Philadelphia Construction Law Blog

The International Green Construction Code was developed by the International Code Council -more commonly known as the ICC – and first published in 2012. Its state purpose is to develop a model code for the measurement of sustainability in the construction industry. The goal in developing the code is to “make buildings more efficient, reduce waste, and have a positive impact on health, safety and community welfare”.

We previously reported the introduction of HB 34 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The bill, which is strongly supported by Republican Representative Kate Harper, has passed the House and now moves to the Senate for consideration.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is considering legislation that would require the design, construction, and renovation of certain state-owned or leased properties to comply with specified energy and environmental building standards. House Bill 34, the lead proponent of which is Representative Kate Harper of Montgomery County, is largely identical to a bill introduced last session.

The U.S. Green Building Council has elected to delay implementation of its LEED 2012 rating system due to the high volume of comments it received to the proposed new standards. Both the name and the date to vote on the proposed changes have been changed. The new standards will now be called LEED v4 and it will be voted on in 2013.