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I-Codes
Hephaestus: God of Fire, Metalwork, and Building
Today we survey the broad sweep of the International Code Council catalog of best practice titles; incorporated by reference into public safety regulations in most of the United States. This session will be a “survey” and “organizational” session when we limit detail and simply identify priority titles and the technical specifics in play over the next twelve months.
Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
2024/2025/2026 International Code Council Code Development Schedule
Complete Monographs (To be posted soon)
Art Studios
“De Schilderkonst” 1666 Johannes Vermeer
2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE
Last update: September 30 2021
Safety and sustainability for any facility begins with an understanding of who shall occupy the built environment and what they will be doing in it. Since we are guiding young people toward their goal of building things that are useful and beautiful we select the International Building Code as a starting point for an occupancy that requires a more elevated concern for safety than a typical classroom.
2021 International Building Code Section 307 High Hazard Group H
High-hazard occupancies in each of the International Code Council code development groups A, B and C; fetch back to these classifications.
Public input for the 2024 International Building Code will be received until January 8, 2024.
For the purpose of formulating our own proposals we begin with the developmental transcripts of the previous code cycle. Recommended search terms: “Section 307”, “Studio”, “Classroom” “University” will give you a sample of the ideas in play. The complete monograph is linked below:
2021 Group A Complete Proposed Changes Monograph (2306 Pages)
2021 PUBLIC COMMENT HEARING SCHEDULE September 21 – 26, 2021
Webcast: 2021 Group A Public Comment Hearings
Titles in the ICC catalog are relevant to nearly every study unit in our Syllabus. See our CALENDAR for topics and do not be shy about clicking in any business day at 16:00 UTC (11 AM ET).
Issue: [18-166]
Category: Various
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Marcelo Hirschler, Richard Robben
More
Mount Holyoke University: Safety Guide for Art Studios
Standard Methods of Fire Tests for Flame Propagation of Textiles and Films
IEEE: Textile humidity sensors
Fire at Pratt Institute Destroys Studios and Artwork of Students
Princeton University Art Safety
Form v. Function | Function v. Form
“We shape our buildings;
thereafter they shape us.”
“The Architect’s Dream” 1840 Thomas Cole
Occupancy classification is “first principal concept”; the essential factor in architectural design because it helps determine the appropriate use of a building and the associated requirements for fire protection and life safety. Occupancy classification refers to the categorization of buildings or portions of buildings based on their intended use and the activities that will occur within them. The International Building Code provides a set of standards for occupancy classifications that are used by architects and building officials to ensure that buildings are designed and constructed to meet the necessary safety requirements. These standards help ensure that the building’s design and construction comply with fire and life safety codes and regulations.
A building that is classified as a business occupancy — as many classrooms and offices are in education communities — will have different requirements for fire protection and life safety compared to a building that is classified as a residential occupancy. Business occupancies may require fire suppression systems, while residential occupancies may require smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Additionally, occupancy classification affects the number of occupants allowed within a building, the type and size of exits required, the need for fire-resistant construction materials, and the placement and quantity of fire extinguishers and other fire protection equipment.*
International Building Code | Chapter 2 Definitions
International Building Code | Chapter 3 Occupancy Classification and Uses
International Green Construction Code | Chapter 3 Definitions, Abbreviations and Acronyms
University of Toronto
2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE
Chapter 3 Definitions
Chapter 6 Classification of Occupancy and Hazard of Contents
Chapters 12 & 13 Assembly Occupancies
Chapters 14 & 15 Educational Occupancies
Chapters 18 & 19 Health Care Occupancies
Chapters 29 & 30 Hotels & Dormitories
Chapter 40 Industrial Occupancies
NFPA 70 National Electrical Code
ASHRAE International
62.1 Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality Occupancy Categories
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
IEEE Recommended Practice for Electric Power Systems in Commercial Buildings
IEEE Recommended Practice for Electric Systems in Health Care Facilities
* The European Union (EU) does not have an equivalent to the International Code Council (ICC) occupancy classification system. Instead, the EU has its own set of regulations and standards for building safety and design, which vary by country.
The main regulatory framework for building safety in the EU is the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), which sets out requirements for construction products and materials that are placed on the market within the EU. The CPR is supported by national building codes and standards, which are developed and enforced by each member state.
