ASHRAE, the International Code Council and the U.S. Green Building Council released the 2018 International Green Construction Code. The code is a joint initiative with the three groups and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).

The 2018 IgCC lines up the technical requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/ICC/USGBC/IES 189.1-2017-Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low Rise Residential Buildings, with ICC’s multi-stakeholder IgCC. The updated code expects to help governments streamline code development and adoption, and improve industry standardization by folding in the two previously separate documents. The 2018 IgCC now is a unified code emphasizing adoption, ease of use and enforcement for building projects.

“The 2018 IgCC leverages ASHRAE’s technical expertise to offer a comprehensive tool that has a direct effect on how green building strategies are implemented,” ASHRAE President Sheila Hayter said. “Improving energy efficiency, building performance and indoor air quality are at the core of ASHRAE’s mission and we are encouraged by the impact of this landmark model towards realizing more a sustainable future for us all.”

ASHRAE SSPC 189.1 updates the technical aspects of Standard 189.1-2014 using ASHRAE's continuous maintenance procedures. The final set of changes to the 2017 edition of Standard 189.1 provided the foundation for ICC to develop the administrative procedures for the technical content and codify of the document into the 2018 IgCC.

“Building safety codes help our communities prepare for the future,” International Code Council CEO Dominic Sims said. “Taking into account the latest technologies and cost-effective strategies for dealing with resource scarcity, the IgCC helps cities, states and countries build stronger, smarter, sustainably and more resiliently.”

USGBC President and CEO Mahesh Ramanujam added: “Our hope is that building professionals and policymakers alike adopt better, greener building strategies that help them better implement LEED and achieve higher performance in sustainability.”