Mushroom coffee (Michigan State University), a blend of coffee and medicinal mushroom extracts like lion’s mane and chaga, has gained traction on college campuses due to its perceived health benefits and social media buzz. Students, often seeking alternatives to high-caffeine drinks, are drawn to its lower caffeine content—about 40-60 mg per cup compared to 95 mg in regular coffee—reducing jitters while maintaining focus.
Claims of enhanced cognition, immunity, and stress relief resonate with health-conscious Gen Z, fueled by ancient medicinal traditions and trendy marketing. Campus coffee shops and online retailers make it accessible, though its higher cost (often $20-$40 for 30 servings) is a drawback for budget-conscious students.
Despite limited scientific backing for health claims, the earthy taste and functional appeal align with the wellness culture, making mushroom coffee a niche but growing staple among students balancing academics and self-care
Note the following proposed changes in the transcript above: E59-24, F62-24, Section 323
Modular classrooms, often used as temporary or semi-permanent solutions for additional educational space, have specific requirements in various aspects to ensure they are safe, functional, and comfortable for occupants. Today we will examine best practice literature for structural, architectural, fire safety, electrical, HVAC, and lighting requirements. Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
Structural Requirements
Foundation and Stability: Modular classrooms require a stable and level foundation. This can be achieved using piers, slabs, or crawl spaces. The foundation must support the building’s weight and withstand environmental forces like wind and seismic activity.
Frame and Load-Bearing Capacity: The frame, usually made of steel or wood, must support the load of the classroom, including the roof, walls, and occupants. Structural integrity must comply with local building codes.
Durability: Materials used should be durable and capable of withstanding frequent relocations if necessary.
Architectural Requirements
Design and Layout: Modular classrooms should be designed to maximize space efficiency while meeting educational needs. This includes appropriate classroom sizes, storage areas, and accessibility features.
Accessibility: Must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or other relevant regulations, ensuring accessibility for all students and staff, including ramps, wide doorways, and accessible restrooms.
Insulation and Soundproofing: Adequate insulation for thermal comfort and soundproofing to minimize noise disruption is essential.
Fire Safety Requirements
Fire-Resistant Materials: Use fire-resistant materials for construction, including fire-rated walls, ceilings, and floors.
Sprinkler Systems: Installation of automatic sprinkler systems as per local fire codes.
Smoke Detectors and Alarms: Smoke detectors and fire alarms must be installed and regularly maintained.
Emergency Exits: Clearly marked emergency exits, including doorways and windows, with unobstructed access paths.
Electrical Requirements
Electrical Load Capacity: Sufficient electrical capacity to support lighting, HVAC systems, and educational equipment like computers and projectors.
Wiring Standards: Compliance with National Electrical Code (NEC) or local electrical codes, including proper grounding and circuit protection.
Outlets and Switches: Adequate number of electrical outlets and switches, placed conveniently for classroom use.
HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) Requirements
Heating and Cooling Systems: Properly sized HVAC systems to ensure comfortable temperatures year-round.
Ventilation: Adequate ventilation to provide fresh air and control humidity levels, including exhaust fans in restrooms and possibly kitchens.
Air Quality: Use of air filters and regular maintenance to ensure good indoor air quality.
Lighting Requirements
Natural Light: Maximization of natural light through windows and skylights to create a pleasant learning environment.
Artificial Lighting: Sufficient artificial lighting with a focus on energy efficiency, typically using LED fixtures. Lighting should be evenly distributed and glare-free.
Emergency Lighting: Battery-operated emergency lighting for use during power outages.
By adhering to these requirements, modular classrooms can provide safe, functional, and comfortable educational spaces that meet the needs of students and staff while complying with local regulations and standards.
The Code Council partnered with @ConstructReach, a construction industry workforce development initiative and consultancy, to host “I built this!”, a work-based learning event at the #ICCAC24 expo. pic.twitter.com/o7KTAaV1xh
In educational settings, where large numbers of students, staff, and visitors gather, these rules protect vulnerable populations, especially children, who may lack the awareness or ability to respond quickly in emergencies. Proper classification ensures adequate exits, fire-resistant materials, and ventilation suited for classrooms or assembly areas like auditoriums.
