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Art, Design & Fashion Studios

Art presents a different way of looking at things than science; 

one which preserves the mystery of things without undoing the mystery.

— Sir Roger Scruton

 

 

NFPA 1 Second Draft Meeting (A2026) June 2 – 3, 2025

“Interior de Ateliê” 1898 Rafael Frederico

We are guided by four interdependent titles that set the standard of care for safety and sustainability of occupancies supporting the fine arts in education communities.

(1)  Chapter 43: Spraying, Dipping and Coating Using Flammable or Combustible Material of NFPA 1: Fire Code.   As a “code” the public has free access to the current 2021 Edition , and Chapter 43 at the link below:

NFPA 1 Fire Code / Chapter 43 Spraying, Dipping and Coating Using Flammable or Combustible Materials

You get a sense of the back-and-forth among the technical committee members from the transcripts of committee activity linked below:

First Revisions Report (282 pages)

Our interest lies in fire safety provisions for educational occupancies with activity involving paint, chemicals used with paint (art studios) and Class III combustible materials (garment design & prototyping).

(2) NFPA also has another title — NFPA 33 Standard for Spray Application Using Flammable or Combustible Materials — provides more detail for instructional and facility maintenance operations activity.

(3) NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, much of which is derived from NFPA 1 (See: “How the Fire Code and Life Safety Code Work Together“)

(4) Finally, the International Code Council develops a competitor title — 2021 International Fire Code — which also provides fire safety standards for art, design and fashion studio safety.  The IFC is developed in the Group A tranche of titles:

2021/2022 Code Development Group A

2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE

We encourage direct participation by education industry user-interests in the ICC and the NFPA code development process.  A user interest in education community would have a job title similar to the following: Principal, Dean, President, Chief of Business Operations, Facility Manager, Trade Shop Foreman.

Harvard University

We maintain all four titles identified in this post on the standing agenda of our Prometheus (fire safety) and Fine Arts colloquia.   See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

Issue: [10-31] [16-64]

Category: Fire Safety

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Josh Evolve, Marcelo Hirschler

More

Northeastern University: Safety Guide for Art Studios

Princeton University: Art Safety

University of Chicago Art Studio Safety Policy

 

Smørrebrød

Dedication

 


Danmark

Hot Dog University

The iconic American “street food” traces its origin to 19th century German immigrants who brought frankfurters from their homeland.

In the 1860s, the term “hot dog” emerged in reference to these sausages being sold in buns at street carts. The popularity of hot dogs soared during the late 19th and early 20th centuries particularly at baseball games where the hot dog is virtually synonymous.at the sport.

In many college towns push cart hot dog vendors may be welcomed and even embraced as part of the local food scene. They can add variety and convenience for students, faculty, and staff by offering affordable and quick meal options. These towns may have regulations and policies in place to support and accommodate such vendors.

The case against hot dogs as a food primarily revolves around health concerns and potential risks associated with their consumption. Some of the key arguments include:

Processed meat and additives: Hot dogs are often made from processed meats that can contain additives, preservatives, and high levels of sodium. These additives, such as nitrates and nitrites, have been linked to increased risks of certain health issues, including cancer and heart disease.

High in unhealthy fats: Hot dogs are typically high in saturated and trans fats, which can contribute to elevated cholesterol levels and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Potential for contamination: There have been instances of foodborne illnesses associated with hot dogs, such as outbreaks of bacterial contamination, including E. coli or Listeria monocytogenes. Improper handling, storage, or undercooking can increase the risk of such contamination.

Allergens and dietary restrictions: Hot dogs often contain common allergens like wheat, soy, and dairy. Additionally, they may not be suitable for individuals with dietary restrictions or preferences, such as vegetarians, vegans, or those following specific religious or cultural dietary guidelines.

Environmental impact: The production and consumption of hot dogs contribute to environmental concerns. The meat industry, including processed meat production, is associated with greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation, and water pollution.

These arguments against hot dogs do not necessarily apply to all hot dogs or to every individual. Moderation, choosing healthier options, and considering individual dietary needs and preferences can help mitigate some of the concerns associated with hot dog consumption.

Paul Mitchell The School | Tinley Park

Relevant codes, standards and regulations:

Food Safety and Inspection Service: Federal Meat Inspection Act

U.S. Department of Agriculture: Hot Dogs and Food Safety

Codex Alimentarius

Nourriture d’automne

Texas Coffee School

Standards Texas

Texas Building Codes

Opening and operating a small coffee shop in Texas requires adherence to various codes and standards to ensure safety, legality, and quality service.  Students get a front row view of the competing requirements of safety and economy even before the cafe atmospheric and economic viability make their passion a going concern.

1. Business Licenses and Permits:

  • Business License: Obtain a general business license from your local city or county authority. Requirements and fees vary by location.
  • Certificate of Occupancy: This certifies that your building complies with zoning laws and is safe for occupancy. It’s typically issued after necessary inspections.
  • Food Handler’s License: All employees involved in food preparation or service must obtain this certification within 60 days of employment.
  • Seller’s Permit: Required for businesses selling tangible goods subject to sales tax. You can register for this permit through the Texas Comptroller’s Office.

