Five building industry groups have signed an agreement to collaborate on the development of Standard 189.1, the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) and the LEED green building program. The organizations include the International Code Council (ICC), ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The cooperation aims to create a comprehensive framework for jurisdictions looking to implement and adopt green building regulations and codes and/or provide incentives for voluntary leadership programs such as LEED.

The agreement outlines the development, maintenancee, and implementation of new versions of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES/USGBC Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings and the IgCC, which will be combined into one regulatory tool. This agreement also endeavors to align the LEED program with the new code to ensure a streamlined, effective set of regulatory and above-code options for jurisdictions across the country.

“ASHRAE see this as a move forward in green building, reducing fragmentation of compliance documents for users who are pressing toward a more sustainable environment,” said ASHRAE President Tom Phoenix.

Brendan Owens, vice president of LEED and the U.S. Green Building Council, said the agreement will leverage the strengths of the five partner organziations.

 “We are collectively dedicated to advancing green building practices and to advancing the broader industry’s understanding about the importance of green building goals and how to achieve them,” he said.