These classifications also inform zoning, insurance, and funding by aligning facilities with educational purposes.
Libraries are multi-functional spaces and at the physical, and the heart, of any school, college or university. We take special interest in this discussion. Leaving the evolution toward “media centers” aside, the relevant passage in the current International Building Code that applies to library occupancy classification and use is linked below:
The original University of Michigan advocacy enterprise may have raised the level of debate on structural engineering three cycles ago. Without any specific interest from attendees we will review our proposals in previous revision cycles:
Education facilities as storm shelters
Enhanced classroom acoustics
Carbon monoxide detection in Group E occupancies
Locking arrangements in educational occupancies
Interior lighting power allowances for classrooms
Occupancy sensors for classrooms
Automatic control of receptacle power in classrooms and laboratories
Expansion of voltage drop requirements into customer-owned service conductors
This is about as much as we can sort through this week. We will host another focus teleconference next week. See our CALENDAR for the date.
Finally, we persist in encouraging education industry facility managers (especially those with operations and maintenance data) to participate in the ICC code development process. You may do so by CLICKING HERE.
Real asset managers for school districts, colleges, universities and technical schools in the Albuquerque region should take advantage of the opportunity to observe the ICC code-development process. The Group B Hearings are usually webcast — and we will signal the link to the 10-day webcast when it becomes available — but the experience of seeing how building codes are determined is enlightening when you can watch it live and on site.
Issue: [16-169]
Category: Architectural, Facility Asset Management, Space Planning
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jack Janveja, Richard Robben
Every month we direct our colleagues in the education industry to the US Census Department’s monthly construction report to make a point: at an average annual clip of about $75 billion, the education industry is the largest non-residential building construction market in the United States. A large part of that construction involves infrastructure upgrades of existing buildings that contribute to sustainability goals but may not make flashy architectural statements for philanthropists.
The International Existing Building Code (IEBC) is a model code in the International Code Council family of codes intended to provide requirements for repair and alternative approaches for alterations and additions to existing buildings (LEARN MORE). A large number of existing buildings and structures do not comply with the current building code requirements for new construction. Although many of these buildings are potentially salvageable, rehabilitation is often cost-prohibitive because compliance with all the new requirements for new construction could require extensive changes that go well beyond the value of building or the original scope of the alteration.
Education facility planners, architects and managers: Sound familiar?
ICC administered workgroups have been convening with considerable frequency over the past several months to pull together a number of relevant concepts for the next (2019 Group B) revision. For the purpose of providing some perspective on the complexity and subtlety of the issues in play, a partial overview of working group activity is available in the links below. Keep in mind that there are many other proposals being developed by our ICC working group and others.
It is a large document — 2919 pages — so keep that in mind when accessing it. There are many issues affecting #TotalCostofOwnership of the education facility industry so we will get cracking on it again next week. See our CALENDAR for the next online teleconference. Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
Finally, we persist in encouraging education industry facility managers (especially those with operations and maintenance data) to participate in the ICC code development process. You may do so by CLICKING HERE. Real asset managers for school districts, colleges, universities and technical schools in the Albuquerque region should take advantage of the opportunity to observe the ICC code-development process. The Group B Hearings are usually webcast — and we will signal the link to the 10-day webcast when it becomes available — but the experience of seeing how building codes are determined is enlightening when you can watch it live and on site.
Issue: [16-169]
Category: Architectural, Facility Asset Management, Space Planning
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jack Janveja, Richard Robben
CBC News (The National): Canada is challenged by a surge in asylum seekers from failed nations entering irregularly via the U.S. border or overstaying visas, straining public services amid a housing crisis. With 57,440 asylum claims in early 2025—up 22% from 2024, including 5,500 from international students—overcrowded schools in provinces like Ontario and British Columbia face acute shortages, especially for English-language programs.
To address this, jurisdictions are deploying modular prefabricated school buildings as a rapid, cost-effective solution. These portable yet permanent structures, like those at B.C.’s David Cameron Elementary, add capacity for 190+ students in months, easing enrolment pressures without long construction delays.
100 years ago, the Supreme Court made it clear in Pierce v. Society of Sisters: raising children is the responsibility of parents, not the government.