2. Health and Safety Regulations:

  • Texas Food Establishment Rules: These rules outline standards for food safety, including employee hygiene, equipment sanitation, and food handling procedures.
  • County and City Health Department Regulations

3. Building and Construction Codes:

  • Building Codes: Ensure compliance with local building codes, which cover structural integrity, electrical systems, plumbing, and fire safety.
  • Zoning Regulations: Verify that your chosen location is zoned appropriately for a food establishment.
  • Accessibility Standards: Adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements to ensure your facility is accessible to all patrons.

4. Additional Considerations:

  • Signage Permits: Obtain permits for exterior signs, as many municipalities have regulations governing signage size, lighting, and placement.
  • Waste Disposal: Comply with local ordinances regarding waste management, including grease disposal and recycling.
  • Insurance: While not a code or standard, securing appropriate insurance (e.g., general liability, property, and workers’ compensation) is crucial for protecting your business.

There’s enough “content” in the foregoing list of considerations to meet the requirement for an Associates Degree at any community college.

Starting and running a privately held coffee shop within a building located in the campus proper — think the franchise chains like Starbucks — is another layer of complexity in our session on Joint Use Agreements.

Swimming, Water Polo and Diving Lighting

 

“In swimming, there are no referees, no foul lines,

no time-outs, and no substitutions.

It’s just you and the water.” – Unknown

 

 

https://standardsmichigan.com/australia/

There are several specific problems that swimming pool overhead lighting aims to solve:

  1. Visibility: Swimming pool overhead lighting is designed to improve visibility in and around the pool. This is important for safety reasons, as it helps swimmers see where they are going and avoid obstacles or hazards.
  2. Aesthetics: Overhead lighting can enhance the appearance of the swimming pool by creating a visually appealing atmosphere. This is especially important for commercial pools where the aesthetics can be an important factor in attracting customers.
  3. Functionality: Overhead lighting can provide additional functionality by allowing the pool to be used during evening hours or in low light conditions. This can increase the usability of the pool and make it more appealing to users.
  4. Energy efficiency: Modern overhead pool lighting solutions are designed to be energy-efficient, reducing the overall energy consumption and operating costs of the pool.
  5. Longevity: Overhead pool lighting must be designed to withstand exposure to water, chlorine, and other harsh chemicals, as well as exposure to the elements. The lighting system must be durable and reliable to ensure longevity and prevent costly repairs or replacements.

Overall, swimming pool overhead lighting is an important component of a safe, functional, and visually appealing pool. It provides illumination for visibility, enhances aesthetics, and improves functionality, while also being energy-efficient and durable.

After athletic arena life safety obligations are met (governed legally by NFPA 70, NFPA 101, NFPA 110,  the International Building Code and possibly other state adaptations of those consensus documents incorporated by reference into public safety law) business objective standards may come into play. For almost all athletic facilities,  the consensus documents of the Illumination Engineering Society[1], the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers[2][3] provide the first principles for life safety.  For business purposes, the documents distributed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association inform the standard of care for individual athletic arenas so that swiftly moving media production companies have some consistency in power sources and illumination as they move from site to site.  Sometimes concepts to meet both life safety and business objectives merge.

During water sport season the document linked below provides information to illumination designers and facility managers:

NCAA Best Lighting Practices

Athletic programs are a significant source of revenue and form a large part of the foundation of the brand identity of most educational institutions in the United States.   We focus primarily upon the technology standards that govern the safety, performance and sustainability of these enterprises.  We collaborate very closely with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee where subject matter experts in electrical power systems meet 4 times each month in the Americas and Europe.

See our CALENDAR for our next colloquium on Sport facility codes and standards.   We typically walk through the safety and sustainability concepts in play; identify commenting opportunities; and find user-interest “champions” on the technical committees who have a similar goal in lowering #TotalCostofOwnership.

Issue: [15-138]*

Category: Electrical, Architectural, Arts & Entertainment Facilities, Athletics

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Jack Janveja, Jose Meijer, Scott Gibbs

More

Watersport Time Standards

Sport Lighting

Water Safety & Sustainability

AWWA COMMENT PERIOD ON AWWA G480, Water Conservation and Efficiency Program Operation and Management Closes June 23

Harvard University Art Museum | In the Sierras, Lake Tahoe | Albert Bierstadt

The American Water Works Association is one of the first names in accredited standards developers that administer leading practice discovery in backflow prevention consensus documents; usually referenced in local and state building codes; and also in education facility design guidelines and construction specifications.

The original University of Michigan standards enterprise gave highest priority to backflow standards because of their central importance of backflow management to education communities; especially large research universities nested within a municipal water system.  Backflow prevention; an unseen technology that assures a safe drinking water supply by keeping water running in one direction by maintaining pressure differences.  Analogous to the way we want electrical current to run in one direction, failure of backflow prevention technology poses a near-instantaneous health risk for the contamination of potable water supplies with foul water.  In the most obvious case, a toilet flush cistern and its water supply must be isolated from the toilet bowl.  In a less obvious case, but at greater scale, a damaged backflow prevention technology at a university research building can contaminate an host-community potable water supply.

