The proposed standard will apply to new commercial buildings and major renovation projects. It will address sustainable sites, water use, energy efficiency, a building's impact on the atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality. Unlike USGBC’s LEED rating system, which is intended for innovators and market leaders, the new standard under development is intended for more mainstream adoption, ASHRAE says.
The standard, which will use USGBC’s LEED rating system, is scheduled for completion in 2007.
"We expect the new baseline standard to set a higher floor for all building practices and really bring green to the mainstream, " says John Hogan, chair of the committee writing the standard. "The benefits of green building -- clean indoor air, thermal comfort and resource efficiency are benefits that are owed to everyone and as an ANSI-accredited standards developer, we are confident the process we’re following to develop this standard will make it well-received in the building community. "
USGBC president Rick Fedrizzi says that USGBC's mission is market transformation and "Standard 189P is a significant step in that direction; the combined expertise of ASHRAE, IESNA, and USGBC will raise the floor for building practices nationwide."
Concurrent with this initiative, USGBC will begin work on LEED version 3.0, which will encompass major advancements in building science and technology, such as LifeCycle Assessment and bioregional weighting. Standard 189 will be designed to serve the entire building market whereas LEED will continue to evolve and serve the innovators and market leaders.
The newly formed committee met in Seattle in August to outline next steps, which will include two development meetings before the end of the year.
"IESNA welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with ASHRAE and USGBC in multidisciplinary sharing of innovative solutions to create environments that are sustainable, efficient, healthy and productive,” says Kevin Flynn, president, IESNA.
