New York Revises Building Code

New York, NY —

The city has updated its ancient building code for the first time in nearly 40 years. The new one is easier on the environment, by requiring water conservation and minimizing energy use.

REPORTER: New buildings will need to install white roofs which reflect, rather than absorb heat. And for those who want to install a green roof, it just got a lot cheaper, thanks to a new tax abatement. Rohit Aggarwala heads the sustainability efforts of the Bloomberg administration.

AGGARWALA: Currently, there's nothing in the code that allows you to do it, so every one is kind of an ad-hoc proposal, so that increases costs. So just as the commissioner was saying, by being proactive about what we'd like to see more of in the future, we can actually bring those costs down.

REPORTER: The new code also requires sprinklers in more houses and calls for high-pressure water pipes to be installed in high rises.