New Codes Means New Checklists!

Author: Sonja O'Claire, Built Green Program Manager

Updated January 29, 2021.

Since February, the Built Green team has been meeting with our executive committee and numerous community stakeholders to update its signature checklists—the Single-Family/Townhome New Construction checklist (SF checklist) and the Multifamily New Construction checklist (MF checklist). The team is finally ready to share the last nine months of work that have culminated into a completely updated 2021 Single-Family/Townhome New Construction checklist! We are still deep in the process of updating the energy section of the Multifamily New Construction checklist and look forward to sharing those details in the coming months.

Why are we updating these checklists now?

Our main goal with our checklists is for Built Green homes to perform better than code and reward our designers and builders for this voluntary accomplishment. Checklist updates are primarily influenced by code changes, technological advancements in the building industry, new products that hit the market, and housing market trends. As checklist updates evolve throughout the years, 4-Star projects from older checklists are not the same as 4-Star projects under the new updated checklists. The changes represented in the 2018 Washington State Energy Code (WSEC) represent a significant change to the industry and to standard building practices. Many have been asking how the new energy code will affect Built Green and its checklist, and how Built Green is staying current. Read on to get all the answers.

What are the some of the changes you can expect to see in the 2021 checklist updates?

There are two checklist updates that are planned to go into effect on February 1, 2021. The first is a full checklist update of the Single-Family/Townhome New Construction checklist. Below are some of the notable changes you can expect to see in the 2021 SF Checklist:

New Equity and Social Justice credit section
Simplified performance and prescriptive pathways for energy performance and water conservation, with increased quality control and assurance
Increased value for deconstruction and salvaged materials
Combined comingled and source-separation recycling point allowances
Embodied carbon credits
Removal of outdated or code-required practices

What has not changed:

Point requirements per sections 2-5 and total points for each Star level
Housing size multipliers
Credit item alignment with local green building incentives and rebates

The second checklist update our team has undertaken is on the Multifamily New Construction checklist to address changes in the 2018 WSEC. Similar to the SF checklist update, our team aims to offer builders simplified performance and prescriptive pathways for energy performance, with increased quality control and assurance. These updates are still in progress and will be announced in the coming months.

Click on Photos to View Green Homes

Photo credit: Heiser Media

Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County Built Green 4-Star Sammamish Cottage Community

When do the new Built Green checklists take effect?

Both checklists will have enrollment deadlines in which any project enrolled after that date must use the updated checklist. The new checklists for both Single-Family and Multifamily New Construction will coincide with the 2018 WSEC going into effect on Feb 1. All projects permitted under the 2018 WSEC will be required to use the 2021 checklists. Projects currently permitted under the 2015 WSEC will be required to use the current 2017 or 2018 version of the new construction checklists. Our 2021 Single Family checklist is now available for download and piloting so designers and builders have time to look this over, get comfortable with these updates, and ask any lingering questions you may have. Enrollment Certification deadlines, along with important dates, are as follows:

2021 Single-Family/Townhome checklist effective date: Feb. 1, 2021
2021 Multifamily checklist effective date: Feb. 1, 2021
2018 WSEC goes into effect: Feb. 1, 2021

Again, all projects enrolled with Built Green after these dates will have to use the updated 2021 checklists! Again, the checklist version a project is required to use is determined by the WSEC it was permitted under, not enrollment date.

Certification deadlines have also been set to ensure that projects are certified under the relevant checklist. Certification deadlines are as follows:

Single-Family/Townhome checklist certification packet due date: Feb. 1, 20222023
Multifamily checklist certification packet due date: Feb. 1, 20232024

Certifications submitted after these dates will have to use the updated checklists, irrespective of their enrollment date. For further questions about this, contact Built Green Program Manager Sonja O’Claire. Built Green will be sending out plenty of reminders before these deadlines are in effect. Please keep a lookout for these important reminders!

How did we determine what to update?

The Built Green team put out the call to our members for feedback and consulted many Washington state green building industry experts, policy makers, and community stakeholders to help us research key sections and give expert opinions. Multiple rounds of feedback provided us the insight we needed to create an even more robust set of checklists for our members, that reflects their contribution to shifting the housing market.

To update the SF checklist, we collaborated with city and county representatives, experienced green builders, Built Green verifiers, energy modelers, and social equity experts. These representatives gave us their expert opinions on how to smoothly incorporate new credit items and what changes needed to be made to current credits. This team worked incredibly hard to help the Built Green team update this checklist in its entirety. We are also thankful for the builders and verifiers who will also be involved throughout the winter to pilot the new SF checklist before its official launch in February 2021.

Since the Multifamily checklist update primarily focuses on updating energy requirements and adding new equity and embodied carbon credits similar to the Single-Family checklist, the Built Green team has teamed up with Built Green third-party verifiers and energy modeling experts from various parts of Washington state to make sure our new energy modeling pathway coincides with the 2018 WSEC and that builders can model this section statewide.

Photo credit: Andrew van Leeuwen

Lopez Community Land Trust Built Green Salish Way Cottages

What if you need clarification on a new credit item?

That is what the Built Green handbooks are for; those are also being updated to match the new checklists. The Single-Family/Townhome handbook will come out in two phases. The unchanged credits and portions of the handbook—and the new Equity and Social Justice section, Energy section, and embodied carbon credits—will be published February 1. The remaining handbook sections and any clarifications revealed during piloting will be published in the final SF handbook by June 2021. The Multifamily Energy section handbook will be updated and available soon after the checklist goes into effect. Both handbooks will be available online, for free, as a PDF. Please discuss these updates with your Built Green verifier, as it’s important to understand these changes and deadlines.

