ACA #Green Building Update – #LEED

In the growing maelstrom of green building standards and sustainability metrics, ACA has been a steady voice for workable indoor air quality standards for paints and coatings. ACA has a dedicated Green Building Workgroup to address emerging green building standards and codes that contain indoor air quality and chemical requirements for building materials, including architectural coatings, adhesives, and sealants. The workgroup engages in the development of green building standards and provides direction for ACA advocacy efforts on behalf of the industry.

The following provides an update of ACA and its workgroup’s recent activities on the green building front.

GSA Reliance on LEED

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is required to identify a green building certification program for use in the operation, design, construction, and major renovation of federal buildings. GSA previously adopted the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program to help the federal government achieve its energy efficiency and sustainability objectives for public buildings, but is undertaking a review of different green building certification programs.

On July 10, ACA staff provided testimony during an online hearing on GSA’s review of green building certification programs for federal buildings. In its testimony, ACA urged GSA to take a flexible approach and recognize multiple rating systems that align with the federal government’s green building and energy efficiency goals, instead of granting a monopoly to LEED for federal building. ACA also pressed GSA to ensure that it adopts consensus-based standards.  ACA is deeply concerned that government agencies, such as GSA, will continue to adopt and incorporate non consensus-based green building standards — which may have a negative impact on U.S. manufacturers — into mandatory laws, regulations, and purchasing requirements.

ASHRAE 189.1 Proposal

ACA is involved in an ongoing workgroup under the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers’ ASHRAE 189.1 Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings. ACA’s efforts are focused on the ASHRAE 189.1 project committee to amend section 8.4.2.2 for interior paint and coatings to substitute the categories and volatile organic compound (VOC) limits from the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) 2007 Suggested Control Measure (SCM) for architectural and industrial maintenance (AIM) coatings in place of the current framework.

ACA’s proposal to amend the current paint and coatings standard in ASHRAE 189.1 has been accepted for further study, which gives the workgroup additional time to agree on an approach. 

As it’s now written: (1) paint, coatings, and primers applied on interior surfaces must comply with Green Seal’s GS-11 Standard, and (2) clear wood finishes, floor coatings, stains, sealers, and shellacs must meet the VOC content limits from California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (SCAQMD) Rule 1113 AIM Rule. 

Florida Green Building Coalition

ACA has requested that the Florida Green Building Coalition amend its commercial and residential standards for paint and coatings.  The current standards include points for complying with Green Seal 11 and the SCAQMD Rule 1113 limits for different categories.  The Coalition tentatively agreed to substitute the CARB 2007 architectural coatings regulations for the existing piecemeal VOC limits in all of their standards, including residential and commercial.