We are in the 2024–2026 ICC code development cycle, which is producing the 2027 editions of the International Codes. The 2024 IBC is the current published edition (released in 2023/early 2024). Chapter 15 (Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures) in the 2024 edition includes updates on topics like roof drainage, underlayment, wind resistance, occupiable rooftops, and aggregate-surfaced roofs.
“Thammasat University has introduced an adaptive climate solution with Asia’s largest organic rooftop farm, the Thammasat University Rooftop Farm or TURF. Designed by LANDPROCESS, the $31 million TURF incorporates sustainable food production, renewable energy, organic waste, water management, and public space within its 22,000 square meters. A century ago, King Rama the fifth created the Rangsit rice plantations and a vast network of canals here, but it was paved over as Bangkok expanded. Integrating landscape architecture with the ingenuity of traditional rice terraces, the rooftop farm is an excellent example of cultural adaptation and reuse. Carved into the mountainous architecture, TURF maximizes the terrain to create multi-functional public spaces. Employing modern greenroof technology, diverse cascading plantations mitigate flood risks while growing food to feed the community.
Located at the main axis of the campus, the H-shape architecture stands for Humanity, divided into four equally-accessible sections representing a core element of democracy— people, liberty, equality, and fraternity. At the ground entrance a terraced amphitheater welcomes everyone, and a large sky amphitheater rewards those who climb to the top, offering a 360-degree panoramic view of Bangkok. As rainwater zigzags down the slopes, each level of TURF harvests runoff, forming unique micro-watersheds. At the end of its journey, four retention ponds at each wing mitigate and store excessive rainfall, capable of holding up to almost 3.1 million gallons of water once combined. And, the roof is equipped with solar panels which can produce up to 500,000 watts per hour to irrigate the urban farm from the retaining ponds and power the building beneath it.
TURF grows more than 40 edible species, including rice, indigenous vegetables and herbs, and fruit trees. Up to 20 tons or 80,000 meals of organic food are produced each year. TURF provides a platform to learn and share across various disciplines, and 12 individually designed areas on the slopes serve as oval-shaped outdoor classrooms. Through year-round workshops on sustainable agriculture, it leaves newfound knowledge for 40,000 campus residents and the surrounding community to use at home. Lessons on Thai agriculture, landscape, and native soil are embedded into the 1.7-acre Thammasat University Urban Rooftop Farm, educating future leaders to adapt and embrace climate challenges by building sustainable cities for generations to come.
* Click here: https://www.greenroofs.com/projects/t… to see more information about this project in The International Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database http://www.greenroofs.com/projects/. Did we miss your contribution? Please let us know to add you to the profile. Would you like one of your projects to be featured? We have to have a profile first! Submit Your Project Profile https://www.greenroofs.com/submit-pro….
Greenroofs.com Featured Project 2/16/21 Thammasat University Rooftop Farm (TURF) video credit: LANDPROCESS; photo credits via V2COM: LANDPROCESS; Panoramic Studio / LANDPROCESS; and Panoramic Studio / LANDPROCESS / Dsignsomething; Dsignsomething / Jinnawat Borihankijanan.”
Abstract: One of the most common questions in the early stages of designing a new facility is whether the normal utility supply to a fire pump is reliable enough to “tap ahead of the main” or whether the fire pump supply is so unreliable that it must have an emergency power source, typically an on-site generator. Apart from the obligation to meet life safety objectives, it is not uncommon that capital on the order of 100000to1 million is at stake for a fire pump backup source. Until now, that decision has only been answered with intuition – using a combination of utility outage history and anecdotes about what has worked before. There are processes for making the decision about whether a facility needs a second source of power using quantitative analysis. Fault tree analysis and reliability block diagram are two quantitative methods used in reliability engineering for assessing risk. This paper will use a simple one line for the power to a fire pump to show how each of these techniques can be used to calculate the reliability of electric power to a fire pump. This paper will also discuss the strengths and weakness of the two methods. The hope is that these methods will begin tracking in the National Fire Protection Association documents that deal with fire pump power sources and can be used as another tool to inform design engineers and authorities having jurisdiction about public safety and property protection. These methods will enlighten decisions about the relative cost of risk control with quantitative information about the incremental cost of additional 9’s of operational availability.
Today we update our understanding of best practice catalogs for outdoor and indoor watersport; primarily swimming and rowing. Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
USA Swimming and the National Collegiate Athletic Association Swimming are two distinct organizations that oversee different aspects of competitive swimming in the United States. USA Swimming governs competitive swimming in the United States across all age groups and skill levels, while NCAA Swimming specifically focuses on collegiate-level swimming and diving competitions within the NCAA framework. Both organizations play crucial roles in the development and promotion of swimming in the United States.
Governing Body:
USA Swimming is the national governing body for the sport of swimming in the United States. It is responsible for overseeing competitive swimming at all levels, from grassroots programs to elite national and international competitions.
NCAA Swimming: NCAA Swimming is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which governs intercollegiate sports in the United States. NCAA Swimming specifically deals with collegiate-level swimming competitions among universities and colleges.
Scope:
USA Swimming is responsible for organizing and regulating competitive swimming for all age groups and skill levels, from youth swimmers to Masters swimmers (adults). It oversees swim clubs, hosts competitions, and develops national teams for international events.
NCAA Swimming: NCAA Swimming focuses exclusively on college-level swimming and diving competitions. It sets the rules and guidelines for swimming and diving programs at NCAA member institutions.
