Codes and Standards
The AIA advocates for comprehensive, coordinated, and
contemporary building codes and standards by working with national
code-setting bodies; educating its members, allied professionals,
and elected officials at all levels of government about code
issues; and organizing and participating in building code
workshops, forums, and conferences.
AIA's Codes Advocacy Program (CAP) increases the awareness of the
AIA as an integral part of the codes and standards development
through participation on codes committees and working with
associated organizations to develop codes that are most responsive
to the issues of design and the environment. For information
regarding CAP and code activities contact David S. Collins, FAIA, a
consultant to AIA at pregrp@aol.com.
Issues:
Justice Department Issues Advance Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking on ADAAG Guidelines
The U.S. Department of Justice has issued its Advance Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking, the first step toward development of rules
adopting the new Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility
Guidelines. No specific timeline has been announced for formal
adoption of the new ADAAG, which was published by the U.S. Access
Board in July.
Side-by-side comparisons of current and proposed
ADAAGs
The first chart is a chart of the existing ADAAG as
adopted by DOJ and the comparable provisions of the proposed new
guidelines adopted by the Access Board.
Comparison chart 1
The second chart is a listing of the provisions in the proposed
guidelines that have no comparable provisions in the current
rules.
Comparison chart 2
For more information: Read the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking or
The Angle article “New Accessibility Rules Process Begun:
AIA seeks member input for ADAAG responses.”
AIA Awarded Seat on Access Board Committee
The U.S. Access Board has appointed Jim Beight, AIA, an
AIA-nominated member, to a seat on its new Courthouse Access
Advisory Committee.
The Advisory Committee will advise the Board on issues related to
courthouse accessibility, including best practices, design
solutions, and the promotion of accessible features. Along with a
representative of the AIA, the Advisory Committee will include
federal and state government officials, members of disability
advocacy groups, and others with expertise in courthouse
accessibility issues.
AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Norman L. Koonce, FAIA, wrote to
the Access Board in August to urge that they include the AIA in the
Advisory Committee. Beight is a nationally recognized courthouse
designer with more than 25 years of experience and a recipient of
two national Citations of Excellence from the AIA’s Committee
for Justice Architecture.
AIA Codes and Standards
Advocacy
AIA Public Policies on Building Codes and
Standards
AIA 1999 Codes Task Force Report: C3
AIA 2002 C3 Update: Analysis of the NFPA
5000
Adoption of Building Codes Nationwide
 |
Click here to see which U.S. Cities have
adopted I-codes. -NEW-
Click here for more information on
I-codes.
Click here for more information on NFPA
codes.
NCSBCS Report to the National Governor’s
Association-November 2003
A National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards
(NCSBCS) report to the nation’s governors describes the
important role that building codes and standards play in public
safety and the economic competitiveness of our nation.
NCSBCS report
Updated Florida Code Does Well Through Recent
Storms
As weary Floridians grappled with devastating storm earlier this
year, officials were gathering reports on the efficacy of code
changes made after Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Now, in the wake of
Hurricanes Charlie, Frances, and Ivan, the news so far is positive:
Buildings constructed under the new code guidelines have fared
better than their older counterparts. Read More . . .
Phoenix Drops NFPA 5000 for ICC
In a major turnaround, the Phoenix City Council voted to adopt the
International Building Code, International Residential Code, and
International Existing Building Code. The 6-3 vote followed the
unanimous recommendation of the Code Review Committee. Phoenix
Mayor Phil Gordon had asked the committee to reexamine the question
of whether to move forward with the adoption of NFPA’s 5000
Building Code or to consider the ICC’s codes.
David S. Collins, FAIA, spoke to the Code Review Committee on
behalf of AIA Arizona to encourage the committee to avoid taking
Phoenix in a different direction from the vast majority of
jurisdictions that are adopting model codes. Along with AIA,
representatives of the Building Owners and Managers Association
International (BOMA), and the Homebuilders and Apartment Builders
of Phoenix, urged the committee to support ICC’s codes.
Collins, who serves as a consultant to the AIA’s Government
Advocacy Team on code matters, says, “Phoenix is simply the
latest jurisdiction to adopt the ICC codes, making it the single
code for all major communities that have adopted a modern building
code. It was because members of AIA Arizona and many public and
private interests in Arizona made clear the impact the decision
would have on the City of Phoenix if they did not make the right
choice.”
