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Lively 200

April 4, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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Curtain for the Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet

 

“What art is, in reality, is this missing link,  not the links which exist.

It’s not what you see that is art; art is the gap”

— Marcel Duchamp

 

Today we refresh our understanding of the literature that guides the safety and sustainability goals of lively art and special event setting on the #WiseCampus.  Consortia have evolved quickly in recent years, leading and lagging changes in the content creation and delivery domain.  With this evolution a professional discipline has emerged that requires training and certification in the electrotechnologies that contribute to “event safety”; among them:

ASHRAE International

Standard 62.1: This standard establishes minimum ventilation rates and indoor air quality requirements for commercial buildings, including theaters and auditoriums.

Standard 55: This standard specifies thermal comfort conditions for occupants in indoor environments, which can have an impact on air quality.

Audio Engineering Society

Audio Visual and Experience Association

Entertainment Services and Technology Association

Event Safety Alliance

International Code Council

International Building Code: Section 303.2 Assembly Group A-1

Illumination Engineering Society

RP-16-17 Lighting for Theatrical Productions: This standard provides guidance on the design and implementation of lighting systems for theatrical productions. It includes information on the use of color, light direction, and light intensity to create different moods and effects.

RP-30-15 Recommended Practice for the Design of Theatres and Auditoriums: This standard provides guidance on the design of theaters and auditoriums, including lighting systems. It covers topics such as seating layout, stage design, and acoustics, as well as lighting design considerations.

DG-24-19 Design Guide for Color and Illumination: This guide provides information on the use of color in lighting design, including color temperature, color rendering, and color mixing. It is relevant to theater lighting design as well as other applications.

National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security

National Fire Protection Association

Life Safety Code

National Electrical Code

Articles 518-540: Arenas, Lecture Halls & Theaters

Society of Motion Picture Technology Engineers

Professional Lighting and Sound Association

Dance and Athletic Floor Product Standards: ASTM F2118, EN 14904, DIN 18032-2

Incumbent standards-setting organizations such as ASHRAE, ASTM, ICC, IEEE, NFPA have also discovered, integrated and promulgated event safety and sustainability concepts into their catalog of best practice titles; many already incorporated by reference into public safety law.   We explore relevant research on crowd management and spectator safety.

Planning and Managing Security for Major Special Events

The circumstances of the pandemic has made “re-rationalization” of education community spaces an urgent priority.   Today at 15:00 UTC we pick through the concepts in play.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

More

International Code Council (N.B. Changes to its Code Development Process) 

International Building Code: Entertainment Occupancies

Section 410: Stages, Platforms and Technical Production Areas

National Electrical Code: Articles 518 – 540 

Code-Making Panel 15 (NEC-P15): Public Input Report 10/1/2020

Code-Making Panel 15 (NEC-P15): Public Comment Report  11/18/2021

ASHRAE 62.1 Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality

Princeton University: Set Design & Construction

Building the Virtual Stage: A System for Enabling Mixed Reality Theatre

University of California: Special Effects Safety and Loss Prevention

University of San Francisco Special Effects Safety

Dance Floors v. Sports Floors

Entertainment Occupancies

April 4, 2025
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2025 GROUP B PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE I-CODES | Complete Monograph 2630 Pages

2024 GROUP A PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE I-CODES | Complete Monograph 2658 Pages

2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE

“View from the Ancient Theater in Taormina to Mount Etna” c. 1880 Carl Wuttke

Safety and sustainability for any facility begins with an understanding of who shall occupy it.  University settings, with mixed-use phenomenon arising spontaneously and temporarily, present challenges and no less so in  square-footage identified as performing arts facilities.  Education communities present the largest installed base of mixed use and performing arts facilities.  A distinction is made between supervised occupants that are in secondary schools (generally under age 18) and unsupervised occupants that are in university facilities (generally above age 18).

First principles regarding occupancy classifications for performing arts facilities appear in Section 303 of the International Building Code Assembly Group A-1.  The public edition of the 2021 IBC is linked below:

2024 IBC Chapter 3: Occupancy Classification and Use

Each of the International Code Council code development groups A, B and C; fetch back to these classifications.   You can sample the safety concepts in play with an examination of the document linked below:

2019 GROUP B PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE GROUP B I-CODES

2019 GROUP B PUBLIC COMMENT AGENDA

Each of the foregoing documents are lengthy so we recommend using search terms such as “school”, “college”, ‘”university”, “auditorium”, “theater”, “children”, “student” to hasten your cut through it.

