Jun 15 2007
The board of directors of the National Association of Home Builders has approved the creation of a national green building program to provide a template for voluntary, market-driven green building all over the country.
The vote came during the NAHB Spring Board of Directors meeting in Washington, D.C. on June 10.
The new program will be based on the National Green Building Standard, a model for residential construction and renovation written by builders, architects, environmentalists and product experts that will be released in early 2008.
This standard is the result of a cooperative effort between NAHB and the International Code Council and is based on NAHB's Model Green Home Building Guidelines, which are the foundation of more than 20 green building programs created by state and local home builder associations throughout the country.
"With a national program, home buyers can be assured that their home is truly green, whether they live in Seattle or Savannah, in a condo or a ranch house, and whether they're renovating or buying new," said NAHB President Brian Catalde, a home builder from El Segundo, Calif.
"It's also the next logical step for NAHB as a leader in the green building movement. Our members have built nearly 100,000 green homes in voluntary programs launched by home building associations all over the country. Each of these homes is unique and responds to local geography, climate and consumer preferences. With an affordable national program, we will provide home buyers with green homes even where there is no local program in place," Catalde said.
Like the Model Green Home Building Guidelines and the Standard, the National Green Building Program takes into account a home's lot development, use of resources, energy and water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, durability and ease of maintenance, as well as the builder's efforts to educate home owners.
The program will be housed at the NAHB Research Center, which is also serving as the secretariat for the residential green building standard development process. The standards process is certified by the American National Standards Institute, for which the Research Center is an accredited developer.
The National Green Building Program will include an interactive, web-based certification system as well as other tools and resources for builders and certifiers, and a national registry of green builders and green homes. Existing local programs that meet quality assurance benchmarks and performance criteria can become part of the national program -- without costly additional certification fees.
"When it comes to residential building and remodeling, NAHB members are leading the way to creating a new, green-built nation," Catalde said. "With the resources and expertise of the NAHB Research Center, our new national program will help accelerate that process."