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Retrodiction
“In a world of infinite information,
the scarce resource is attention.”
By design, we do not provide a SEARCH function. We are a niche practice in a subtle, time-sensitive domain with over 30 years of case history. We were the first movers in the largest building construction market in the world. We are happy to answer all questions but place priority on collaborations. We provide links to the most accessed topics in recent days. All queries presented during our “Open Office Hours” every work day, or via email, are gratefully received and prompt a near-immediate response.
Alexis de Tocqueville on the Foundations of American Democracy
Standard for Interactions Between Medical Examiner, Coroner and Death Investigation Agencies
Acceptable Performance Standard for District Cooling Systems
As part of its ongoing, exhaustive effort to continually promote campus safety, the University of Georgia announced today several additional measures, totaling more than $7.3 million, to further strengthen campus security on its Athens campus. https://t.co/bTg6b4DLUX
— UGA (@universityofga) February 27, 2024
@rmayMVS here ya go! From Kruger National Park South Africa #mvinterim #mvinterinterim2southafrica24 pic.twitter.com/QU0rUuGJgg
— Dr. Kelli Bynum (@kellimccbynum) March 3, 2024
Michigan State University
Stacks of fun at @OrielOxford‘s annual #ShroveTuesday race 🥞#PancakeDay pic.twitter.com/nTXOpkR1zO
— University of Oxford (@UniofOxford) February 13, 2024
University of Iowa | Johnson County
Национа́льный иссле́довательский То́мский госуда́рственный университе́т
Electrical heat tracing: international harmonization-now and in the future
Electrical heat tracing: international harmonization-now and in the future
Brankscom Hall Toronto
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession
of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
— Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Modular Classrooms
Complete Monograph International Building Code
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.
Related:
Related:
Occupancy Classification and Use
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
— IntlCodeCouncil (@IntlCodeCouncil) October 22, 2024
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:
Chapter 3 Occupancy Classification and Use
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
#StandardsNewMexico
LEARN MORE:
ICC Group B Code Development Schedule
Plan now to participate in the International Code Council's 2019 Committee Action Hearings in Albuquerque, April 28 – May 8. Your expertise & participation in this year's code hearings are vital. Register for FREE now! https://t.co/kuLDyCiOH6 #CodeHeroes #BuildingSafety365 pic.twitter.com/SpZuehOmd8
— IntlCodeCouncil (@IntlCodeCouncil) March 6, 2019
Little Big Horn College
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.
EDUCATION INDUSTRY CONSTRUCTION SPEND
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.
IEBC Healthcare for BCAC December 11 2018
16-169 IEBC BCC Worksheet October 2-3 2018
There are other many other issues we have been tracking. The foregoing simply presents the level of detail and subtlety that is noteworthy.
On Tuesday the ICC has released its the complete monograph for use at the Group B Committee Action Hearings, April 28-May 8 at the Albuquerque Convention Center:
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
#StandardsNewMexico
LEARN MORE:
ICC Group B Code Development Schedule
Plan now to participate in the International Code Council's 2019 Committee Action Hearings in Albuquerque, April 28 – May 8. Your expertise & participation in this year's code hearings are vital. Register for FREE now! https://t.co/kuLDyCiOH6 #CodeHeroes #BuildingSafety365 pic.twitter.com/SpZuehOmd8
— IntlCodeCouncil (@IntlCodeCouncil) March 6, 2019
Little Big Horn College
Schools turn to prefabricated classrooms to create space quickly
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.
National Building Code of Canada 2020
British Columbia School Building Construction
Problems pic.twitter.com/2BwBOu30Jd
— GreatLakesLady (@GreatlakesladyM) October 6, 2025
Canadian Parliament Debate on Standards Incorporated by Reference
Off-Site Construction
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.
More
Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities
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Elevators & Lifts
The first elevator in the United States was installed at Harvard University in 1874. It was not a passenger elevator as we typically think of today, but rather a freight elevator used to move heavy items within a building. The installation of this elevator marked an important development in building technology and transportation within multi-story structures. It was based on the design of Elisha Otis, who is famous for inventing the safety elevator with a safety brake system that prevents the elevator from falling if the hoisting cable fails. Otis’ innovation played a pivotal role in making elevators safe and practical for everyday use, leading to their widespread adoption in buildings around the world.
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Elevator design by the German engineer Konrad Kyeser (1405)
Education communities are stewards of 100’s of lifts, elevators and moving walks. At the University of Michigan, there are the better part of 1000 of them; with 19 of them in Michigan Stadium alone. The cost of building them — on the order of $50,000 to $150,000 per floor depending upon architectural styling — and the highly trained staff needed to operate, maintain and program interoperability software is another cost that requires attention. All building design and construction disciplines — architectural, mechanical and electrical have a hand in making this technology safe and sustainabile.
We start with international and nationally developed best practice literature and work our way to state level adaptations. Labor for this technology is heavily regulated.
Its a rarefied and crazy domain for the user-interest. Expertise is passionate about safety and idiosyncratic but needs to be given the life safety hazard. Today we review o pull together public consultation notices on relevant codes, standards and regulations today 11 AM/EDT.
Московский государственный университет имени
More
NFPA 70 Article 620 Elevators, etc.
NEC Article 620 | David Herres
International Building Code Chapter 30: Elevators and Conveying Systems
Inside Higher Ed: Tragedy in an Elevator
University of Michigan Elevator Recall Control Wiring Schematic
University of Michigan Elevator Shaft Lighting Schematic
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/njrDAbSpwB pic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
— USPTO (@uspto) July 13, 2023
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