2007 Media Releases & Alerts

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kimberly Warren

NAHB Research Center, NAHB Seek Public Input on National Green Building Standard as Deadline Nears

April 4, 2007, Upper Marlboro, Md. - A Working Draft of the National Green Building Standard™, based on the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Model Green Home Building Guidelines, is now available for public input on the NAHB Research Center’s www.nahbrc.com/gbstandard website. The Research Center is seeking input from the public by April 15, to assist the consensus committee with identifying areas of the provisions that need further development. Results of the public input process will be presented at the first meeting of the standard consensus committee on April 19-20 in Washington, D.C.

Earlier this year, NAHB and the International Code Council (ICC) announced their agreement to develop and publish a residential green building standard to provide a common benchmark for recognizing and rewarding green residential design, development, and construction practices in a manner that is transparent, verifiable, and meaningful to builders, product manufacturers, and consumers.

The following updates were implemented to the guidelines:

  1. Scope and Administration Chapter (chapter one).
  2. 2. Definitions Chapter (chapter two). This chapter will be developed by the consensus committee. At this time, it contains several definitions related to chapter one.
  3. Language for implementing the "Point System" (chapter three).
  4. Chapters four through 10 are based on sections one through seven of the Model Green Home Building Guidelines.
  5. "Appendix A" on "Site Planning and Development" is based on "Appendix A" in the Model Green Home Building Guidelines.
  6. "Appendix B" will be a commentary (to be developed) based on the user guide of the Model Green Home Building Guidelines.
  7. Green Building Practices were rewritten in a format suitable for a standard. The intent of the rewrite was not to modify the technical substance of the Model Green Home Building Guidelines.
  8. Where deemed necessary for implementation of a particular practice, information from the user guide of the Model Green Home Building Guidelines was incorporated into the body of the working draft of the standard.
  9. Documentation provisions for each practice were refined to provide consistency throughout the document.
  10. Inconsistencies identified in the guidelines were addressed.

To provide input, download instructions and the required Public Input Submission form provided with the working draft at www.nahbrc.com/gbstandard. In accordance with ANSI requirements, a formal public comment process will occur later in the year. For more information on the standard development process or the NAHB Research Center’s other standards-related activities, visit the website, call (800) 638-8556, or email standards@nahbrc.com.

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4/07

The NAHB Research Center, located in Upper Marlboro, Md., promotes innovation in housing technology to improve the quality, durability, affordability, and environmental performance of homes and home building products. Created over 40 years ago as a subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the NAHB Research Center has established itself as the source for reliable, objective information and research on housing construction and development issues. Through its various testing and certification services, the Research Center seal is internationally-recognized as a mark of product quality and an assurance of product performance.

NOTE TO EDITORS ON STYLE USAGE: To identify this company and its work correctly, first reference should be "NAHB Research Center." If clarification of the acronym is necessary, the phrase, "a subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)," can follow. In subsequent mentions, "Research Center" is the only acceptable and accurate alternative reference.