Intl. Code Council’s new development system could be a brake on building decarbonization

The International Code Council (ICC) stripped the rights of local governments to vote on provisions of new versions of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).

The move could make it harder for cities to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within building sectors. The ICC’s new code development system gives the construction and gas industries more control by replacing localities’ voting power with a new process that still factors in local-level input, but gives industry groups more say in the end result of code development.

States typically adopt the ICC’s most recent standards for their building codes. If new code versions are less ambitious in promoting energy efficiency and cutting GHG emissions, cities are likely to adopt less stringent state codes.

More than 200 organizations and individuals submitted comments to the ICC surrounding its decision to end government voting, with 75% of those comments opposed to the action.

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.