100 years later, the Trump Administration remains committed to protecting parental rights. pic.twitter.com/yduXdLShty
— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) June 1, 2025
“…O chestnut tree;, great rooted blossomer, Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bold? O body swayed to music, O brightening glance, How can we know the dancer from the dance?”
We sweep through the world’s three major time zones; updating our understanding of the literature at the technical foundation of education community safety and sustainability in those time zones 24 times per day. We generally eschew “over-coding” web pages to sustain speed, revision cadence and richness of content as peak priority. We do not provide a search facility because of copyrights of publishers and time sensitivity of almost everything we do.
Our daily colloquia are typically doing sessions; with non-USA titles receiving priority until 16:00 UTC and all other titles thereafter. We assume policy objectives are established (Safer-Simpler-Lower-Cost, Longer-Lasting). Because we necessarily get into the weeds, and because much of the content is time-sensitive and copyright protected, we usually schedule a separate time slot to hammer on technical specifics so that our response to consultations are meaningful and contribute to the goals of the standards developing organization and to the goals of stewards of education community real assets — typically the largest real asset owned by any US state and about 50 percent of its annual budget.
1. Leviathan. We track noteworthy legislative proposals in the United States 118th Congress. Not many deal specifically with education community real assets since the relevant legislation is already under administrative control of various Executive Branch Departments such as the Department of Education.
We do not advocate in legislative activity at any level. We respond to public consultations but there it ends.
We track federal legislative action because it provides a stroboscopic view of the moment — the “national conversation”– in communities that are simultaneously a business and a culture. Even though more than 90 percent of such proposals are at the mercy of the party leadership the process does enlighten the strengths and weakness of a governance system run entirely through the counties on the periphery of Washington D.C. It is impossible to solve technical problems in facilities without sensitivity to the zietgeist that has accelerated in education communities everywhere.
Michigan can 100% water and feed itself. Agriculture is its second-largest industry.
The latest version of the ICC/MBI Standard 1200 is the 2020 edition, specifically the ICC/MBI 1200-2020: Standard for Off-Site Construction: Planning, Design, Fabrication and Assembly. This standard, developed by the International Code Council (ICC) in collaboration with the Modular Building Institute (MBI), addresses the planning, design, fabrication, and assembly of off-site construction projects. It is part of a series of standards aimed at ensuring safety and compliance in off-site construction processes.
We examine the proposals for the 2028 National Electrical Safety Code; including our own. The 2026 National Electrical Code where sit on CMP-15 overseeing health care facility electrical issues should be released any day now. We have one proposal on the agenda of the International Code Council’s Group B Committee Action Hearings in Cleveland in October. Balloting on the next IEEE Gold Book on reliability should begin.
FERC Open Meetings | (Note that these ~60 minute sessions meet Sunshine Act requirements. Our interest lies one or two levels deeper into the technicals underlying the administrivia)
Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei City, Taiwan
First Draft Proposals contain most of our proposals — and most new (original) content. We will keep the transcripts linked below but will migrate them to a new page starting 2025:
N.B. We are in the process of migrating electric power system research to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers bibliographic format.
Recap of the May meetings of the Industrial & Commercial Power Systems Conference in Las Vegas. The conference ended the day before the beginning of the 3-day Memorial Day weekend in the United States so we’re pressed for time; given all that happened.
We can use our last meeting’s agenda to refresh the status of the issues.
We typically break down our discussion into the topics listed below:
Codes & Standards:
While IAS/I&CPS has directed votes on the NEC; Mike is the only I&CPS member who is actually submitting proposals and responses to codes and standards developers to the more dominant SDO’s — International Code Council, ASHRAE International, UL, ASTM International, IEC & ISO. Mike maintains his offer to train the next generation of “code writers and vote getters”
Performance-based building premises feeder design has been proposed for the better part of ten NEC revision cycles. The objective of these proposals is to reduce material, labor and energy waste owed to the branch and feeder sizing rules that are prescriptive in Articles 210-235. Our work in service and lighting branch circuit design has been largely successful. A great deal of building interior power chain involves feeders — the network upstream from branch circuit panels but down stream from building service panel.
