Daily StreamIn January 2011, a new era of building will begin in California. CALGreen, the nation’s first state-wide green building code, will become mandatory. Architects, developers, plan checkers, inspectors, building officials and others involved in designing and approving new construction will be expected to adhere to new mandatory guidelines on issues ranging from water efficiency and conservation to indoor air quality.
In cooperation with the California Building Standards Commission and the California Department of Housing and Community Development, Green Technology is developing a series of training workshops to help raise awareness of the changes that CALGreen will bring and to help building officials and the design community prepare for implementation.
For the last year, Green Technology has offered sessions on CALGreen at its events, and at the 2010 Green California Summit the Building Standards Commission also hosted an information center on the Expo floor, with experts available to answer code questions. The strong response to a pre-Summit workshop focused on CALGreen was evidence of increased awareness of the code and the beginnings of serious efforts to take stock of necessary operational changes.
“Our conversations with building officials suggest that at present, awareness of the code varies greatly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction,” says Green Technology editor in chief Carl Smith. “It is also apparent that we’re entering into new territory in many ways, from what will be asked of building inspectors to the documentation necessary to show that paints, flooring or adhesives meet the new air quality standards.”
The first round of workshops, beginning with a May 20 event in Pasadena, California, will be half-day regional events that offer basic orientation to the code and an overview of the new provisions. These will be followed later in the year by a second round of events offering more in-depth training.
“California is the first state in the nation to make green building mandatory,” said Smith. “It’s hard to overstate how significant it is that we are entering an era of healthy, efficient buildings. We consider this one of the most far-reaching policies the state has enacted, and hope to work with the Building Standards Commission to develop training events and materials that help this pioneering effort succeed.”
“The mandatory provisions of CALGreen go into effect in January and anyone involved in designing and/or building new commercial or residential structures in California needs to know about the new requirements," said Dave Walls, executive director of the California Building Standards Commission. "We are pleased to be working with Green Technology in their implementation of CALGreen educational programs that will reach stakeholders throughout the state.”
For updates on the CALGreen initiative, visit www.green-technology.org/CALGreen