There are other ANSI accredited standards developers in the backflow prevention technology space — the International Code Council, the IAPMO Group and ASSE International — for example.

Backflow Preventer

At the moment no AWWA redlines relevant to our objective are open for consultation.  Several relatively stabilized product standards are marked up but none dealing specifically with interoperability issues.  When they are uploaded you may access them at the link below:

AWWA Standards Public Comment Home Page

Students and Young Professionals

AWWA is the first name in US-based water standards so we maintain the AWWA catalog on our Plumbing & Water colloquia.   See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

Issue: [11-57]

Category: Water Safety, Plumbing, Mechanical

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Richard Robben, Steve Snyder, Larry Spielvogel

 

LEARN MORE

Workspace / AWWA

 

Pool, Spa & Recreational Waters

“Innenansicht des Kaiserbades in Aachen” | Jan Luyken (1682)

Education communities provide a large market for recreational and therapeutic water technology suppliers.  Some of the larger research universities have dozens of pools including those in university-affiliated healthcare facilities.  Apart from publicly visible NCAA swimming programs there are whirpools in healthcare facilities and therapeutic tubs for athletes in other sports.   Ownership of these facilities requires a cadre of conformance experts to assure water safety.

NSF International is one of the first names in this space and has collaborated with key industry stakeholders to make pools, spas and recreational water products safer since 1949.   The parent document in its suite is NSF 50 Pool, Spa and Recreational Water Standards  which  covers everything from pool pumps, strainers, variable frequency drives and pool drains to suction fittings, grates, and ozone and ultraviolet systems.  

The workspace for this committee is linked below:

Joint Committee on Recreational Water Facilities

(Standards Michigan is an observer on this and several other NSF committees and is the only “eyes and ears” for the user interest; arguably the largest market for swimming pools given their presence in schools and universities.)

There are 14 task groups that drill into specifics such as the following:

Chemical feeders

Pool chemical evaluation

Flotation systems

Filters

Water quality

Safety surfacing

The meeting packet is confidential to registered attendees.  You may communicate directly with the NSF Joint Committee Chairperson, Mr. Tom Vyles (admin@standards.nsf.org) about arranging direct access as an observer or technical committee member.   

Almost all ANSI accredited technical committees have a shortage of user-interests (compliance officers, manufacturers and installers usually dominate).  We encourage anyone in the education facility industry paying the bill for the services of compliance officers, manufacturers and installers to participate. 

We maintain this title on the standing agenda of our Water and Sport colloquia.  See our CALENDAR for the next onine meeting; open to everyone.

Fullerton College

Issue: [13-89]

Category: Water, Sport

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Ron George, Larry Spielvogel

More

Model Aquatic Health Code

IAPMO Swimming Pool & Spa Standards 

UL 1081 Standard for Swimming Pool Pumps, Filters, and Chlorinators | (UL Standards tend to be product standards so we rank them lower in our priority ranking than interoperability standards.)

Aquatic Health Code

Red, White and Blue Smoothie

University System of Maryland | $12.225B

Strawberries

Blueberries

University of Maryland Extension

Standards Maryland

The choice of red, white, and blue in national flags often carries historical, cultural, and political significance. Here are some reasons why various nations have chosen these colors:

  1. Historical Connections:
    • United States: The colors were chosen for their flag in 1777 and have been interpreted to symbolize valor (red), purity (white), and justice (blue). The colors were influenced by the British Union Jack.
    • France: The Tricolour flag adopted during the French Revolution represents liberty (blue), equality (white), and fraternity (red).
    • United Kingdom: The Union Jack combines elements from the flags of England (red and white), Scotland (blue and white), and Ireland (red and white).
  2. Cultural and Political Significance:
    • Russia: The flag’s colors were adopted from the Dutch flag, symbolizing pan-Slavism (red for bravery, blue for faithfulness, and white for honesty).
    • Netherlands: The Dutch flag’s colors (originally derived from the Prince’s Flag) have historical roots, symbolizing the struggle for independence and liberty.
    • Czech Republic and Slovakia: Both countries use red, white, and blue to represent their Slavic heritage.
  3. Influence and Inspiration:
    • Chile, Costa Rica, and Panama: These countries were influenced by the colors and symbolism of other flags (e.g., the French and American flags) during their independence movements.
    • Australia and New Zealand: Both countries incorporate the Union Jack in their flags, reflecting their colonial history with the United Kingdom.
  4. Symbolism:
    • Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia: The colors are traditional pan-Slavic colors, representing freedom and national unity.
    • Iceland and Norway: The colors reflect their historical and cultural ties to other Scandinavian countries.

The exact reasons can vary, but often the colors reflect a mix of historical alliances, cultural heritage, and political ideals.

 

The Chemistry of Fireworks

Readings / PYROTECHNIC ARTS & SCIENCES IN EUROPEAN HISTORY

Brewed Awakening

 

 

A Latte Learning: UNK coffee shop gives students a taste of business management

 

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