On the 20th anniversary of 9/11... the Code Council remembers
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on U.S. soil — an event that would devastate a nation and change the course of history. As Americans, we still remember and we must never forget. It is a time to remember the courage of so many first responders and to honor the memory of all those who perished at Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the Pentagon and the Twin Towers.
Though it’s been a long road back for New York City, the nearly two decades since the attacks have been transformative. The new One World Trade Center — the centerpiece of the rebuilt complex — once again dominates the lower Manhattan skyline and many other elements, including the 9/11 Memorial and most of the skyscrapers on the historic WTC campus have come to fruition.
The nation’s building and fire codes historically have been responsive to tragedy. The 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center identified a new, challenging frontier in public safety for the International Code Council and many of the lessons learned from the collapse of the iconic twin towers have since been reflected in subsequent editions of the International Building Code and other safety standards. We now face complex issues — the ongoing concerns over the effects of climate change, the challenges of the built environment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating more resilient and sustainable buildings, and addressing new technologies — that now affect the professional building and fire safety communities and extend far beyond making the overall built environment safer and more secure.
Building safety, building confidence, worldwide
Conformity assessment is critical to safety for residents around the globe. Consumers have long been demanding safer building products, requiring that quality, safety, economy, reliability, compatibility, efficiency and effectiveness be examined through conformity assessment. Third-party conformity assessment is the best tool authorities having jurisdiction have to approve products for installation.
Conformity assessment for building products matter because at the end of the day, human lives are at stake. The Code Council family of solutions embodies all the elements required to foster confidence in the building community so that they can sleep well at night, knowing the products, processes and services they come in touch with meet the highest global standards.
Designed to unite the global community of building safety and construction professionals, Big 5 Dubai creates a platform where experts from around the world can share experiences and knowledge. The Code Council will be represented by its recently established Middle East and North Africa office during the Big 5 Dubai trade show to help the region’s building safety professionals understand how ICC solutions can enhance the capabilities of authorities having jurisdiction, consultants, designers, and building owners and managers. Read more
Successful training happening in Bangladesh
As part of the Bangladesh Component S-9 Project for educating engineers, architects, planners and other building industry professionals, an extensive training program was carried out on the new Bangladesh National Building Code 2020 and its background. Dr. S.K. Ghosh, Ph.D., president of S. K. Ghosh Associates LLC, part of the International Code Council’s family of solutions, served as an expert instructor from the U.S. alongside other professional instructors from Bangladesh. Read more
Duane Jonlin: Energy conservation requires a long view
Duane Jonlin, incoming chair of the ICC Commercial Energy Code Consensus Committee, identifies what he believes is a winning strategy for encouraging jurisdictions to adopt standards for improved energy efficiency. It involves jurisdictions implementing the most impactful code provisions available, and then afterward working to help make a successful transition to the new standards.
Jonlin recognizes that such a bold approach is not popular among builders and developers, but as the effects of climate change factor increasingly into the long-range planning of communities around the world, the need for decisive action is more acute than ever. “There’s an urgency about dealing with the climate crisis now because it’s looming faster than we had imagined it would,” Jonlin explained. “The committee is charged with charting a sensible path forward to achieve higher levels of energy efficiency in order to keep pace with the environmental changes we’re seeing.”
