Codes Flashcards
What are some of the regulating entities that may have restrictions on building?
- Building codes
- Zoning code/ordinance
- City engineer or planner office
- Local fire department policy
- Special fire ordinances
- Federal Housing Authority rules
- Environmental Protection Agency rules
- Local Health Department
- Local or State energy code/regulations
- Local utility or drainage/waste company
- Local or national historic presercation regulations
- Insurance or lender requirements
- Deed restrictions
- State product or material safety rules
What is the relationship between local and federal building regulations?
Federal buildings are exempt from local building regulations except zoning rules, however, in most cases the federal AHJ will require complinace with local codes any way.
What might the architect need to do during pre-design/”programming” with respect to code research?
- Most code application occurs during Schematic Design
- May research codes that affect building location or programming, such as zoning or seismic requirements
- May research codes that affect heavily affect pricing/budget, such as construction type or fire protection systems
- Definitely want to establish which codes/policies will be applicable, in case any of them will have a big impact on SD
What are some of the most common formal codes that may apply to a building?
- IBC (with local amendments and adoptions)
- NFPA 1 (Fire Code)
- NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code)
- NFPA 70 (National Electrical Code)
- IECC (ICC’s energy code)
- ADA
In what cases might Federal regulations apply to a building?
- If the building is to be paid for or owned by a Federal entity (EG, military, government complex, ETC)
- Policies imposed by a Federal agency on a specific aspect of building (EG, EPA restrictions, Consumer Product Safety Commission rules on safety glazing, ET)
- Federal legislation (EG, ADA, ETC)
In what cases do State regulations usually affect buildings?
- State building code, which usually adopts IBC in some form
- State energy code
- Elevator, pool, ETC code
- Product safety code, such as fabric flammability
- Specific institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools, ETC
- Specific businesses such as restaurants
What are two of the most notable ancient precursors to building codes?
- The Code of Hammurabi, a criminal code that, amoung other things, punished builders whose construction collapsed or was faulty
- The Roman Twelve Tables, which goverened Roman life and, amoung other things, included building setbacks
What were the major steps in development of building law of old England?
- In 1189, he first building code, the “Assize of Buildings” was established by London’s mayor. Amoung other things, it prohibited certain flammable building materials and dictated party wall construction.
- After the 1666 Great Fire of London, Parliament established a code that, amoung other things, establish building types, allowable construction materials, and fee structures for inspections.
- In 1844, Parliament passed the Metropolitan Buildings Act which, amoung other things, set allowable building areas & heights, types of occupancies, and the idea of a building official.
What drove the earliest U.S. building codes?
Fires and spread of disease as citys rapidly densified, inceasing these risks.
What were the major steps in the development of building codes in the U.S.?
- In 1625, the first recorded example of a building code in colonial New York, regulating flammability of materials in roofs.
- In 1905, the National Board of Fire Underwriters wrote the National Building Code as a model code to reduce the risk of massive urban fires.
- In 1915, the Building Officials Conference of America wrote the BOCA National Building Code.
- In 1927, the Uniform Building Code was written.
- In 1945, the Standard Building Code was written.
- In 2000, the International Building Code was written, after the developers of these three previous codes worked together to unify.
What were the causes of and the resulting improvements of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire?
CAUSES:
- Overcrowding of workers
- Rooms full of flammable material (cloth fragments)
- One internal exit stair locked
- The other with doors that opened inwardly, allowing it to quickly fill with smoke
- The only fire estable collapsed under the weight of escaping people
- No fire sprinklers
RESULTS:
- Improvements to labor safety laws
- Laws requiring better exits, fireproofing, fire extinguishers, alarms, and automatic fire sprinklers
What is the Constitutional basis for building codes? How are they typically enacted at a local level?
The Tenth Amendment, which gives all powers not reserved by the Federal goverment to the States, allows each State to regulate building construction.
Some States have a Statu building code, while other leave it up to local jurisdictions to adopt their own standards, or, most typically, some blend of both of these.
It is through law (State and/or local legislatures) that codes are adopted and enacted.
What is the relationship between the architect’s duty and the A.H.J.’s duty to follow Building Code?
The A.H.J. has a duty to enforce building laws, but the architect separately has a duty to design buildings that follow building laws.
This means that the A.H..J.’s failure to enforce a law does NOT absolve the architect from having to comply with that law.
What is the current use and role of the NFPA building code?
The Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) is adopted by a few States and jurisdictions.
The Building Construction and Safety Code (NFPA 5000) was written in 2002, but is used by very few jurisdictions.
Where does the IBC land on the prescriptive-vs-performative spectrum?
The IBC is predominantly prescriptive in nature.
It is performative in two ways:
- it does rely on nationally accepted testing standards to define acceptable materials.
- it does allow for use of innovative materials and methods if they can be shown to be effective through testing or other analysis
What is the concept of “Least Acceptable Risk” in the IBC and other model codes?
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What are the common Companion Codes to the IBC?
- International Residential Code
- International Fire Code
- International Mechanical Code
- International Plumbing Code
- International Zoning Code
What is the nature of the National Electrical Code and its use?
It is the Companion Code used for all jurisdictions. It is published by the NFPA as NFPA 70.