In addition to the CPR, the EU has several directives and regulations related to building safety, such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the Fire Safety of Buildings Directive (FSBD). These directives and regulations set out requirements for energy efficiency, fire safety, and other aspects of building design and construction.
Overall, while the EU does not have an occupancy classification system equivalent to the ICC, it has its own set of regulations and standards that aim to ensure building safety and design across its member states.
Chores
CLICK IMAGE
Living off-campus provides students with autonomy, independence, and lower costs, but it also requires greater responsibility and may present challenges such as commuting time, social isolation, and safety concerns about the property itseld. We provide direct access to a widely reference standard of care with specific passages about heating, cooling, plumbing electrical systems
Benefits:
- More freedom and independence: Off-campus housing can provide students with more autonomy and independence than living on-campus. Students can choose their own roommates, decorate their own space, and set their own rules.
- Lower costs: In some cases, off-campus housing can be more affordable than on-campus housing. Students may be able to find lower rent prices or split costs with roommates.
- More space: Off-campus housing may offer more living space than on-campus housing, allowing students to spread out and feel more comfortable.
- Opportunity to learn life skills: Living off-campus can help students develop important life skills, such as budgeting, grocery shopping, cooking, and maintaining a household.
- More privacy: Living off-campus can offer more privacy than on-campus housing, allowing students to have more control over their living environment and social interactions.
Costs:
- Commuting time and expense: Living off-campus may require a longer commute to classes, which can be time-consuming and costly. Students may need to pay for transportation or purchase a car.
- Greater responsibility: Living off-campus requires greater responsibility and independence than living on-campus. Students must manage their own bills, maintenance, and household tasks.
- Social isolation: Living off-campus may make it harder for students to connect with their peers and participate in campus activities. They may feel more isolated or disconnected from the college community.
- Greater risk of safety concerns: Living off-campus can increase the risk of safety concerns, such as crime, accidents, and emergencies. Students may need to take extra precautions to ensure their own safety.
- Difficulty with roommate relationships: Off-campus housing can strain roommate relationships due to the greater responsibility and shared living arrangements. Conflicts over finances, cleaning, and social activities can arise and be harder to manage.
Hammurabi
The world’s first building codes were put in action in ancient Babylon by King Hammurabi around 1754 BCE. The codes were a subset of the larger Code of Hammurabi and were designed to regulate the construction of buildings in the city of Babylon. These codes emerged from a time of great social and economic change in Babylon. The city* was rapidly expanding, and the construction of new buildings was essential for accommodating the growing population.
Famously, building unsafe buildings carried “risk” to the builder:
“If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death.” (Law 229, Sacred Texts)
Fast forward 3700 years and construction litigation is Big Business. According to research by one of the first names in construction dispute research (Arcadis) the the average cost of construction disputes in North America is $19.6 million with an average length of was 15.2 months (2020 data).
When university-affiliated healthcare facilities are included in the count, the education industry is the largest non-residential building construction market in the United States at about $100 billion every year.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon | National Geographic
We meet at the usual time today for a status check on public commenting opportunities on best practice titles that set the standard of care for designing, building and operating the physical spaces of education communities. In the past we have limited our coverage to the International Code Council suite. Today we expand our interest to other model building codes; a few of them listed below:
Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures (7-16)
Building Construction and Safety Code
National Building Code of Canada
To a surprising degree these bodies borrow safety concepts from one another; owing to field experience, technological changes. response to government regulation regarding disasters and accessibility, among others. Some of the concepts we have been tracking:
Use of education facilities as storm shelters
Occupancy classifications
Carbon monoxide detection and alarms
Electric vehicle power supply from new buildings
Daylight responsive lighting controls
Scope of work in alterations
Enhanced classroom acoustics
Security (door locking, access, etc.)
Assemblies, laboratories, sport facilities, etc, etc, etc.
(Plenty to do)
We will pick through the transcript of the ICC Group B Public Comment Monograph to estimate the state of the debate ahead of this month’s meetings in Lexington:
Our meeting today at 11 AM/ET is open to everyone. Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
LEARN MORE:
Videography:
How is occupant load determined by the Life Safety Code
ADA Size and Clearance Requirements for Doors
Birth of Building Codes: Building Code of Hammurabi
Cambridge University Press: Roman Builders – A Study in Architectural Process
* The modern-day name of Babylon is Al Hillah, which is a city in central Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad. It is located on the east bank of the Euphrates River and was once an important cultural and political center in ancient Mesopotamia.
