Journal of Property Management

INDUSTRY NEWS & NOTES

FIRST INTEGRATED
GREEN CONSTRUCTION CODE
SET FOR 2010 DEBUT

The International Code Council (ICC), a non-profit membership association dedicated to building safety, fire prevention, energy efficiency and sustainable building construction and performance, is nearing completion on the first-ever integrated green code for traditional and high-performance commercial buildings. The International Green Construction Code (IGCC) is set for a public release in March.

The IGCC is designed specifically to integrate and coordinate with the other international codes already being enforced by governmental code officials at all levels. All 50

states and more than 20,000 U.S. jurisdictions use the international codes developed by the ICC for safety and sustainability. The international codes also serve as the basis for construction of federal properties around the world, and as a reference for many nations outside the United States.

>> For more information about the iGcc visit

www.iccsafe.org/igcc.

EPA RELEASES FINAL SPEcIFIcAtIoN FoR NEw SINgLE-FAmILy HomES

This specification by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes the criteria for new homes labeled under the WaterSense program, and is applicable to newly constructed single-family homes and townhomes of three stories or less. The information provides builders and other industry professionals with the resources they need to design, build, inspect and earn the WaterSense label for a new home. To learn more, see the WaterSense Labeled New Homes fact sheet at www.epa.gov/watersense.

Sustainable Sites Initiative Releases
New Landscape Rating System

A partnership of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the U.S. Botanic Garden has released the nation’s first rating system for the design, construction and maintenance of sustainable landscapes, with or without buildings.

The Sustainable Sites Initiative led by the partners developed the rating system out of four years of work by dozens of the country’s leading sustainability experts, scientists and design professionals, as well as public input from hundreds of individuals and dozens of organizations.

The rating system works on a 250-point scale, with levels of achievement for obtaining 40, 50, 60 or 80 percent of available points, recognized with one through four stars, respectively. The rating system is part of two new reports issued from the Initiative, “The Case for Sustainable Landscapes and Guidelines” and “Performance Benchmarks 2009,” both available for download at the Sustainable Sites Initiative at