Happy New Year! 2012 is going to be one to remember.
Its the end of 2011 – and we are all about the leave the desk and head out for the New Years weekend. What a year, eh? Lots of good happened in 2011 and without a full chronicle, I thought it would be nice to quickly rehash. In doing so though, I realized that 2012 might be even better.
What happened in 2011? For starters, green building took some big steps forward. The term LEEDigation went back to make believe (sorry to Chris Cheatham for that – he coined the phrase) after a full year of nearly no significant litigation over LEED Certification. LEED did manage to fall into the cross-hairs of litigation, having successfully fought a short-lived war with Henry Gifford over the consumer expectations of its rating system. The end of 2011, saw LEED collaborating to enhance green building technology.
2011 also brought us mayhem for Passivhaus US, who terminated its exclusive contract with its US provider after the provider had gone “rogue.” But it also brought us a new beginning for roadways, with the emergence of Washington’s Greenroads Foundation.
Washington construction law also had a big year. It is impossible to avoid my collection of posts on Williams v. Athletic Field, the case that kept Washington contractors and construction attorneys on their heels for about a year. When the Supreme Court upheld the validity of liens filed using a safe harbor provision in the lien law, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. There was also Jackowski v. Hawkins Poe, which took on the issue of the newly formed Independent Duty Doctrine and the Economic Loss Doctrine.
So, 2011 looked pretty good. But what about whats ahead? 2012 promises a new LEED Rating System and the excitement that comes with recertification. 2012 also promises our first glimpse at a real deal green building code, when the ICC releases the first official IgCC in March. Most importantly, 2012 offers hope for the entire construction industry who applauded the repeal of the 3% Rule, which would have haunted them as 2012 comes to a close.
I want to thank all of my readers, colleagues and clients for continuing to support the Builders Counsel. Have a Happy New Year! See you in 2012.
