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California has approved the most stringent, environmentally-friendly building code in the United States that will apply to new commercial buildings, hospitals, schools, shopping malls and homes. The new code, called "CAL Green"  which won a unanimous vote by the California Building Standards Commission, will take effect in January 2011.

CAL Green codes require builders to install plumbing that cuts indoor water use, divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills to recycling, use low-pollutant materials, and install separate water meters for different uses in nonresidential buildings.

CAL Green code also requires energy system inspections by local officials to ensure that heaters, air conditioners and other mechanical equipment in nonresidential buildings are working efficiently.

Property owners can also label their facilities as CAL Green compliant, once they pass state building inspection, without the additional cost of third-party certification programs. The mandatory CAL Green provisions will be inspected and verified by local and state building departments.

However, the regulations were opposed by several private organizations that offer construction rating systems, including the U.S. Green Building Council, which said it could result in confusion for builders, local governments and the public, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

More than 40 California cities have some form of green building ordinances.

"The code will help us meet our goals of curbing global warming and achieving 33 percent renewable energy by 2020 and promotes the development of more sustainable communities by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency in every new home, office building or public structure," stated Governor Schwarzenegger in a press release.

CAL Green from California Building Standards Commission: 

• California Building Standards Green Code
• SB1473 Building Standards Administration Special Revolving Fund
• Education & Outreach
• Green Building Standards Bulletin - BSB 08-02

It's interesting how we take for granted the functionality of a building.  It keeps us warm and dry, right?  Well, when you look closer, you discover that buildings are much more functional than weather shields.  Here is a list of "general satisfaction" factors for an office building survey that are worth considering when you evaluate a building's "value".
 

• General satisfaction as a workspace
• Office layout
• Office furnishings
• Thermal comfort
• Air quality
• Lighting
• Views
• Acoustic quality
• Cleanliness and maintenance
• Attention and concentration
• Awareness and communication
• Interactive behaviors
• Functionality
• Acoustic functionality
• Community
• Morale and well being

Buildings are functional spaces in which we function.  We work, play, enjoy, relate, learn, listen, build memories, and manage our moods.  With so much riding on a building's functionality not just as a temperate zone of comfort, it stands to reason that we need to look at the toxicity of materials, the amount of seating that encourages conversation, sunshine and views of nature and good ventilation that re-energizes our muscles and lungs.

That's a "system" that embodies green building, sustainable landscape, and social justice all rolled up into one community development strategy.

Where's the beef? Well...meeting value, that is.

Architect Scott Simpson described a concept KlingStubbins called a team structure and the industry now calls Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). The concept is key for a collaborative project approach, but its importance is more universal. The phrase that stuck with me was "decision-ready information".

Decision-ready information consists of the key facts required for a meaningful, final decision about a subject to be decided.

In an IPD project, major decision-makers are expected to attend every meeting, so that decisions made in the meeting have meaningful buy-in and closure. These meetings can be intense, not to mention very expensive.

It's the responsibility, therefore, of each team member to bring decision-ready information for the decisions on the agenda.

"Clearly stated, decision-ready information helps your teammates look good to their teammates. Design professionals love representatives who help them look good. (This is also the old-fashioned way information "goes viral": good information gets carried along.)" says Aaron Chusid of Building Product Marketing.

Wouldn't this information design approach make meetings more valuable...and engaging!

Read more at BuildingProductMarketing.com