Angle, 9/30/04
Cities Continue to Adopt I-Codes
Two of the nation’s largest cities recently adopted building
safety and fire prevention codes developed by the International
Code Council (ICC) to guide construction and protect
residents.
Dallas adopted the 2000 International Building, Mechanical,
Plumbing, Fire, Energy Conservation, Residential, and Existing
Building Codes. Most of the adopted codes took effect in Dallas
July 1.
Denver updated its building safety and fire prevention codes for
the first time since 1997 when it adopted several I-Codes.
Effective October 1, the city started enforcing the 2003
International Building, Residential, Fire, Mechanical, Plumbing,
Fuel Gas, and Energy Conservation Codes. Denver Mayor John
Hickenlooper is a strong advocate of the I-Codes and expects the
adoptions to streamline city processes for construction industry
professionals.
Other major U.S. cities that use at least one of the I-Codes
include Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis,
Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Washington,
D.C.
Since 1975, the AIA has repeatedly examined the issue of adoption
of a single set of codes for use in the United States. AIA national
component has resources available to assist components advocating
for the adoption of local or statewide model building codes. The
AIA national component works with both the ICC and the National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to develop codes that are
beneficial to the architectural profession and the public. In
addition, we continue to call for resolution of the dispute between
ICC and NFPA. Nationwide, comprehensive, coordinated, and
contemporary codes will make a significant difference to enhance
safety, and reduce the complexity of building regulation. For more
information, contact David S. Collins, FAIA, at 513-621-2109 or pregrp@aol.com.
Angle, 8/3/04
ICC Finishes Part 1 of 2006 Changes
Building officials and industry representatives met in Kansas City
recently to review the final agenda items for the 2003-2004 phase
of the code changes that will become part of the 2006 edition of
codes. The AIA Codes Advocacy Program monitored the hearings and
took positions of support, opposition, or watch on almost 300 of
the proposed changes to the ICC Codes. See this table for more information
(pdf).
Of most significance are the changes that were approved for fire
suppression of assembly occupancies. Based largely on the concerns
following the West Warwick R.I., nightclub disaster, the
International Building Code Change Committee proposed to reduce the
threshold for fire suppression of assembly occupancies to 100.
Efforts to limit the proposal to only nightclubs and to eliminate
the 100 threshold were unsuccessful.
A reference was added to the ICC/ANSI A117.1 2003 that has just
been published. This new, more comprehensive document provides
greater flexibility in design and reflects the efforts to
coordinate the ANSI standard with the proposed new ADAAG.
Angle, 6/9/04
World Trade Center
Investigation
NIST: WTC Design Not Faulted in Collapse
Aircraft impact to the World Trade Center’s structural
components resulted in redistribution of column loads and damaged
the floor framing, core columns, and fireproofing, eventually
causing the towers to collapse, the National Institute for
Standards and Technology found in an investigation of collapse of
the WTC towers.
“Had the fireproofing not been dislodged, the temperature rise
of the structural components would likely have been insufficient to
cause the global collapse of the towers. Fireproofing dislodged by
debris left the components more sensitive to heat than any areas
where there was missing or think fireproofing before the aircraft
impacts,” investigators noted in their October 19 update of
findings related to the collapse of the towers on Sept. 11,
2001.
The team also found that the about 87 percent of the recovered WTC
steel specimens tested exceeded the required minimum yield
strengths specified in the building criteria. “However, the
safety of the towers was most likely not affected by the small
percentage of steel below the minimum. Building designs routinely
allow structures to withstand greater loads than are expected by
including significant factors of safety. Moreover, the structural
loads on September 11, 2001, were well below this design
level,” NIST reported.
The NIST WTC investigation’s goal is to recommend improvements
in the way people design, construct, maintain, and use buildings,
especially high-rises. NIST plans to release its draft report and
recommendations for public comment in December 2004 or January
2005. Current findings, including those released on October 19, may
still be revised prior to release of the final report later in
2005.
Click here to see all of NIST’s latest
findings from the World Trade Center investigation.
For more information about codes and standards, contact David S.
Collins, FAIA, at 513-621-2109 or pregrp@aol.com.
Additional Resources
Building Performance Committee