California becomes the first state in the U.S. to tackle embodied carbon in its building codes

Published by The Architect’s Newspaper: The California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) and the Division of the State Architect (DSA) updated California’s building codes last week, putting into effect measures that set a new precedent in the United States. On August 2, California became the first state to “set a general code standards that require the reduction of embodied carbon emissions in the design and building process applicable to both commercial buildings and schools,” a press release from AIA California stated.

AIA California teamed up with the New Buildings Institute and other organizations, to inform the amendments.