Membership:
Individuals, swim clubs, and teams can become members of USA Swimming, allowing them to participate in USA Swimming-sanctioned events, access coaching resources, and benefit from the organization’s development programs.
NCAA Swimming: NCAA Swimming is composed of collegiate athletes who compete for their respective universities and colleges. Athletes are typically student-athletes who represent their schools in NCAA-sanctioned competitions.
Competition Format:
USA Swimming hosts a wide range of competitions, including local, regional, and national meets, as well as Olympic Trials and international events. Swimmers compete as individuals, representing their swim clubs or teams.
NCAA Swimming: NCAA Swimming primarily consists of dual meets, invitational meets, and conference championships at the collegiate level. Swimmers represent their respective universities or colleges, earning points for their teams in dual meets and competing for conference and national titles.
Scholarships:
USA Swimming itself does not offer scholarships. Scholarships for competitive swimmers are typically awarded by colleges and universities based on an athlete’s performance and potential.
NCAA Swimming: NCAA member institutions offer scholarships to talented student-athletes in various sports, including swimming. These scholarships can cover tuition, room, board, and other expenses, making NCAA swimming an avenue for athletes to receive financial support for their education.
A standard Olympic-sized swimming pool is defined by the following dimensions:
Length: 50 meters
Width: 25 meters
Depth: A minimum of 2 meters
Lanes: 10 lanes, each 2.5 meters wide
The total area of the pool is therefore 1,250 square meters, and it holds approximately 2,500 cubic meters (or 2.5 million liters) of water.
The organization that sets the standards for Olympic-sized pools is the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) — now World Aquatics — the governing body for swimming, diving, water polo, synchronized swimming, and open water swimming. FINA establishes the regulations for the dimensions and equipment of competition pools used in international events, including the Olympic Games.
The top ten universities that have produced Olympic champion:
Many settlements use well water as their primary or supplemental source for potable water, irrigation, or campus operations. This is common in regions where municipal water infrastructure is limited or costly, and groundwater from private or on-site wells provides a reliable alternative. For context, about 13 million U.S. households rely on private wells for drinking water, and many educational institutions follow suit due to similar geographic and economic factors.
Examples of Colleges and Universities Using Well Water:
Rural Campuses in General: Numerous small liberal arts colleges and community colleges in rural settings (e.g., in the Midwest, Northeast, or Pacific Northwest) draw from on-site wells. For instance, a 2025 analysis of campus water systems notes that rural colleges often contend with well water challenges like high total dissolved solids (TDS) or iron content, requiring specialized treatment such as reverse osmosis purifiers.
Oregon Institutions: Approximately 23% of Oregon households use domestic wells, and this extends to educational facilities. Oregon State University’s Well Water Program actively educates on groundwater protection for well-dependent users, implying local campuses (including community colleges in areas like Jackson County) rely on wells for potable supply.
Utah System of Higher Education Campuses: Public colleges like Snow College (in Ephraim, UT) and Dixie State University invest in filtration systems specifically for processing secondary or well water used in irrigation and operations. Snow College’s upgrades target well-sourced water to cut usage by 30%, while DSU filters secondary water (often well-derived) for campus landscaping.
Why Well Water is Used
Location-Driven: Campuses far from urban centers (e.g., in agricultural states like Iowa, Kansas, or Vermont) opt for wells to avoid high municipal hookup costs.
Sustainability and Cost: Wells support self-sufficiency, especially for non-potable needs like cooling towers or grounds maintenance, aligning with green initiatives on many campuses.
Treatment Needs: Institutions often add purification (e.g., UV systems for bacteria or softeners for hard water) to meet safety standards, as wells can introduce contaminants like arsenic or nitrates.
Water standards make up a large catalog and it will take most of 2023 to untangle the titles, the topics, proposals, rebuttals and resolutions. When you read our claim that since 1993 we have created a new academic discipline we would present the best practice literature of the world’s water standards as just one example.
The Water 100 session takes an aerial view of relevant standards developers, their catalogs and revision schedules.
The Water 200 session we examine the literature for best practice inside buildings; premise water supply for food preparation, sanitation and energy systems.
The Water 300 session reviews standards covering athletic facilities such as swimming pools, therapeutic tubs, ice rinks and the like.
The Water 400 session will run through best practice catalogs of water management outside buildings, including interaction with regional water management systems.
The Water 500 session is a study of case histories, disasters, legal action related to non-conformance. Innovation.
Water safety and sustainability standards have been on the Standards Michigan agenda since the early 2000’s. Some of the concepts we have tracked over the years; and contributed data, comments and proposals to technical committees, are listed below:
Send bella@standardsmichigan.com an email to request a more detailed advance agenda. To join the conversation use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
Water fountains enhance campus outdoor settings by creating serene, inviting spaces that promote relaxation and social interaction. Their gentle sounds of flowing water reduce stress, mask noise, and foster a calming atmosphere conducive to study or reflection.
Aesthetically, fountains serve as focal points, adding elegance and visual appeal to courtyards or green spaces. They attract students, faculty, and visitors, encouraging gatherings and community engagement. Environmentally, fountains can support local ecosystems by providing water for birds or plants.
Well-maintained, they symbolize a campus’s commitment to beauty and sustainability, enriching the outdoor experience and enhancing the overall campus ambiance.
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/njrDAbSpwBpic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