We know changes to our checklists can be confusing and, at times, frustrating. Don’t worry! Built Green staff and your Built Green verifiers are available if you have questions, so don’t hesitate to reach out. We are also developing classes throughout 2021 to help you understand some of the newer concepts and how they can be implemented on your projects.

Thank you all for your continued support with the Built Green program! We’re excited to show you these updates.

There’s a lot of focus these days on how volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contribute to unsafe indoor air quality, from building materials to finishes. With the average American spending about 90% of their time indoors surrounded by these materials, there’s good reason for concern. However, another major contributor to poor indoor air quality often escapes attention—shoes.

While outside, shoes can pick up many harmful pollutants such as allergens, radon, pesticides, mold, heavy metals, and numerous other VOCs. These VOCs can then be tracked into homes, undermining the time, money, and energy put into constructing Built Green homes out of low-VOC materials.

The EPA states that exposure to such pollutants, even short-term, can be detrimental to health and have lasting implications after repeated exposure. Short-term health effects can include dizziness, eye/nose/throat irritation, headaches, and fatigue. Long-term health effects can range from lifelong heart and respiratory diseases to potentially fatal cancers. Asthma is the third-ranking cause for hospitalization among children younger than 15, and Washington state ranks 1.1% above the national median of 9.4% for adults who self-report suffering from asthma.

Built Green recognizes the importance of providing healthy indoor air for all those living in Built Green certified homes. That is why there are numerous checklist credits dedicated to decreasing the amount of pollutants being tracked into Built Green homes by shoes. Credit 4-69 of the multifamily checklist, a requirement for all 4-star certified and above projects, earns a project three points for permanently installed track-off mats, carpets, and/or shoe grates at the principle entryway of a building. On both the multifamily and single-family checklists, two points can be earned by providing a dedicated shoe removal and storage area at the entrance to each unit.

Contemporary home featuring a built-in shoe storage area, built by Model Remodel and designed by CAST Architecture. Photo by Cindy Apple Photography.

Durable and effective entryway strategies for multifamily projects include:

Exterior metal architectural grills
Interior architectural metal grills with carpet and/or rubber tread inserts
Metal roll-up mats (with a cleaning contract)
Replaceable carpet tiles (with a cleaning and replacement schedule)
Segregated vestibules with grills or walk-off carpeting (with a cleaning and replacement schedule)

For single-family homes, a designated shoe removal and storage area could be designed into the home’s entrance to provide an attractive and intuitive place for residents to reduce their exposure. There are a variety of ways to achieve this; examples include built-in seating and/or shelves, space-defining flooring materials, or a closet next to the entrance.

Addressing entrance track-off areas in Built Green projects during the design phase, rather than at the end, will go a long way in providing better indoor air quality, lower maintenance, and higher value for buyers. It could also be the difference between a multifamily 4-star and 3-star certification.

Pictured: Contemporary home featuring a built-in shoe storage area, built by Model Remodel and designed by CAST Architecture. Photo by Cindy Apple Photography. Learn more about this Built Green whole-house remodel in this case study.

indoor-air-quality-how-to-not-let-it-walk-all-over-you

Built Green™

07/03/2018

HyBrid Architecture: 4-Star Rowhouses

In this rapidly growing neighborhood, design-build firm HyBrid Architecture & Assembly constructed rowhouses that help densify the area more than a standard rowhouse project. Rather than build a cookie-cutter set of rowhouses, HyBrid integrated an ADU space into the bottom level of each unit, adding a layer of “invisible density.”

ADUs are separate from the rest of the unit, allowing the owner to sublet or rent out the space. This approach tends to have lower costs and a quicker permitting process compared to larger, multifamily building types. Typically designed as a studio space with a kitchenette, ADUs also offer a method for affordable housing options, moderately increasing density, and the potential for aging in place.

Vital Stats	Section	Points
Location: Squire Park, Seattle Star Level: 4-Star Checklist: Single Family/Townhome New Construction Verifier: Evergreen Certified	Site and Water	135
	Energy Efficiency	88
	Health and Indoor Air Quality	86
	Material Efficiency	71
	Total Score	430

With a high-efficiency gas tankless water heater powering the in-floor hydronic radiant heat, HyBrid was able to free up space along the walls to integrate built-in cabinetry and shelving to allow for extra storage. Additional energy savings come from LED lighting with dimmers throughout the units, R-23 walls, R-50 ceiling, and Energy Star exhaust fans. The combination of drought-tolerant plantings and all-pervious hardscaping allows for some water to recharge on-site and minimizes the need to water plants.

The project features materials that are local, long-lasting, harvested from rapidly renewable resources, and boasts certifications for indoor air quality. The building is clad in corrugated metal, which typically lasts longer, requires less maintenance, and is made in Washington state. Each unit has GreenGuard-certified flooring and paint, as well as CARB II cabinets to help maintain good indoor air quality. As a rapidly renewable resource, the bamboo flooring reduces the overall impact on natural resource availability. The building also used regionally-made cabinets, windows, framing lumber, and pavers.

Built Green Highlights

Site and Water

River rock retaining wall
100 percent pervious hardscaping
Drought-tolerant plantings

Energy Efficiency

Full in-floor hydronic radiant heat (with built-in recirculation)
All LED lighting with dimmers
Full slab insulation

Health and Indoor Air Quality

Low-VOC paints, adhesives, and finishes
CARB II cabinets
Energy Star-rated exhaust fans

Materials Efficiency

Metal siding
Local materials (Abodian cabinets, windows, framing lumber, metal siding)
Bamboo flooring

HyBrid Architecture Rowhouse Construction

hybrid-architecture-4-star-rowhouses