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Chapter 11 Designing for Sustainability
National Green Building
Certifi cation Program
The National Green Building Certifi cation
is offered by the Research Center at the National
Association of Homebuilders (NAHB). To be
certifi ed, a building must meet the ICC 700
National Green Building Standard™. This stan-
dard, which was approved by the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI), addresses
both design and construction issues and prac-
tices for residential buildings. Like LEED, the
National Green Building Certifi cation is based
on several different categories:
• Lot and site development
• Resource effi ciency
• Energy effi ciency
• Water effi ciency
• Indoor environmental quality
• Homeowner education
Notice that both LEED and the National
Green Building Certifi cation include home-
owner education in their certifi cation catego-
ries. This is because no matter how sustainably
a building is designed, the homeowner will be
responsible for sustainable use for the majority
of the home’s life cycle.