We find continuation of lowering of the lighting power densities as noteworthy.  Technical committees assembled and managed by the International Code Council, the American Society of Heating & Refrigeration Engineers and the Illumination Engineering Society are leaders in developing consensus products that drive the LED illumination transformation.

 

The revision schedule for the next tranche of ICC titles that are built upon the foundation of the IBC is linked below:

2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE

We encourage experts in education communities — facility managers, research and teaching staff, architectural and engineering students — to participate directly in the ICC Code Development process at the link below:

https://www.iccsafe.org/cdpaccess/

We reserve a place on the agenda of our standing Lively 200 colloquia on this topic.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

 

Issue: [18-166]

Category: Architectural, Healthcare Facilities, Facility Asset Management

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Richard Robben

The International Code Council (ICC) develops its codes and standards through a consensus-driven process. The ICC Code Development Process follows these major stages:

Code Change Proposal Submission

Stakeholders (e.g., government officials, industry professionals, and the public) submit proposals to modify existing codes or introduce new provisions.

Committee Action Hearing (CAH)

Expert committees review and evaluate submitted proposals.
Public testimony is allowed, and committees vote on whether to approve, disapprove, or modify the proposals.

Public Comment Period

After the CAH, the public can submit comments or suggest modifications to the committee’s decisions.
These comments help refine the proposed changes before final voting.

Public Comment Hearing (PCH)

ICC members discuss and vote on public comments.
This step ensures that all voices are heard and debated before finalizing changes.

Online Governmental Consensus Vote (OGCV)

Governmental members vote on the final code changes electronically.
Only governmental voting members (e.g., code officials) participate in this stage to ensure the process remains unbiased.

Publication of New Code Edition

Approved code changes are incorporated into the next edition of the ICC codes.
The ICC updates its codes every three years (e.g., 2021, 2024, 2027 editions).

This structured process ensures that ICC codes remain comprehensive, up-to-date, and responsive to industry needs while maintaining safety and functionality.

Audio Standards

April 4, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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“A Dance to the Music of Time” 1640 Nicolas Poussin

 

 

“The voice of the intellect is a soft one,

but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing.”

— Sigmund Freud

 

The education industry provides a large market for occupancy classes — athletic stadiums, student assembly spaces, performance theaters, large lecture halls– that depend upon effective audio systems*.   To an unexpected degree the structural engineering, specification of materials and electrical system design and operation is informed by acoustical considerations.  So does the integration of fire safety and mass notification systems into normal state enterprises so it is wise to follow and, ideally, participate in leading practice discovery and promulgation of audio standards.

The Audio Engineering Society — one of the first names in this space — has a due process platform that welcomes public participation.   All of its standards open for public comment completed their revision cycle mid-November as can be seen on its standards development landing page below:

AES Standards Development

Note that AES permits access to those revision even after the comment deadline.  You are encouraged to communicate directly with the Direct communication with the standards staff at Audio Engineering Society International Headquarters, 551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1225, New York NY 10176,  Tel: +1 212 661 8528

We keep the AES suite on the standing agenda of our periodic Lively Arts teleconference.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting.

This facility class is one of most complex occupancy classes in education facilities industry so we also collaborate with experts active in the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee. Much of the AES suite references, and borrows from, International Electrotechnical Commission system integration and interoperability standards.   The IEEE E&H committee meets online again four times monthly in European and American time zones.  The meeting dates are available on the IEEE E&H website

Media production audio visual

Issue: [19-23]

Category: Electrical, Academic,  Athletics, Fire Safety, Public Safety, #WiseCampus

Contact: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey

*Mass notification systems are governed by NFPA 72 and, while life safety wiring is separate from other wiring, the management of these systems involve coordination between workgroups with different business objectives and training.

LEARN MORE:

Archive / Audio Engineering Society

 

Building Environment Design

April 3, 2025
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I don’t build in order to have clients.

I have clients in order to build.

— Ayn Rand

Google Data Center

 

“Détruire est facile ; construire est difficile.”

