It seems that newly inaugurated US president Barack Obama has an interest in promoting green building, and his administration is looking to the UK and Europe for advice on how to regulate green building in the US. A steering group on climate change, energy and sustainability that will form US environmental strategies is considering implementing UK initiatives such as the Climate Change Act and the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Initial discussions, held in Washington DC last week, were attended by the president himself, who gave a brief speech, as well as by academics, civil servants and policy advisers.

Douglas Crawford-Brown, a senior sustainability adviser for UK engineer Pell Frischmann, and a former adviser to the US federal Environmental Protection Agency, attended the meeting. He said: “The Code for Sustainable Homes was discussed, as well as the climate change legislation in the UK and EU. This administration recognises that the US is behind the curve on sustainability and the UK and Europe are ahead. When I say the US is considering CSH and similar schemes, I don't mean literally the formal requirements under CSH, or the time table.

"I mean the concept of a national programme that would stimulate building standards joined up to the energy and climate targets. Buildings in the US are constructed quite differently (lots of timber framing), which is better than UK styles of construction for most of the climates in the US. While CSH has its problems, the UK can be proud of having created a system in which there are national energy, environment and climate targets and a recognition that meeting these will require changes to the built environment".

The Climate Change Act is thought to be the world’s first legislation to set enforceable targets for greenhouse gas cuts.

Obama’s inauguration speech included a renewed commitment to green infrastructure spending and combatting climate change. He said: “We will build roads, bridges, electric grids and digital lines. We will harness the sun, wind and soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.”

Crawford-Brown said there was rising recognition that federal legislation was needed to lower carbon emissions. At the moment it is regulated at state level.

He said: “What the US government wants to do is stimulate movement towards green building. One strategy for the recession is investment in green infrastructure.”

According to bank Dresdner Kleinwort, that investment could be as much as $550bn (£393bn).