Article Number : 3788 |
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| Date | 10/28/2008 9:42:37 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=3788 |
| Abstract | They are the self-anointed “voice of America’s housing industry.” The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association whose legacy dates to the 1940s. Then, as today, its mission is to enhance the climate for housing and the building industry... |
| Article | They are the self-anointed “voice of America’s housing industry.” The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association whose legacy dates to the 1940s. Then, as today, its mission is to enhance the climate for housing and the building industry. As the industry voice, the NAHB prides itself in being on top of trends, or ahead of the curve in the case of green. Indeed, long before green was a fashionable building buzzword, the NAHB had already established a Green Building Subcommittee. That was in 1998. A year later, it held the first National Green Building Conference for builders, remodelers and developers. As the market for sustainable, environmentally friendly and recycled building products has blossomed, the NAHB has stepped up its role. The NAHB published its Model Green Home Building Guidelines in 2005, a list that encompassed seven areas and included lot preparation and design, resource efficiency, energy and water efficiency, conservation, occupancy comfort and indoor environmental quality, along with operation, maintenance and homeowner education. At the 2008 International Builders Show, the NAHB launched its biggest initiative to date: the National Green Building Standard (NGBS), a joint effort of the NAHB and the International Code Council (ICC) that represents the first ANSI-certified green building standard in the U.S. The standard applies to all residential structures, from single-family dwellings to high-rise and multi- family structures, as well as residential portions of mixed occupancy buildings. The NGBS contains provisions that are mundane (albeit important) areas for builders. It encourages: erosion and sedimentation control and storm water management; building in close proximity to public and alternative transportation; landscape design; building smaller structures and building up instead of out (the smaller footprint on the land, less foundation and roof area per square foot, ceiling and floor systems share common elements, more efficient to heat and cool); the use of materials that are easily returned to the earth in their original form; construction and post construction waste recycling programs, and the use of low VOC-emitting materials. NGBS is not about re-inventing the wheel. In reality, green building is characterized by more efficient and higher performance versions of traditional building materials, assemblies, systems and strategies. NAHB president Brian Catalde, a builder from Southern California, said voluntary, market-driven programs are the best way to encourage the growth of green building. He noted that while the Green Building Standard isn’t a new way to build green, “it is a low-cost administrative and certification system that will help keep green affordable—and that’s the key to market acceptance.” NAHB’s Green Building Program adds to the growing list of green building certification regimens, a list that most prominently includes the LEED for Homes program that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched in late 2007. |