Greetings from the Code Arena: And the three shall be one.

THE MEMBERS OF SBCCI JOINED THEIR fellow members of BOCA and ICBO in voting for a merger of the three model code agencies. The voting took place on October 9, 2000, at the Annual Research and Education Conference in Nashville, TN. The resolution included a caveat for final approval of the merged organization plan by the SBCCI membership, once completed. The SBGCI membership also voted in favor of a consensus code development process for the ICC codes.

Can we agree on that?

The SBCCI vote is consistent with that of the BOCA members at their Annual Conference in September. BOCA members voted for the ICC to move to a consensus process that would "provide all interests in the construction community a more definitive role and responsibility in the development of the International Codes while maintaining a balance of interests in the decision making process and avoiding domination by proprietary interests."

In contrast, ICBO approved a resolution asking for a "governmental consensus process" at their Annual Conference in September. If the merger of the three model code agencies is to be successful, a code development process will need to be developed that satisfies the requirements of all three groups.

ANSI and ASTM are two organizations that have long been recognized for their use of consensus processes to develop standards. To gain ANSI certification of a standard, it must be demonstrated that consensus for approval of the standard has been met.

ANSI recently published the following Principles of Standards Development in its report, A National Standards Strategy for the United States.

In successful standard processes

* Decisions are reached through consensus among those affected.

* Participation is open to all affected interests.

* Balance is maintained among competing interests.

* The process is transparent--information on the process and progress is directly available.

* Due process assures that all views will be considered and that appeals are possible.

* The process is flexible, allowing the use of different methodologies to meet the needs of different technology and product sectors.

* The process is timely; purely administrative matters do not slow down the work.

* Standards activities are coherent, avoiding overlap or conflict.

* Successful standards processes yield the right results.

* Standards are relevant, meeting agreed criteria and satisfying real needs by providing added value.

* Standards are responsive to the real world; they use available, current technology and do not unnecessarily invalidate existing products or processes.

* Standards are performance-based, specifying essential characteristics rather than detailed designs.

Both BOCA and SBCCI have strongly supported use of consensus processes for many years. In an editorial in the July/August 2000 edition of Southern Building magazine, William Tangye, CEO of SBCCI, pointed out that the elected officials who will be asked to adopt the International Codes were elected in the classical consensus process where everyone votes. Mr. Tangye further observes that "The more informed, dedicated members there are to contribute to the process, the better the end result will be. Professional (architects and engineers) and associate (industry representatives) have the same goal as active members (code and fire officials); assuring the public's health, safety and general welfare."

It seems clear that use of an open, consensus process is an idea whose time has come. Many ICBO members, however, feel strongly that they cannot fulfill the trust placed in them by their jurisdiction if they do not control the final vote on the codes that jurisdiction will be using. Conviction of moral obligation is a strong motivator, and one that is difficult to counter.

Administration of a merger

Agreement of a code development process is just one hurdle that the ICC will need to overcome to complete a merger. There is also the administration of the merger itself.

For the merger to take place, a procedure for developing a merged organization model must be established. This will most likely start with an equal number of representatives from each agency forming a committee.

Once a model is developed and approved by the members, it will be necessary to review existing staff and facilities and determine how to best execute the plan. It seems likely that the existing headquarters in Chicago, Los Angeles and Birmingham will be retained as regional offices for localized services such as education, technical services, sale of publications, etc. Each code agency already has small regional offices, and the merged ICC will need to decide if those will be retained, and if so, how best to use them.

The ICC will need to develop and administer the merged organization model and an acceptable consensus process within the next couple of years, while maintaining its focus on promoting the International Codes. It will be a trying time for the ICC, but if it is able to survive it, complete the merger, and successfully promote use of the International Codes in this country, the ICC will be well positioned to become a major power in the international construction market as well as the domestic market. The next few years will tell the story.

Ban on wired glass delayed

The ICC heard the appeal in August but had not rendered a decision before the first set of Final Action ICC Hearings began in September. Therefore, the ICC suspended action on the proposal for this year. Had the action not been suspended, the ban would have been included in the 2001 Supplement to the International Building Codes. Some states that are currently in the process of adopting the International Codes will be adopting the 2001 Supplement, while others will not. Consequently, the impact of the ban would have been sporadic across the country and quite difficult to keep track of. For now, it will not be a concern in the marketplace until at least 2003.