— Victor Hugo

 

The highest level of standardization for the building interiors on the emergent #SmartCampus originates in ISO TC 205 — Building Environment Design.  This committee is charged with standards setting in the design of new buildings and retrofit of existing buildings for acceptable indoor environment and practicable energy conservation and efficiency. Building environment design addresses the technical building systems and related architectural aspects, and includes the related design processes, design methods, design outcomes, and design-phase building commissioning. Indoor environment includes air quality, and thermal, acoustic, and visual factors.  The business plan is linked below:

STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN ISO/TC 205

Some of the key ideas in the scope of this project are listed below:

– the design of energy-efficient buildings
– building control systems design
– indoor air quality
– indoor thermal environment
– indoor acoustical environment
– indoor visual environment
– radiant heating and cooling systems
– heating and cooling systems
– building commissioning planning
– moisture in buildings

We see many of the foregoing ideas in the catalog of ASHRAE International — ANSI’s US Technical Advisory Group Administrator in this project, as well as a number of others (CLICK HERE).   There are 31 Participating member and 28 Observing member nations.

Generally speaking, ISO consensus products are performance standards and contrast sharply with prescriptive standards in the energy-related domains in the United States.  Prescriptive standards are easy to enforce but difficult to write.  Performance standards are easy to write but difficult to enforce.

Facility managers that oversee building automation units in education communities in the United States are encouraged to participate in the development of ISO 205 by communicating directly with Brian Cox at ASHRAE (bcox@ashrae.org).  We keep all ISO standards on the standing agenda of our periodic Global and AEdificare standards colloquia.  We also maintain this committee’s catalog on the standing agenda of our Mechanical colloquium.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meetings; open to everyone.

Issue: [10-30]

Category: International, Mechanical, Energy, Facility Asset Management

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Richard Robben, Larry Spielvogel

More

Bygningsinformasjonsmodellering

 

Historic Buildings

April 3, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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2024 / 2025 / 2026 Code Development: Group B (2025)

Complete Monograph (2630 pages)

Notre-Dame de Paris “Our Lady of Paris” Wikimedia Commons

International Existing Building Code: Chapter 12 Historic Buildings

2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE

Notre-Dame de Paris “Our Lady of Paris” Wikimedia Commons

2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE

LIVE: I-Code Group B Public Comment Hearings

Occupancy Classification and Use

April 2, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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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:

  1. Education facilities as storm shelters
  2. Enhanced classroom acoustics
  3. Carbon monoxide detection in Group E occupancies
  4. Locking arrangements in educational occupancies
  5. Interior lighting power allowances for classrooms
  6. Occupancy sensors for classrooms
  7. Automatic control of receptacle power in classrooms and laboratories
  8. 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

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:

2019 Group B Proposed Changes

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

Little Big Horn College

 

 

 

 

Data Point: National Center for Education Statistics

April 2, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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The National Center for Education #Statistics is the primary federal entity for collecting & analyzing #education-related data in the U.S. RTs ≠ endorsements.

We steer clear of curricula generally, mainly because curricula is a “crowded space” (i.e. no shortage of opinions, and even passions) except those programs that prepare the next generation for a skill set to support secondary enterprises such as skilled trades, building construction management, coding the internet of everything.

Classification of Instructional Programs

Introduction to the Classification of Instructional Programs: 2010 Edition (CIP-2010)

APPA: Survey raw responses: space increasing or decreasing

Related:

Ædificare & Utilization

Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy

April 2, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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“Kleinkinderschule in Amsterdam” 1880 / Max Liebermann

This ASHRAE consensus product specifies conditions for acceptable thermal environments and is intended for use in design, operation, and commissioning of buildings and other occupied spaces. It is impossible to underestimate the difficulty of engineering an acceptable room temperature in an educational setting that satisfies all people all the time.   Today, we simply identify the opportunity to ASHRAE Standard 55-2017, Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy poststed on ASHRAE’s Public Review page:

Public Review Draft Standards / Online Comment Database

ASHRAE’s standards development platform is one of the fastest in the United States so frequently there is scant time to respond; though we hope other user-interests will.   As technical specifics relevant to the education facility industry become more clear we will develop this page accordingly.

All ASHRAE consensus products are on the agenda of our monthly 11 AM/ET Mechanical Engineering and Energy standards teleconferences.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

“The summer night is like a perfection of thought.” — Wallace Stevens

Issue: [14-115]

Category: Mechanical, Electrical, Energy, ICT, IoT

Colleagues: David B. Anderson, David Conrad, Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Larry Spielvogel

 

Dolus Festivus

April 1, 2025
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The Vernor’s Story

April 1, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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