Green Building | Building in California

California Academy of Sciences - San Francisco — California Academy of Sciences – San Francisco

What Is Green Building ?

Green Building is a holistic approach to design, construction, and demolition which minimizes a building’s impact on the environment, occupants, and the community. The 2013 Green Building Standards Code (also called CALGreen®) regulates construction of residential and non-residential buildings, including

planning and design
environmental quality
water efficiency and conservation
material conservation and resource efficiency.

Energy efficiency is regulated by the California Energy Code.

The GBSC has “tiered” voluntary regulations, which designers may use and local jurisdictions may adopt for greater green efficiencies, and mandatory regulations, which apply to

all new non-residential buildings
all new low-rise and high-rise residential buildings
additions and alterations to existing residential buildings that increase the building’s conditioned area, volume, or size
additions and alterations to existing non-residential buildings that exceed 1,000 sq. ft. or $200,000 permit valuation, except tenant-space remodeling which does not alter the building shell or systems.

What Are The Mandatory And Voluntary Regulations ?

CALGreen regulations include the following

GREEN BUILDING	MANDATORY	VOLUNTARY
Indoor water use reduction	20%	30%, 35%, 40%
Water meters	Non-residential separate indoor & outdoor
Construction waste diversion	50%	Residential Tier 1 – 65% Tier 2 – 75%
Inspection of energy systems	Non-residential exceeding 10,000 sq ft
Low pollutant emitting materials	paint, carpet, vinyl flooring, particle board
Energy efficiency		exceed 2008 standards Tier – 15% Tier 2 – 30%

What Qualifications Do Installers Need ?

Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning installers must be certified by a nationally or regional program approved by the local jurisdiction to do work in residential buildings.

Which Jurisdictions Have Adopted Voluntary Regulations ?

Dozens of jurisdictions statewide have adopted supplemental green building ordinances. The California Public Resources Code requires that energy efficiency ordinances be approved by the California Energy Commission and be more stringent than the Building Standards Codes.

Several independent rating systems have been adopted which certify the efficacy of energy designs, including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) and Green Points Rated developed by a coalition of Alameda County waste agencies. Jurisdictions have also adopted performance standards (percentage increase over CALGreen®) as alternate means of compliance or as separate requirements from green building practices. Jurisdictions have different methods for enforcing green building requirements, including conditioning the issuance or final approval of building permits, posting bonds, and assessing penalties.

Check the Links below and your local jurisdiction’s website for additional information,