GREEN BUILDING NEWS

DOE introduces decarbonization plan for buildings

DOE

The US Department of Energy (DOE) rolled out the first sector-wide strategy to slash carbon emissions from buildings. The Decarbonizing the US Economy by 2050: A National Blueprint for the Buildings Sector call-to-action aims to reduce building CO2 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2050, compared to 2005 levels. 

CODES and STANDARDS NEWS

The last two articles in this section note how attempts to ban gas and require all-electric buildings have failed. ~Tina

LEED v5 is out!

USGBC

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced the opening of the first public comment period for its draft rating system, LEED v5. This step marks a milestone for LEED and the building industry at large, providing a comprehensive framework for creating sustainable, efficient, and resilient built environments that promote environmental responsibility, economic viability, and social equity. Public comments from technical experts and industry stakeholders around the world help ensure that LEED v5 will foster sustainable building practices that catalyze positive impact on a global scale. You can read the rating system and submit comments here. Note that public comments are due by May 20, 2024.

With so much to absorb, USGBC has created a companion guide and other resources available on the LEED v5 webpage to support the public comment period.

The 2024 IECC is final

GREEN BUILDING LAW UPDATE

Following its own public hearing, the ICC Board determined that the scope and intent governing the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) prohibited the inclusion of measures that did not directly affect building energy conservation within the base of the draft 2024 IECC, as the intent of both the commercial and residential 2024 IECC codes is limited to “providing minimum efficiency requirements for buildings that result in the maximum level of energy efficiency that is safe, technologically feasible, and life cycle cost effective considering economic feasibility, including potential costs and saving for consumers and building owners, and return on investment.” The Board further determined that alternative measures, including measures without direct impacts on building energy conservation, but that may reduce greenhouse gas emissions, could be included as an appendix given the intent of both the residential and commercial IECC codes provides that “[t]he code may include nonmandatory appendices incorporating additional energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction resources.”  Read more.

Settlement portends broad failure in attempts to ban natural gas

GREEN BUILDING LAW UPDATE

The City of Berkeley is going to repeal its regulation that prohibits the installation of natural gas piping within newly constructed buildings. The California Restaurant Association announced that the group and the City of Berkeley entered into a settlement agreement immediately halting enforcement of the City’s ‘first in the nation’ ban on natural gas piping as the City Council takes steps to repeal the 2019 ordinance after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit refused to reconsider its 2023 ruling that the ban is “without effect” as preempted by Federal law under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. That forced retreat was buttressed, in the same week by the March 18, 2024 vote by the International Code Council Board of Directors on the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code to move mandatory all electric building provisions in the proposed code to a non-mandatory appendix. Read more here.



GREEN PRODUCT NEWS

Sometimes I include articles that do a good job of explaining a sustainability-related topic, even though the focus may be on a material other than masonry. Such is the case with this article from Construction Specifier, focused on PVC roofing, but also explaining the limitations of the cradle to grave approach in life cycle assessment. ~Tina

Examining the environmental impacts of lightweight aggregate

ESCSI

As with many construction materials, the manufacturing of lightweight aggregate has been evaluated for its environmental impact. The Expanded Shale Clay and Slate Institute (ESCSI) has gathered data for many years to speed this evaluation. The quality of data has shown improvement over recent years due to greater awareness of the need for data, process improvements, and improved production efficiencies. You can read more about their recent production survey and download a report here. 

EDUCATIONAL NEWS

The Masonry Society Spring Meetings

THE MASONRY SOCIETY

The Masonry Society's 2024 Spring Meetings are being held virtually from April 10 -25, 2024, using a schedule that allows for just a few meetings being held each day. A draft schedule is posted here, and registration is now open. In addition to meetings, we will have a Virtual Happy Hour to catch up with friends and to make new ones. We hope you will be able to join us!

Check out the TMS Masonry Education Hub

THE MASONRY SOCIETY

The Masonry Society’s (TMS) Masonry Education Hub is a Learning Management System that allows designers, professors, students, and other users to obtain on-demand masonry education. The Masonry Education Hub provides a central location for excellent and accessible training sessions on a variety of masonry topics from sustainability to strength design and more.