The Code Council is currently accepting code change proposals for the development of its 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and Chapter 11 of the International Residential Code (IRC). As established through the Code Council’s energy efficiency framework, the 2024 IECC and Chapter 11 of the IRC will be updated using the Code Council’s American National Standards Institute approved standards process. Read more
Get engaged in the IECC development process
Energy codes can have far-reaching impacts in communities and the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is the basis for energy efficiency requirements in homes, businesses, schools and other buildings. The Code Council and the U.S. Department of Energy will host a webinar on Sept. 15, 2021 — Engaging in Energy Code Development: Adding your Voice — on opportunities to engage in the development of the IECC, including how to use cdpACCESS in the submittal process. The Code Council’s Ryan Colker, vice president of innovation and executive director of the Alliance for National & Community Resilience; Laurie Rich, manager with cdpACCESS; and JC Hudgison, Code Council member and chair of the new International Energy Conservation Code Residential Energy Code Consensus Committee will present insights. Read more
The first edition of the International Building Code (IBC) was less than a year old when the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, occurred. Twenty years and seven editions of the IBC later, many of the lessons learned from the collapse of the World Trade Center's twin towers applied directly to building and fire safety and have since been reflected in subsequent editions of the IBC and other safety standards. The changes to the IBC — based upon lessons learned from that horrific event — were the result of careful scrutiny, passionate debate and, ultimately, professional consensus. Along the way, building safety and fire protection professionals wrestled with complex and wide-ranging questions, including the very nature of what building regulations and codes are intended, and expected, to accomplish. Read more
The role of the ICC CTC in WTC-related code changes
In this 2011 Building Safety Journal Online article, Carl Baldassarra reviews the changes adopted into the International Codes following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC), and the work of the Code Council's Code Technology Committee (CTC) and the Ad Hoc Committee on Terrorism-Resistant Buildings, which represent an important recognition that our building designs and technology need to evolve to meet the needs of our society in response to a changing world. Read more
How tall building design has changed 20 years on from 9/11 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER
On Sept. 11, 2001, the collapse of the twin towers at New York’s World Trade Center cast a long shadow over the future of high-rise construction and led to changes in engineering design. Official investigations showed that the towers collapsed after the heat generated by aircraft fuel ignited fires and weakened the steel cores of the buildings, eventually triggering progressive collapses. Twenty years on, tall building design has evolved to improve structural stability as well as emergency access and escape. Read more
A modification to Section 903.3.1.2 (NFPA 13R Sprinkler Protection) in the 2021 International Building Code states that the maximum building height where an NFPA 13R sprinkler system is permitted has been reduced. In addition, where the podium provisions of Section 510 are applied, the story height measuring point has been changed to grade plane. Read more
Primer on Code Council standards development: The initial draft
At its core, standards development activities are aimed at producing a document that outlines specific requirements or procedures. In this installment, we discuss the process of putting pen to paper.
The ultimate protection against backflow is to not have a connection between the potable water system and any source of contamination, and the best method for accomplishing that is to provide an air gap, which is a vertical separation between the outlet discharge from the potable system to the flood level rim of a fixture, reservoir, tank, etc. Read more
Call for committee for new ICC 903 standard
The Code Council is currently accepting applications for the Solar Thermal Standard Consensus Committee (IS-STSC) to produce a new standard, ICC 903/SRCC 500, Solar Hot Water Storage Tanks. This committee will have primary responsibility for developing a standard to safeguard the public health, safety and general welfare through design, construction and testing requirements for solar hot water storage tanks intended for use in solar water heating systems. The deadline to submit applications is Sept. 30, 2021. Read more
Meet Code Council member Gerard Richards Building Inspector II, City of Gilroy, California
"I was encouraged by many inspectors to pursue this career path and I went on many ride-along inspections. This was invaluable as it gave me real-world experience in the role of an inspector."
The 2021 annual Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Day — coordinated by Women In Code Enforcement and Development (WICED) and PermitTechNation (PTN) — will take place on Sept. 18, 2021, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, prior to this year’s ICC annual conference and code hearings. Three homes on one site will be prepared (interior work and minor landscaping) for three deserving families. Known for putting on their hard hats and work gloves and coming together to work on renovating a home for those in need through Habitat for Humanity since 2014, WICED and PTN chapter members work alongside volunteering code professionals, spouses and friends, and even ICC board directors for this annual day of community service. If you’d like to volunteer or donate, please email WICED at wiced@wicedicc.org for more information.
Dan Weed receives ICC Region XI award LINKEDIN NEWS
Dan Weed, building official for the city of Victor, Colorado, and code consultant at Shums Coda Associates, was awarded the Gilbert Gonzalez ICC Region XI Leadership Award.
Restroom privacy and sensible construction CONSTRUCTION SPECIFIER
New transgender access legislation has transformed privacy from a trend to more of a permanent expectation across a range of building types, from Class A offices to high schools. There are five key categories of restroom privacy solutions, spanning from traditional partitions to single-user individual toilet rooms. Read more
Five tips for building a solar drone program SOLAR POWER WORLD
For years, solar surveyors have worked manually, climbing on roofs, measuring by hand and providing manual sketches to designers. Now, solar groups are trying drones to improve site survey quality and speed. After learning a few lessons the hard way, they're sharing their top insights for companies looking to use drones in their solar business. Read more
Infrastructure bill to address stormwater sector needs STORMWATER REPORT
The U.S. Senate recently passed its version of a long-awaited infrastructure package that proposes to allocate approximately $1.2 trillion toward new research, grant programs and modernization projects for a range of U.S. infrastructure segments. The bill, which contains similar provisions to a $715 billion package passed by the House of Representatives, prescribes an extensive set of investments in U.S. stormwater programs over the next five years. Read more