how best to achieve compliance for a given site or building condition. The code also requires building commissioning which is a process for the verification that all building systems, like heating and cooling equipment and lighting systems are functioning at their maximum efficiency.
State law in Health and Safety Code Sections 17958.5 and 18941.5(b) allows a city, county, or city and county, to adopt more restrictive green building standards than those provided in the CALGreen Code. Such local standards along with a finding of need based on local climatic, geological, or topographical conditions must be filed with the California Building Standards Commission to become effective.
Requirements for filing local ordinances establishing more restrictive green building requirements are explained in Section 101.7 of the CALGreen Code. Otherwise, the CALGreen Code is effective January 1, 2011 throughout the state.
This guide was developed as a means for providing an introduction to the CALGreen Code. The technical information in Parts 2, 3 and 4 pertain to buildings that are subject to adoptions by the California Building Standards Commission as explained on page 20 of this guide. In depth study of the CALGreen Code is recommended in order for design professionals, builders, and code enforcement personnel to become proficient.
Other sources of information and training may include the following organizations:
|
