Legal Requirements: building codes & accessibility codes

• Pages 349 - 363 in ”Sustainable Building Systems and Construction for Designers" by Lisa Tucker

44 states and the Department of Defense use the International Building Code

32 states use the International Residential Code 32 states use the International Fire Code

What are Building Codes?

• A building code is a collection of laws, regulations, ordinances or other statutory requirements adopted by a government legislative authority involved with the physical structure and healthful conditions for occupants of buildings. Building codes are the government's official statement on building safety.

• Building Codes establish predictable and consistent minimum standards which are applied to the quality and durability of construction materials. "Minimum requirements" means that construction meets the criteria of being both "practical and adequate for protecting life, safety and welfare of the public".

• So who needs building codes? We all need protection from tragedy due to fire, structural collapse and general deterioration in our homes, offices, schools, manufacturing facilities, stores or places of entertainment.

• Building codes embrace all aspects of building construction - fire and structural items as well as the plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems. They provide safeguards and ensure uniformity in the construction industry

• Inspection during construction is the only way to independently verify that compliance has been achieved. Inspections are conducted in homes, offices and factories to verify conformity to minimum standards, prior to the issuance of an occupancy certificate.

• Building codes are adopted by a state or local government's legislative body, then enacted to regulate building construction within a particular jurisdiction. The primary purpose of a building code is to regulate new or proposed construction.

• Building codes only apply to an existing building if the building undergoes reconstruction, rehabilitation or alteration, or if the occupancy of the existing building changes to a new occupancy level as defined by the building code.

Ancient History of Building Codes

• Building regulations date back to the beginning of recorded history. The Code of Hammurabi (2200 B.C.) Included a simple but effective building code provision; if an architect built a house so negligently that it fell down and killed the owner's son, then the architect's son was put to death.

History of Building Codes in the United States

• In early America, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson encouraged the development of building regulations to provide for minimum standards related to public health and safety.

• At the turn of the century, the insurance industry developed what many consider to be modern building codes in response to major urban fires in the United States. The National Board of Fire Underwriters published its National Building Code in 1905 as a model code; that is, one that could be adopted by a locality.

• During the early 1900's, model building codes were written by code enforcement officials of various communities with assistance from all segments of the building industry

BOCA Code

• In 1915, code enforcement officials met to discuss common problems and concerns. Out of these meetings came the formation of three organizations of code enforcement officials. The first of these organizations, known as Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA) International, Inc., was created in 1915 and represented code officials from eastern and Midwestern portions of the United States.

Testing agencies: provide valuable information used in developing code requirements

• The standards developed by the various organizations become a base for the codes in order to determine the quality of the material and the workmanship.

• Research and Testing Organizations ASTM -The American Society for Testing and Materials NFPA - National Fire Protection Association UL - Underwriting Laboratories FM - Factory Mutual Engineering Corp. ANSI - The American National Standards Institute

• Professional Associations ASHRAE - The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers ASCE - The American Society of Civil Engineers ASME - The American Society of Mechanical Engineers

• Trade Associations APA - The American Plywood Association SMACNA - Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association ACI - American Concrete Institute Etc.

occupancy types

• occupancy type: described in terms of

types: • A: assembly• B: business• E: educational• F: factory and industrial• H: hazardous• I: institutional• M: mercantile• R: residential storage• U: utility

construction types: based on the fire resistance of building components

• Structural frame, interior and exterior bearing walls, floor and roof construction.

• Type I: the most fire resistive (hard to burn)

• Type II:

• Type III:

• Type IV:• Type V: the least fire resistive (easy to burn)

building codes address nearly all aspects of the physical environment

• building codes address the performance of the physical environment, and include:

• structure

• finish materials

• mechanical systems

• plumbing

• electrical

Fire: urban disasters led to the development and adoption of building codes

• To read a history of the Chicago Fire Department, go to:

• http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/timeline/firedept.html

• To see a history timeline of the Boston Fire Department, go to:

• http://www.ci.boston.ma.us/bfd/history/bfd_history.htm

The Great Chicago Fire 1871

After the Chicago Fire

Chicago in ruins: 1871

Chicago in ruins: 1871

The Great Chicago Fire 1871

• A web site dedicated to the Chicago fire of 1871:

• http://www.chicagohs.org/fire/intro/gcf-index.html

• The blaze began about 9 p.m. on Sunday, October 8, 1871. By midnight the fire had jumped the river's south branch and by 1:30 a.m., the business district was in flames. Shortly thereafter the fire raced northward across the main river.

Cause of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871

• The fire started at about 9 p.m. on Sunday, October 8, in or around a small shed that bordered the alley behind 137 DeKoven Street.

• The fire's spread was aided by the city's overuse of wood for building, a drought prior to the fire, and strong winds from the southwest that carried flying embers toward the heart of the city.

• The city also made fatal errors by not reacting soon enough and citizens were apparently unconcerned when it began.

• The firefighters were also exhausted from fighting a fire that happened the day before.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chicago_Fire • A full account of the fire.

• The waterworks were evacuated although the tower was not badly damaged and still stands. During Monday the fire burned as far as Fullerton Avenue. Rainfall which started about midnight helped put out the last of the flames. 300 Chicagoans were dead, 90,000 homeless, and the property loss was $200 million.

Boston Fire of 1872

• In 1872 a burgeoning Boston, fat and complacent in the post–Civil War boom, ignored warnings that the city was growing too fast, too soon. The result was the Great Fire of 1872, a conflagration that left the commercial district in ashes and reshaped the city’s downtown.

building fires can be intense, difficult to extinguish, and very, very frightening

a house fire

Average building fire temperatures range from approximately 700º to 900º Celsius. Steel weakens dramatically as its temperature climbs

above 230ºC, retaining only 10% of its strength at about 750ºC.

Steel vs. Wood in a Fire

• Though steel is less flammable than wood and doesn't contribute fuel to a fire, it still performs poorly in fires.  Any urban firefighter can tell you that when steel gets hot it expands and twists, which often causes the roof system to fail and fall down - endangering the lives of firefighters and people trying to escape from the building.

• By contrast, wood retains its structural strength even at temperatures above 2000F and while it is burning.  When coated with intumescent paint wood structural members can withstand temperatures of 2,000F for up to one hour without failing.

Americans with Disabilities ActADA

• The ADA is a federal code, with jurisdiction over the entire country.

• ADA code web site:

• http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm#4.1

an example of an ADA compliant ramp:the incline can be no steeper than 1:12

this restroom is ADA compliant because:the hot water pipes are shielded, the size of the room is sufficient for a wheelchair

bound person to turn around, the faucet handles are automatic; no hand operations are needed to turn on and off the water.

fireplaces and chimneys

in a traditional fireplace most of the heat from the firegoes straight up the chimney

the fire chamber has to be lined with special fire resistantbrick to resist the high heat of the fire

wood burning stoveswood must be carried in, ignited, and then ashes must be cleaned out