Business View - January 2015 25
National Green Building Standard
Approved for Military Housing in NDAA
The National Association of Home Builders applauded
Congress for authorizing the ICC 700 National Green
Building Standard for all military residential construc-
tion, which represents 16 percent of the federal real
estate portfolio. Passed by the Senate and the House,
the National Defense Authorization Act will provide af-
fordable choices in meeting military energy and water
reduction goals.
“We commend the commitment of Congress to offer
options in residential construction to maximize re-
sources and cost effectiveness in military housing,”
Kelly said. “The NGBS is a cost-effective green building
rating system, and the only residential standard ap-
proved by the American National Standards Institute.
Its inclusion in the NDAA reinforces the NGBS as a
market leader.”
Previously, the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED pro-
gram was the only green rating system specifically ap-
proved for use for new military construction projects.
With the passage of this bill, Congress intends to have
the Department of Defense consider all facets of cer-
tification going forward, including cost, when deciding
among rating systems. Project managers can select
the NGBS, LEED or the Green Globes program when
choosing a green certification for new residential or re-
modeling projects.
