The Department of State Division of Building Standards and Codes (DBSC) is pleased to offer a Train-the-Trainer Program at the New York State Academy of Fire Science on February 13, 2019 for all qualifying interested individuals. Clink on the article title for additional information.
The ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) and the Engineered Wood Association (APA) released their first joint evaluation report for cross-laminated timber products (CLT). This program certifies CLT products for compliance with ICC-ES Acceptance Criteria for Cross-Laminated Timber Panels for Use as Components in Floor and Roof Decks (AC455) and ANSI/APA PRG 320 Standard for Performance-Rated Cross-Laminated Timber. The joint evaluation report, ESR-3631, was issued in September 2018 to Structurlam Mass Timber Corporation for its Structurlam CrossLam CLT panels.
The ICC Major Jurisdiction Committee (MJC) invites major jurisdictions to submit “Best Practices” that your jurisdiction has successfully used in a code administration environment. Best practices are professional procedures that are accepted or prescribed as being correct or most effective. For examples of Best Practices, visit the Best Practices Guide on the MJC website. After review by the MJC Steering Committee, outstanding contributions will be posted as examples of code officials helping one another.
Recent comments by leading elected officials point to building codes having minimized damages from a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Anchorage, Alaska, on November 30th and contributed to a rapid post-disaster recovery. The Alaska earthquake did not result in any collapsed buildings, widespread damage to infrastructure or loss of life, partially due to the strong building codes the state adopts – the International Codes (I-Codes).
The International Code Council joins a network of building regulatory officials from 14 different countries, called the Inter-Jurisdictional Regulatory Collaboration Committee (IRCC), twice each year to discuss current global issues in building safety. The second meeting of 2018 took place in early October in The Hague, Netherlands, and included a workshop entitled, “Building Quality — Improving the Compliance to Building Regulations.” The workshop featured a keynote address delivered by Dame Judith Hackitt, chair of the task force that produced the report of England’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, in the wake of the tragic Grenfell Fire. Dame Judith presented a comprehensive overview of the process that her commission undertook to investigate the regulatory system under which this disaster occurred
You can receive a download copy of “Building Community Resilience through Modern Model Building Codes” which addresses the urgent need for community resilience in the face of repeated major disasters. Provided by the Code Council and the Alliance for National & Community Resilience (ANCR), a 501(c)(3) national coalition of public and private sector stakeholders, this publication provides a comprehensive overview of community resilience, what it entails, and why it’s important. In addition to an extensive literature review, the document provides a number of examples of communities with effective pre-disaster mitigation strategies and outlines code provisions from the International Codes that were put in place to mitigate future risk.
The Code Council is seeking education presentations for its 2019 Annual Conference Education Sessions and the Building Safety & Design Expo in Las Vegas October 20-23. The first step to present at the Annual Conference is to submit applications by January 31. Step 2 is to submit education presentation materials by May 10. All presentation topics should focus on providing educational and technical information. Education sessions of the ABM should focus on basic or specialized provisions in the I-Codes, including but not limited to fire/life safety, plumbing and mechanical topics and leading-edge innovations in the building industry.
The International Code Council is currently accepting applications for the ICC Solar Thermal Standard Consensus Committee. Once appointed, this committee will convene to revise two current ICC solar thermal standards; ICC 900/SRCC 300-2015 Solar Thermal Systems Standard and ICC 901/SRCC 100-2015 Solar Thermal Collector Standard. The committee will be appointed by the ICC Board of Directors.
ICC Code Council members and stake holders, like Home Depot are preparing local events for the 2019 Building Safety Month. With its theme “No Code, No Confidence,” The ICC has expanded its Building Safety Month campaign to all year round.
ICC membership review and comments sought on Section R602.10.1.2 (2015 IRC) until January 25
A proposed committee interpretation to Section R602.10.1.2 (Offsets along a Braced Wall Line) of the 2015 International Residential Code is available for ICC membership review and comment until January 25. Technical Opinions on codes and standards are an exclusive benefit of ICC Membership. Committee Interpretations provide technical support and clarification of code text for adopting jurisdictions, design professionals, and members of the construction industry. Read more on the process here.