Stairway Lighting
Designing illumination for vertical ingress and egress paths requires reconciliation of competing requirements of safety economy:
Consistent and Adequate Lighting: Shadows and dark spots should be minimized to prevent trips and falls.
Light Direction and Glare: Light fixtures should be positioned to avoid creating excessive contrast between steps.
Staircase Configuration: Staircases come in various shapes, sizes, and configurations, such as straight, curved, or spiral.
Light Distribution: Lighting should adequately cover the entire stair tread and riser area to provide clear visibility and depth perception.
Energy Efficiency: Specifying energy-efficient light sources such as light emitting diodes and lighting controls such as motion sensors or timers.
Maintenance and Durability: Scaffolding safety should be a peak consideration.
Some of the foregoing challenges can be resolved with the use of handrail illumination but are accompanied by additional electrical wiring requirements.
Chazen Museum of Art | University of Wisconsin
The parent standard in the United States for designing and building facilities for accessibility is ANSI/A117.1 Standard for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities developed by the International Code Council. During 2023 this title will be revised but until then he 2017 release is the stabilized edition:
FREE ACCESS (ICC DIGITAL CODE PLATFORM)
Many A117.1 concepts require coordination with the International Building Code. We provide an example regarding stairway illumination below:
BCAC General 5 – IBC A117.1 Coordination 11-20-1027 File 16-124
We walked through this earlier in 2020. It is noteworthy because the proposed safety concepts will likely require harmonization with NFPA and IEEE standards bibliography. Committees usually take it upon themselves to get that right but getting it right means all committees need to work bi-directionally; action that is limited by time resources of volunteers.
Technical specifics in meeting the US Department of Justice requirements for accessibility is close coupled with A117 since it is incorporated by reference into federal law. 2021/2022 Code Development Cycle has been completed and another cycle has begun:
2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE
ICC (ASC A117) CONSENSUS COMMITTEE ON A117.1 04-27-2023 Minutes 31
Since the ICC catalog cuts across many disciplines we touch most titles almost every day at 15:00 UTC; open to everyone with the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
Issue: [13-36] and [16-124]
Category: Architectural, Risk Management
Colleagues: Richard Robben
FYI: Errata to 2017 Edition:
LIVE: I-Code Groups Public Comment Hearings
The ICC Group B Public Comment Hearings will be held September 14 – September 18 in Lexington Kentucky. CLICK HERE for the landing page for the event, schedule and links to substantive technical content. The hearings are typically webcast so we will follow them every day.
CLICK IMAGE to access webcast
The public comment agenda is linked below:
Complete Monograph: 2022 Group B Public Comment Agenda
The ICC typically provides a link to the monograph — which includes public comments on all titles for the present Group B cycle — ahead of the meetings. We look forward to the restoration of that link which was available a few days ago but, today, has gone missing.
It is a long document — the better part of 2000 pages — and must be undergoing revision. In the standards domain, everything is under revision; by definition. Use search terms such as “school”, “student”, “college”, “university”, “hospital”, etc. Keep in mind that there are two other title groupings — A & B — in the ICC catalog.
Update: March 30
2022 Group B Committee Action Hearings
Rochester, New York | March 27 – April 6, 2022
2022 GROUP B PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE I-CODES: COMPLETE MONOGRAPH (1971 Pages)
Codes and same concepts now under consideration in the Group B Cycle:
• Code Administrative Provisions
• International Building Code – Structural
Wind and snow load maps, calculations and calculators
Resilience of education facilities as storm shelters
Guardrails for fall safety
Photovoltaic system roof load on education facilities
Roueche, D.B., Nakayama, J., Department of Civil Engineering, Auburn University Ginn College of Engineering, “Quantification of Common Wind
Damage Patterns in Recent Windstorms.” May 2021
• International Existing Building Code
Mold control in school buildings
Adult and children changing stations
• International Performance Code for Buildings and Facilities
• International Green Construction Code (Chapter 1)
Roof mounted photovoltaic systems
• International Residential Code
Use of residences as daycare facilities
Smoke alarm audibility in sleeping rooms
Hemp house construction
More
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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