No Cure for the Common Code?
Joel K. Sims, AIA
Prior to the International Building Code (IBC), there were numerous codes used in different regions of the country. Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA), publishers of the BOCA National Building Code and other National Codes, is now the International Code Council. According to their Website, "In 2003, more than 190 years of combined building and fire safety code development and 30 years of anticipation for one organization to produce codes for use across the country and around the globe became a reality when BOCA, ICBO and SBCCI consolidated to become the International Code Council."
There is no doubt that life has gotten simpler with one code being used throughout the United States. Yet, some states, like Texas, have not adopted a state-wide code. Other states add amendments to the code so that it becomes unique to each state.
Confusing Dates
The 2009 IBC is coming in 2010. Sound confusing? It is. Because we are used to receiving the September issue of a magazine in August, it seems peculiar to receive a new code that appears a year old. The International Code Council publishes a new code every three years, so the 2006 edition is being replaced with the 2009 edition. Yet it does not take effect until 2010. To confuse matters even more, each state elects to adopt the code at a different time. Pennsylvania will adopt the code in January 2010. It will go into effect in Ohio in June 2010. Minnesota is not adopting the 2009 code.
Coordinating With ADA
While there is (for the most part) one building code, school projects still need to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which outlines handicap accessibility guidelines. Herein lies another problem. The current ADA guidelines are from 1992. While the 2004 ADA guidelines were moving toward approval in the previous administration, the new administration came into power in January 2009 and pulled it from the review/approval process. There is no indication as to when the 2004 ADA guidelines will be approved. According to David S. Collins, FAIA, code consultant at The Preview Group, the debate seems to revolve around existing facilities. Will the new guidelines that reference existing buildings require the buildings that were previously made ADA compliant to be modified to address the new guidelines? Time will tell. In the meantime, while using the 2009 IBC, architects also need to comply with the 1992 ADA guidelines.
Commendable Changes
So, what is new in the 2009 code? Most of the changes are a result of the lessons learned from the World Trade Center tragedy and thus have to do with the design of high-rise buildings. For example, it is well documented that thousands of people were saved because they used the elevators to evacuate the buildings. So, the new code provides for "occupant evacuation elevators." While elevators will continue to be used for firefighters to access a building during a fire, there will also be elevators for occupants to use to evacuate a building. These are big changes to the code that have a significant impact on making buildings safer. There are numerous other changes regarding high-rise buildings, but they are not relevant to this school-related article.
Catching all the Revisions
The opening in a handrail has been increased to 4 3/8 inches! While this detail may not seem significant, it underscores the small code changes that can have a big impact on a project. If a handrail is installed on a school project and it does not meet current code requirements, it is often costly to change it, and disputes arise as to who should pay for the correction. In addition, code officials are not immune to making mistakes and can sometimes reject an construction related installation that is in fact compliant with current codes.
Constructing Wider Stairs
A much bigger change in the new code has to do with stairs becoming wider. This change impacts the size of stairs in schools, particularly in areas of assembly, such as auditoriums. The end result to a school district is an increased construction cost.
Conceiving Sprinklers
Most schools require sprinkler systems (unless they are really small schools). The old threshold for adding sprinklers was an area of 20,000 square feet. The new threshold is 12,000 square feet, which matches the 12,000 square foot area for assembly areas.
Confounding the Area of Refuge
In simple terms, an Area of Refuge is a place designed for a handicapped person to go during a fire that is protected and can be accessed by rescue personnel. While the location can vary, it is often in a stair tower. In the 2009 IBC, if a building has a sprinkler system, an area of refuge is not required. So, note the change: An area of refuge is not required in schools that are sprinklered. Now, note the exception: Current ADA guidelines do require it! Eventually (and fortunately), the ADA guidelines will line up with the IBC.
Covering Stage Curtains
According to Dan Collins, code consultant, the requirements for proscenium curtains has been simplified by referencing a National Fire Protection Agency standard (NFPA 80 - Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives) as the standard for testing of the curtain. According to Collins, it will be easier to specify and gain approval of the stage curtain material by simply getting the testing lab certificate for the material.
Contemplating Future Changes
I recently attended a seminar focused on the code changes that are coming in the 2009 IBC. What I found most fascinating were proposed code changes that did not get into the new code. One such proposed change, according to Dan Collins, was to increase the turning radius in toilet rooms from 60 inches to 92 inches. The existing turning radius was based on the turning radius of a wheelchair, while the proposed turning radius was based upon the turning radius of mobile scooters /carts. While the change was not enacted, there is the possibility that this change, and others like it, will be approved in the future.
Complex Educational Facilities
Schools are complex facilities, especially from a code standpoint. For example, while the main use group of a school is E-educational, most schools are "mixed use;" that is, they consist of more than one use group. A typical school can include Educational, Assembly (auditoriums), Business (administrative areas) and Storage. Each use can have different requirements. Because of the complexity of codes, it is not often easy for an architect to give a quick answer regarding a code question. While the revisions in the 2009 IBC are relatively minor for schools, it does not negate the overall complexity of building codes. While codes have been simplified, they are, by their very nature, complex. A professional experienced in school design understands these complexities and is able to assist with a successful (and code-compliant) design.
