Reducing the waste of resources and materials has been a goal of the green building initiatives enacted by the State and by the City. The objective of these measures is to reduce the waste generated during construction as well as building maintenance and operation.
The most recent of these initiatives addresses reducing moisture damage to construction materials, reducing construction wastes, expanding the use of recycled materials, and ensuring that buildings perform as designed through building commissioning.
Moisture damage is reduced by utilizing weather resistant materials, by mandating that irrigation sprinklers do not spray on structures, and that building entries and openings be designed to prevent the intrusion of wind driven rain and water into the building. Construction waste is reduced by requiring a construction waste management plan for jurisdictions that do not already have a plan in place. Nonhazardous demolition and construction materials must be diverted for recycling for a mandatory reduction of construction waste by 50%. One hundred percent of excavated soil and land clearance debris must be reused or recycled. Documentation must be provided for verification by the inspector. These measures are designed to reduce the amount of waste that must be diverted from landfills and to recycle materials that can be reused for other purposes.
Building commissioning is the process of verifying that buildings meet their original design specifications with respect to energy efficiency and the performance of HVAC, lighting, water heating, and other related systems. To verify the performance of these systems, the builder is required to provide a commissioning plan, a report, and inspection verification. Commissioning is required for commercial and high rise residential buildings over 10,000 square feet.
Resources and Materials is referred to as Material Conservation and Resource Efficiency in the new 2010 CALGreen Code.
To learn more about CALGreen, please visit the following link:
http://www.bsc.ca.gov/Home/CALGreen.aspx
To learn about the City of Los Angeles Green Building Code, please visit the following link:
Los Angeles Green Building Code Ordinance
City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety Green Buildings
To learn about the City of Los Angeles recycling programs, please see the following link: