Codes and Standards
Stay on top of the latest news related to building codes, standards, and regulations with BD+C's Codes and Standards blog. Topics include: green building, seismic design, high-wind design, water conservation, energy efficiency, and building performance tracking and measuring. To submit a topic for consideration, please email David Barista, Editor-in-Chief, at dbarista@sgcmail.com.
Follow Codes and Standards:
Earthquakes measured in a San Francisco skyscraper may provide advances in science and lead to better seismic codes. The structure, equipped with the densest network of seismic monitoring instruments ever installed in an American high-rise, will measure tremors that even small Bay Area earthquakes...
A proposed LEED 2012 credit has the roofing industry worried about being able to fulfill sustainability goals on commercial projects. The “Avoidance of Chemicals of Concern” credit would effectively de-select over 90% of the most common roofing membranes and nearly 90% of the most common roof...
The General Services Administration, which manages most of the federal government’s building projects, requires that all of new projects be LEED Gold-certified, but some lawmakers and industry groups—PVC pipe manufacturers and the wood industry, for example—want to change that.
PVC pipe...
Incentive programs designed to improve workplace safety can sometimes discourage employees from reporting injuries, according to recent studies. And, if the incentive program does have that effect, it could put the employer at risk of violating federal safety regulations. In a 2009 report, the...
A new report provides a good temperature reading on the impact of sustainable standards in the construction industry. The total amount of building construction certified as meeting some form of green standard was nearly $70 billion worldwide in 2011, according to a report by industrial and energy...
Increased emphasis on safety at construction sites and other dangerous work places in recent years is paying dividends. The number of fatal work-related accidents in the U.S. has dropped from 5.3 per 100,000 workers in 1994 to 3.3 per 100,000 workers in 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor...
Collection and reuse of gray water/rainwater for toilet flushing, irrigation, and utility systems could replace 7% of drinking water production. This goal can be accomplished by capturing, treating, recharging, and maintaining all water flow from the building, thus minimizing ground-sourced and off...
The US Green Building Council (USGBC) is revamping the LEED rating system this year with significant changes to boost sustainability over the long haul. LEED 2012 is going through a third public comment period now, with a proposed October launch.
One notable update involves making sure that...
Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs for the U.S. State Department Kerri-Ann Jones will give the keynote address at the Third International Emerging Technology Symposium by IAPMO and the World Plumbing Council. Jones oversees a new international...
The Third International Emerging Technology Symposium by IAPMO and the World Plumbing Council features a session with the intriguing title: “Are Water Efficiency Programs Reaching the End of the Line?” As virtually every municipality in North America is facing declining per capita water demands, we...