Final Action on an ICC code change proposal that would have effectively banned the use of wired glass in fire doors and fire door assemblies has been suspended. The proposal, as approved by the ICC Code Change Committee at the Spring ICC Code Hearings, would have permitted the use of wired glass in fire doors only "as vision panels." Representatives for the wired glass industry and the Glazing Industry Code Council (GICC) filed a complaint with the ICC on the handling of the proposal. The representatives claimed that the ICC restrictions on floor testimony prevented them from responding to all of the information provided at the hearings.

Sunroom additions recognized

Two code change proposals permitting sunroom additions in the International Energy Conservation Code were upheld at the ICC Fall Code Hearings. The two proposals by the National Sunroom Association define Sunroom Additions as "A one-story structure added to an existing dwelling with a glazing area in excess of 40 percent of the gross area of the structure's exterior walls and roof." Under the new proposals, they would be permitted with less stringent energy requirements for glazing if certain other tradeoffs were used. Among the tradeoffs required will be thermal isolation of the sunroom from the remainder of the dwelling, and heating and cooling provided by a separate system or zone from that used for the remainder of the dwelling.

Under the previous editions of the Model Energy Code and the 2000 International Energy Conservation Code, sunroom additions with glazing rates in excess of 40% would have been permitted if designed by a thermal design engineer to meet the stringent provisions of those codes. Achieving a glazing rate greater than 40% would require the use of the most efficient glazing available today, combined with heavily insulated opaque walls and highly efficient heating and cooling systems, if attainable at all.

The new provisions permit the sunroom additions to be treated as a space added onto the outside envelope of the building. The spaces are designed as a buffer, with less stringent requirements for the glazing, exterior walls and roof that separate the sunroom addition from exterior weather conditions, and more stringent requirements for separation of the sunroom addition from the interior of the dwelling. It is hoped that use of this language will encourage the construction of sunrooms on both new and existing homes, while preserving the intent of the energy conservation codes.

Safety glazing requirements will vary

Trying to keep track of where safety glazing is or is not required can be very confusing. The requirements in each of the three existing model codes, the BOCA National Building Code, the SBCCI Standard Building Code and the ICBO Uniform Building Code, as well as the ICC/CABO One and Two Family Dwelling Code, are similar, but not exactly the same. This inconsistency will carry over into the international Codes.

Because separate committees developed the International Building Code and the International Residential Code, the sections of each code that deals with safety glazing employs different language, although often with similar intent. Furthermore, beginning with the 2001 Supplement to the International Codes, they will contain differing provisions regarding glazing perpendicular to a door, and use of a protective bar over glazing near stairways, landings and ramps.

The 2001 Supplement to the International Building Code will require all glazing within a 24-inch arc of the vertical edge of a door to be safety glazing. Therefore, in a glazed vestibule, even glazing in walls perpendicular to the door must be safety glazing if the glazing is within 24 inches of a vertical edge of the door. The 2001 Supplement to the International Residential Code will not require glazing perpendicular to the plane of the door in a closed position to be safety glazing.

Safety glazing will be required near stairways, landing and ramps in both the 2001 Supplement to the International Building Code and the 2001 Supplement to the International Residential Code. Under the residential code, however, the glazing will be exempt from the safety glazing requirements if a horizontal bar that can withstand 50 pounds per linear foot protects it. These provisions are similar to those for protection of large lites of glazing near flat walking surfaces.

California adoption of ICC delayed

Adoption of the International Building Code and the International Residential Code by the state of California has been delayed six months. The delay is due to the massive amount of data that must be reviewed to coordinate the International Building Code and the International Residential Code with the IAPMO Plumbing Code, the IAPMO Mechanical Code and the Western Fire Officials fire code. Originally, it was anticipated that the new set of California construction codes would be published in the fall of 2001, with an effective date of spring, 2002. The cycle has been extended to permit interested parties more time to review the documents and submit proposed amendments. Proposed amendments will now be accepted until January 3, 2001.

Under the new schedule, it is anticipated that the 2001 California construction codes will be published in the spring of 2002, with enforcement beginning in the fall of 2002. Further information on the work and schedule of the California Building Standards Commission is available from their Web site (www.bsc.ca.gov).

California Building Standards Commission

Information on the development of a new set of construction codes for the state of California by the California Building Standards Commission and its 2000 Code Partnership is available on the above Web site. The site includes meeting dates, the monthly newsletter (Title 2-4), and state resolutions regarding the work of the commission. Site visitors can also request the 2000 Annual Code Adoption Cycle Monograph and ask to be placed on an e-mail list for the Annual Code Cycle Notice. The 2000 Annual Code Adoption Cycle Monograph will list all the code change proposals received during the current cycle for the new set of codes.