Section 12-K505. MATERIAL SELECTION

 

Strike Section 505 of the International Green Construction Code in its entirety and insert new Section 505 in the Green Construction Code in its place to read as follows:

 

505.1 Material selection and properties.  Building materials shall conform to Section 505.2.  Furniture and furnishings may be included, but are not required. Section 505 shall not apply to projects of less than 50,000 square feet (15 240 m2).

 

Exceptions:

 

1. Electrical, mechanical, plumbing, security and fire detection, and alarm equipment and controls, automatic fire sprinkler systems, elevators and conveying systems shall not be required to comply with Section 505.2.

 

2. Where a whole building life cycle assessment is performed in accordance with Section 505.1.1, compliance with Section 505.2 shall not be required.

 

505.1.1 Whole building life cycle assessment; alternative compliance.  Where a whole building life cycle assessment is performed, compliance with the material selection requirements of Section 505 is not required.  The requirements for the execution of a whole building life cycle assessment shall be performed in accordance with the following:

 

1. The assessment shall demonstrate that the building project achieves not less than a 20 percent improvement in environmental performance for global warming potential and at least two of the following impact measures, as compared to a reference design of similar usable floor area, function and configuration that meets the minimum energy requirements of this code and the structural requirements of the Building Code.  For relocatable buildings, the reference design shall be comprised of the number of reference buildings equal to the estimated number of uses of the relocatable building.

 

1.1. Primary energy use.

 

1.2. Acidification potential.

 

1.3. Eutrophication potential.

 

1.4. Ozone depletion potential.

 

1.5. Smog potential.

 

2. The reference and project buildings shall utilize the same life cycle assessment tool.

 

3. The life cycle assessment tool shall be approved by the code official.

 

4. Building operational energy shall be included.  For relocatable buildings, an average building operational energy shall be estimated to reflect potential changes in location, siting, and configuration by adding or subtracting modules, or function.

 

5. Building process loads shall be permitted to be included.

 

6. Maintenance and replacement schedules and actions for components shall be included in the assessment.  For relocatable buildings, average transportation energy, material and waste generation associated with reuse of relocatable buildings shall be included in the assessment.

 

7. The full life cycle shall be assessed from resource extraction to demolition and disposal, including, but not limited to, onsite construction, maintenance and replacement; relocation and reconfiguration; material and product embodied acquisition; and process and transportation energy.

 

Exception:  Electrical and mechanical equipment and controls, plumbing products, fire detection and alarm systems, elevators and conveying systems shall not be included in the assessment.

 

8. The complete building envelope, structural elements, inclusive of footings and foundations, and interior walls, floors and ceilings, including interior and exterior finishes, shall be assessed to the extent that data are available for the materials being analyzed in the selected life cycle assessment tool.

 

9. The life cycle assessment shall conform to the requirements of ISO 14044.

 

505.2 Material selection.  Not less than 40 percent of the total building materials used in the project, based on cost, shall comply with Sections 505.2.1, 505.2.2, 505.2.3, 505.2.4, or 505.2.5.  Where a material complies with more than one section, the material value shall be multiplied by the number of sections that it complies with.  The value of total building material cost shall remain constant regardless of whether materials are tabulated in more than one section.

 

505.2.1 Used materials and components.  Used materials and components shall comply with the provisions for such materials in accordance with the applicable requirements of this code.  The value of used materials shall be either the actual cost paid or the replacement value.

 

505.2.2 Recycled content building materials.  Recycled content building materials shall comply with the following:

 

1. The recycled content value of a material assembly shall be determined by weight.  The recycled fraction of the assembly is then multiplied by the cost of assembly to determine the recycled content value.

 

2. Recycled content shall mean material that has been reprocessed from recovered [reclaimed] material by means of a manufacturing process and made into a final product or into a component for incorporation into a final product.

 

505.2.3 Recyclable building materials and building components.  Building materials and building components that can be recycled into the same material or another material with a minimum recovery rate of not less than 30 percent through recycling and reprocessing or reuse, or building materials shall be recyclable through an established, nationally available closed loop manufacturer’s take-back program.

 

505.2.4 Bio-based materials.  Bio-based materials shall be those materials that comply with one or more of the following:

 

1. The bio-based content is not less than 75 percent as determined by testing in accordance with ASTM D6866.

 

2. Wood and wood products used to comply with this section, other than salvaged or reused wood products, shall be labeled in accordance with the SFI Standard, FSC STD-40-004 V2-1 EN, PEFC Council Technical Document or equivalent fiber procurement system.  As an alternative to an on-product label, a Certificate of Compliance indicating compliance with the fiber procurement system shall be permitted. Manufacturer’s fiber procurement systems shall be audited by an accredited third-party.

 

3. The requirements of USDA 7CFR, Part 2902.

 

505.2.5 Indigenous (regional) materials.  Indigenous materials or components shall be composed of resources that are recovered, harvested, extracted or manufactured within a 500 mile (800 km) radius of the building site.  Where only a portion of a material or product is recovered, harvested, extracted or manufactured within 500 miles (800 km), only that portion shall be included.  Where resources are transported by water or rail, the distance to the building site shall be determined by multiplying the distance that the resources are transported by water or rail by 0.25, and adding that number to the distance transported by means other than water or rail.

 

505.3 Verification.  Within 180 days after the final inspection, the owner, contractor, or an approved agency shall provide the code official with documentation verifying compliance with the material selection or whole building life cycle assessment requirements of Section 505. 

 

 

authority

Section 10 of the Construction Codes Approval and Amendments Act of 1986 (Act), effective March 21, 1987 (D.C. Law 6-216; D.C. Official Code § 6-1409 (2012 Repl.)) and Mayor’s Order 2009-22, dated February 25, 2009, as amended.

source

Final Rulemaking published at 61 DCR 3356 (March 28, 2014 – Part 2); as corrected by Errata Notice published at 61 DCR 5246 (May 23, 2014).

EditorNote

The District of Columbia Green Construction Code (2013) , referred to as the “Green Construction Code,” consists of the 2012 edition of the International Green Construction Code published by the International Code Council (ICC), as amended by the District of Columbia Green Construction Code Supplement (2013)(12 DCMR K). The International Green Construction Code is copyrighted by the International Code Council and therefore is not republished here. However, a copy of the text may be obtained at:http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/igcc/2012/index.htm?bu=IC-P-2012-000023&bu2=IC-P-2012-000019.