CALGreen-LEED resources

Wes, we've been watchig your work and you're already in the Resources tab above. Nicely done!

Hello Eric,

Before I present my comments, I want to present some personal background. I have been in construction 30+ years of private and public service and retired as a building official in 2008. Shortly after my retirement I was hired by VCA Code Group as Vice President in charge of code services. I’m not a LEED AP, but I’m preparing to take the LEED exam and gain my LEED associate certificate. I have several LEED AP’s on my staff that provides LEED services to our clients. I am a code person and have been providing CALGreen training in collaboration with State of California for the past 18 months. I have provided training to architects, engineers, building officials, building inspectors and other building industry professionals. So that a little about my background.

Your article is very informative and provides a good base of information. Building officials are mandated to enforce building codes. CALGreen is Part 11 of Title 24 and therefore is enforced by local building departments. Building officials also enforce local adopted ordinances which can amend State codes or can be in lieu of State codes providing they are more restrictive. Every building official is challenge with the enforcement of the building codes because the codes are sometimes ambiguous and the building official must insure the intent of the code is complied with. CALGreen presents many new objectives that have been outside the normal scope of daily building department operation and building officials are trying understanding the intent of the code and how to enforce those sections that are in question.

The construction industry is showing a small up swing and building officials are in the position of enforcing codes and understanding the needs of their respective communities without impeding the construction process. Most building officials have not had the opportunity to enforce CALGreen, so when you present yourself as the green consultant for a proposed project, have a game plan how to comply with the various elements of CALGreen. In most cases you will fine the building official open to a process that conforms to the intent of the code and minimizes the impact on his/her department. Several times a week I meet with either clients or building officials for the purpose of understand their positions and developing a process that combines the two thoughts.

I’m here to help, please email me if you have question about any CALGreen topic.

Russ
crussell@vcacodegroup.com

Thanks, Russ. Your expertise will be invaluable to this forum, and I hope you will "stay tuned" and offer your insights whenever you can. Your experience with local building officials matches my own... in the absence of a standardized approach to compliance enforcement, they are relying on outside expertise for guidance. My hope is that this forum can become a source of guidance for both industry professionals and code officials.