ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 228 applies to existing and new buildings, as well as groups of buildings or portions of buildings. 

Developers and union officials argue the rules could discourage development in the city. 

In aspiring to create the first structure in California to meet the Living Building Challenge—and become one of only a handful of such projects around the globe—the team behind the Sacramento offices for Architectural Nexus confronted a steep learning curve.