The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association standards catalog — largely product (rather than interoperability oriented) is linked below:
In stabilized standards, it is more cost effective to run the changes through ANSI rather than a collaborative workspace that requires administration and software licensing cost. Accordingly, redlines for changes, and calls for stakeholder participation are released in ANSI’s Standards Portal:
STANDARDS ACTION WEEKLY EDITION
Send your comments to Dave Panning. (See Dave’s presentation to the University of Michigan in the video linked below.
We find a great deal of interest in sustainable furniture climbing up the value chain and dwelling on material selection and manufacture. We encourage end-users in the education industry — specifiers, department facility managers, interior design consultants, housekeeping staff and even occupants — to participate in BIFMA standards setting. You may obtain an electronic copies for in-process standards from David Panning, (616) 285-3963, dpanning@bifma.org You are encouraged to send comments directly to BIFMA (with copy to psa@ansi.org). David explains its emergent standard for furniture designed for use in healthcare settings in the videorecording linked below:
Contacts: Mike Anthony, Christine Fischer, Jack Janveja, Dave Panning
Category: Architectural, Facility Asset Management
Related:
A Guide to United States Furniture Compliance Requirements
International Code Council: Current Code Development Cycle 2024-2026
International Building Code: Chapter 1 Scope and Administration
Today at the usual hour we examine a few representative contracts:
University of Michigan Standard General Conditions
Wayne State University Supplementary Conditions of Construction
Princeton University: General Terms & Conditions for Construction Contracts
Universities Wisconsin: General Conditions of the Contract for Construction
The cost of compliance with general conditions in a typical construction project can vary widely depending on factors like project size, complexity, location, and specific requirements. General conditions refer to the indirect costs that support the project—things like project management, temporary facilities, safety measures, and administrative expenses—not the direct costs of labor, materials, or equipment tied to physical construction.
In percentage terms, general conditions typically account for 5% to 15% of the total project cost, with most projects falling in the 5% to 10% range for standard residential or commercial builds. Smaller projects might see percentages closer to or exceeding 10% because fixed costs (like a site trailer or a project manager’s time) don’t scale down as much as direct costs. Larger, more complex projects—like industrial or infrastructure work—might trend toward the lower end (5% or less) since direct costs dominate, diluting the relative impact of general conditions. For example, a $300,000 residential project might allocate $15,000 to $30,000 (5% to 10%) for general conditions, while a $10 million commercial project could see $500,000 or less (5%) if efficiencies kick in.
Related:
Global Consistency in Presenting Construction & Life Cycle Costs
Scope: Standardization in the field of doors, doorsets, windows, and curtain wall including hardware, manufactured from any suitable material covering the specific performance requirements, terminology, manufacturing sizes and dimensions, and methods of test. The Japanese Engineering Standards Committee is the Global Secretariat.
Multinational manufacturing and trade in the door manufacturing industry involve the production, distribution, and sale of doors across international borders. This industry encompasses a wide range of door types, including residential, commercial, industrial, and specialty doors. Here are some of the key fine points to consider in multinational manufacturing and trade within the door manufacturing sector:
In summary, multinational manufacturing and trade in the door manufacturing industry require a comprehensive understanding of global markets, regulatory compliance, cultural differences, and logistics. Successfully navigating these complexities can help manufacturers expand their reach and compete effectively in a globalized world.
Relevant agencies:
ASTM International: ASTM develops and publishes voluntary consensus standards used in various industries, including construction. ASTM standards cover materials, testing procedures, and specifications related to doors, windows, and associated components.
National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC): NFRC is a U.S.-based organization that focuses on rating and certifying the energy performance of windows, doors, and skylights. They provide performance ratings and labels used by manufacturers to communicate product energy efficiency to consumers.
American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA): AAMA is a U.S.-based organization that develops standards and specifications for windows, doors, and curtain walls. Their standards cover performance, design, and testing.
National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS): NIBS is involved in research, education, and the development of standards for the building and construction industry in the United States.
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Two redlines that run close coupled with the International Building Code are open for public consultation until September 14 and October 15, respectively:
NOAA National Weather Service: Storm Total Maps and Verification
ASCE Codes & Standards Catalog
Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee
Code and Standards Open for Comment
America’s Infrastructure Score: C-
Our engagement with ASCE standards dates to the founding of Standards Michigan, when we challenged legacy live-load requirements for university armories whose contemporary use no longer resembled the military occupancy from which the requirements arose.
More
International Code Requirements for Windows & Doors
Transcripts of 2021 International Building Code Group A Public Comment Agenda
Class list day! #gosages pic.twitter.com/yumktgvM9v
— Adam Clapp, Supt (@MonticelloCUSD) August 8, 2023
Maddy Price – CMU Track and Field https://t.co/4FTFyTXSrh
— World Athletes (@world_athelete) October 18, 2026
2024 International Existing Building Code
2025 GROUP B PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE I-CODES | April 2025
Important 2024 IEBC Changes Affecting College & University Facilities
| Code Change | Campus Impact |
|---|---|
| 1. Occupiable Roofs | New provisions coordinate rooftop occupancy requirements with the 2024 IBC. Universities converting roofs into terraces, student gathering areas, dining spaces, green roofs, or observation decks must evaluate structural capacity, means of egress, accessibility, guardrails, and fire protection. |
| 2. Risk Category Clarification for Additions | Provides clearer guidance when additions have a different occupancy than the existing building. This is particularly important for laboratory expansions, medical research buildings, student health facilities, and emergency operations centers. |
| 3. Storm Shelter Coordination | Storm shelter provisions now coordinate directly with IBC Section 423 and ICC 500. Campus projects in tornado-prone regions should verify shelter requirements early during planning. |
| 4. Smoke Compartment Requirements | Certain renovations involving healthcare occupancies, student medical clinics, and assisted-living facilities may require additional smoke compartmentation during major alterations. |
| 5. Adult Changing Stations | Projects adding toilet facilities may now require adult changing stations in certain accessible family or assisted-use restrooms. This primarily affects stadiums, arenas, student unions, libraries, and performing arts centers. |
| 6. Exterior Wall Renovations on High-Rise Buildings | Installation of combustible exterior wall coverings or envelope systems on existing high-rise buildings may trigger automatic sprinkler requirements. This should be evaluated during residence hall and research tower renovations. |
| 7. Existing Automatic Sprinkler Systems | New provisions establish conditions under which certain non-required sprinkler systems may be removed following occupancy changes. Campus owners should review this carefully before renovation projects. |
| 8. Temporary Emergency Building Uses | New Appendix E provides guidance for temporary emergency use of existing buildings. Universities can incorporate these concepts into emergency operations planning during natural disasters or public health emergencies. |
| 9. Construction Site Safety Planning | New owner responsibilities emphasize development of site safety plans and designation of responsible personnel during construction. This is especially valuable on occupied campuses where construction occurs adjacent to classrooms, residence halls, hospitals, and pedestrian routes. |
| 10. Better Coordination with the 2024 IBC | Many provisions have been reorganized or updated to improve consistency between the IEBC and the current International Building Code. Campus design teams can expect fewer conflicts between existing-building and new-construction requirements during modernization projects. |
Facilities Most Likely to be Affected
“`
November 30, 2021
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.
FREE ACCESS: 2021 International Existing Building Code
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
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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