Our history of advocating for developing this approach, inspired by the NFPA 101 Guide to Alternative Approaches to Life Safety, and recounted in recent proposals for installing performance-based electrical feeder design into the International Building Code, appears in the link below:
Access to this draft paper for presentation at any conference that will receive it — NFPA, ICC or IEEE (or even ASHRAE) will be available for review at the link below:
NFPA 110 Definitions of Public Utility v. Merchant Utility
NFPA 72 “Definition of Dormitory Suite” and related proposals
Buildings:
Renovation economics, Smart contracts in electrical construction. UMich leadership in aluminum wiring statements in the NEC should be used to reduce wiring costs.
This paper details primary considerations in estimating the life cycle of a campus medium voltage distribution grid. Some colleges and universities are selling their entire power grid to private companies. Mike has been following these transactions but cannot do it alone.
Variable Architecture Multi-Island Microgrids
District energy:
Generator stator winding failures and implications upon insurance premiums. David Shipp and Sergio Panetta. Mike suggests more coverage of retro-fit and lapsed life cycle technicals for insurance companies setting premiums.
Reliability:
Bob Arno’s leadership in updating the Gold Book.
Mike will expand the sample set in Table 10-35, page 293 from the <75 data points in the 1975 survey to >1000 data points. Bob will set up meeting with Peyton at US Army Corps of Engineers.
Reliability of merchant utility distribution systems remains pretty much a local matter. The 2023 Edition of the NESC shows modest improvement in the vocabulary of reliability concepts. For the 2028 Edition Mike submitted several proposals to at least reference IEEE titles in the distribution reliability domain. It seems odd (at least to Mike) that the NESC committees do not even reference IEEE technical literature such as Bob’s Gold Book which has been active for decades. Mike will continue to propose changes in other standards catalogs — such as ASTM, ASHRAE and ICC — which may be more responsive to best practice assertions. Ultimately, improvements will require state public utility commission regulations — and we support increases in tariffs so that utilities can afford these improvements.
Mike needs help from IEEE Piscataway on standard WordPress theme limitations for the data collection platform.
Mike will update the campus power outage database.
Healthcare:
Giuseppe Parise’s recent work in Italian power grid to its hospitals, given its elevated earthquake risk. Mike’s review of Giuseppe’s paper:
Mike and David Shipp will prepare a position paper for the Harvard Healthcare Management Journal on reliability advantages of impedance grounding for the larger systems.
The Internet of Bodies
Forensics:
Giuseppe’s session was noteworthy for illuminating the similarity and differences between the Italian and US legal system in handling electrotechnology issues.
Mike will restock the committee’s library of lawsuits transactions.
Ports:
Giuseppe updates on the energy and security issues of international ports. Mike limits his time in this committee even though the State of Michigan has the most fresh water international ports in the world.
A PROPOSED GUIDE FOR THE ENERGY PLAN AND ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF A PORT
Other:
Proposals to the 2028 National Electrical Safety Code: Accepted Best Practice, exterior switchgear guarding, scope expansion into ICC and ASHRAE catalog,
Apparently both the Dot Standards and the Color Books will continue parallel development. Only the Gold Book is being updated; led by Bob Arno. Mike admitted confusion but reminded everyone that any references to IEEE best practice literature in the NFPA catalog, was installed Mike himself (who would like some backup help)
Mike assured Christel Hunter (General Cable) that his proposals for reducing the 180 VA per-outlet requirements, and the performance-base design allowance for building interior feeders do not violate the results of the Neher-McGrath calculation used for conductor sizing. All insulation and conducting material thermal limits are unaffected.
Other informal discussions centered on the rising cost of copper wiring and the implications for the global electrotechnical transformation involving the build out of quantum computing and autonomous vehicles. Few expressed optimism that government ambitions for the same could be met in any practical way.
Are students avoiding use of Chat GPT for energy conservation reasons? Mike will be breaking out this topic for a dedicated standards inquiry session:
Branch circuits relevant to modular classroom buildings are primarily addressed in Article 120: Branch Circuits (formerly Article 210 in previous editions). This article covers requirements for branch-circuit sizing, overcurrent protection, outlets, and general installation rules for circuits up to 1000 volts AC or 1500 volts DC. Key sections include:120.19: Conductor sizing and derating.
120.20: Overcurrent protection.
120.21: Receptacle outlets and tamper-resistant requirements.
120.23: Specific rules for appliances and fixed equipment.
For outside branch circuits, see Article 267: Outside Branch Circuits and Feeders over 1000 Volts AC or 1500 Volts DC, Nominal (if applicable to higher voltages).Feeder Circuit RulesFeeder circuits are primarily addressed in Article 121: Feeders (formerly Article 215 in previous editions). This article details feeder conductor sizing, grounding, and disconnecting means for circuits supplying branch circuits or sub-feeders up to 1000 volts AC or 1500 volts DC.Key sections include:121.2: Minimum rating and sizing.
121.3: Overcurrent protection.
121.4: Feeders as branch circuits (when applicable).
Outside feeders are covered in Article 267: Outside Branch Circuits and Feeders over 1000 Volts AC or 1500 Volts DC, Nominal (for higher voltages) or cross-referenced in Article 267 for general outside installations.
For modular school buildings detached from the main building with pre-installed single or three phase wiring systems, designers must choose between a separate service drop from a merchant utility or tapping into an existing source from the nearby school building.
Compact Muon Solenoid / European Organization for Nuclear Research
Modular classroom buildings, often prefabricated and portable, require special attention in electrical power design to ensure safety, compliance, and functionality. The 2026 National Electrical Code (NEC) emphasizes proper sizing of branch circuits (Article 120) and feeders (Article 121) based on load calculations (Article 122), accounting for lighting, HVAC, and technology demands. Designers must consider temporary or relocatable installations, ensuring grounding and bonding comply with Article 250 for safety. Flexible wiring methods, like cord-and-plug connections, may be needed for portability, per Article 400. Modular units often face environmental challenges, requiring weather-resistant materials and equipment (Article 110). Surge protection (Article 285) is critical to safeguard sensitive classroom electronics. Accessibility for maintenance and inspections, per Article 110.26, is vital due to compact designs. Finally, compliance with local codes and coordination with utility connections ensure reliable power delivery for educational environments.
We have tried for several cycles to change the “Type of Occupancy” listing in NEC Table 220.12 to reflect more granular definition for School/university and Sports arena lighting load calculations. We will have another chance in the 2026 NEC. [Public input is due September 10th]
Public Input Closing Date: September 7, 2023
4 February 2021
Let’s start marking up the 2023 National Electrical Code, shall we? We will collaborate with IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee 18 — the committee that follows NFPA electrical safety consensus products and coordinates the response of IEEE electrical power professionals.
A good place to start is with the transcripts of the 2020 revision — AVAILABLE HERE for free. We look for proposals that failed for one reason or another; holding fast to our hunch that changes to the ampere load requirements that appear in the prescriptive statements to designers and inspectors of Chapter 2 could changed. The 2020 transcripts of Code-Making Panel 4 are linked below:
We have been trying for several NEC revision cycles to change the “Type of Occupancy” tabulations of Table 220.12 to reflect more granular definition in the Volt/Ampere requirement of 33 VA/m2 (3 VA/ft2) for School/university and Sports arena. Some of the problem in Table 220.12 regarding electrical loads in education facilities lies in its foundation built upon the International Building Code; the remainder of the problem lies with the education facility industry itself; described in detail in our ABOUT.
The good news is that the NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) recognizes the problem and is acting on it; described in previous posts and in its project portfolio. Keep in mind that Standards Michigan, the original voice of the user-interest for education facility industry in the global standards system, has to compete with other, competitor stakeholders who make their market in this and in other consensus products accredited by the American National Standards Institute.
Public input for the 2023 National Electrical Code is due September 10th. We will collaborate with the FPRF and the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee, and others, to get informed public input to Code-Making Panel 2 and the NEC Technical Correlating Committee. See our CALENDAR for our next Electrical & Telecommunication teleconference, open to everyone.
Issue: [19-201]
Category: Electrical
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Scott Gibb, Jim Harvey, Kane Howard, Paul Kempf, Philip Ling, Jose Meijer
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New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwBpic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
