REGULATORY

CONSTRAINTS,
STANDARDS, AND
SUSTAINABILITY
The Regulatory Environment –
Zoning and Codes
O Zoning Ordinances – regulations and laws that define
how property in specific geographic zones can be
used.
O Building Codes – regulations and rules that specify
the standards for structures and buildings to ensure
safety, life, property and general welfare of the public.
O The Development of Building Codes
“ If a builder build a house for someone and does not
construct it properly, and the house which he built fall
in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to
death. “ (Hammurabi of 2nd Century B.C.)
The Development of Building
Codes
O Chicago Fire of 1871 - also called the Great Chicago
Fire, burned from October 8 to October 10, 1871
O International Fire Code – Fire Prevention and
Suppression
O International Plumbing Code – Outline requirements
for water supply and waste systems.
O International Mechanical Code – relates to heating,
ventilating and air conditioning systems.
O International Fuel Gas Code – concerned with fuel
gas used for heating.
O International Energy Conservation Code – Outline
requirements for energy performance.
O International Performance Code – a rewriting of the
ICC code as performance provisions.
The International Residential
Code (IRC)
O A comprehensive, stand-alone residential
code that creates minimum regulations for one-
and two-family dwellings of three stories or less.
 The International Building
Code (IBC)
O It establishes minimum regulations for
commercial building systems using both
prescriptive and performance related provisions.
Organization and Content of the
International Building Code
Building and structures in the international
Building Code are controlled by the
classification system according to their
intended function.
 USE & OCCUPANCY
CLASSIFICATION
O There are several groups and subgroups
that define a building’s specific use and are
numbered based on the
perceived risk the building poses to
its occupants
TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
O Identifies the type of materials utilized for
constructing the building or structure and
classifies the level of combustibility and fire
resistance associated with
its elements (including primary
structural frame, exterior and interior load-
bearing and non-load-bearing
walls, floor and roof).
BUILDING AREA AND HEIGHT
O The height and area limited for buildings of
different construction types is governed by
their intended use and construction type.
O Tables within the code specify the maximum
floor areas allowed per occupant for various
building types.
 MEANS OF EGRESS
O A continuous and unobstructed way of exit
travel from any point in a building or
structure to a public way
O Consist of three (3) separate and distinct
paths :
- Exit access (leads to an entrance to an exit)
- Exit (separated from all other spaces of the
building to provide way to the exit discharge)
- Exit discharge (between the termination of
an exit and a public way)
 ENGINEERING
REQUIREMENTS
O Subsequent chapters of the IBC go on to
define the specific engineering guidelines
for the structural adequacy of a building
structure.
O The codes define two (2) types of loading
conditions on a structural system
- Dead Load (weight of actual materials of
construction
- Live Load (result of occupancy and use)
AMERICANS with DISABILITIES ACT
(ADA)/ UNIVERSAL DESIGN
O Enacted in 1992 , a federal legislation that
mandates buildings be accessible to
persons with physical and cognitive
disabilities
O Includes ramps, escalators, elevators,
walkalators etc.
STANDARD DEVELOPMENT
ORGANIZATIONS
O Primary activities are developing,
coordinating, promulgating, revising,
amending, reissuing, interpreting, or
otherwise producing technical standards to
address the needs of a group of affected
adopters.
Department of Housing and
Urban Development
O Principal Federal agency responsible for
programs concerned with the Nation's
housing needs, fair housing opportunities,
and improvement and development of the
Nation's communities.
National Institute of Building
Sciences
O An authoritative national source of
knowledge and advice on matters of
building science and technology
 U.S. Department of Commerce
Voluntary Product Standards
O To establish nationality recognized requirements for
products and to provide all concerned parties with a
basis for common understanding of the
characteristics of the products.
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
O Demonstrate safety, confirm compliance, enhance
sustainability, manage transparency, deliver quality
and performance, strengthen security, protect
brand reputation, build workplace excellence, and
advance societal wellbeing.
O Approved to perform safety testing by the U.S.
federal agency Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA).
American Society of Testing
and Materials
O An international standards organization that
develops and publishes voluntary consensus
technical standards for a wide range of
materials, products, systems, and services.
American National Standards
Institute
O Works in close collaboration with
stakeholders from industry and government
to identify and develop standards and
conformance–based solutions to national
and global priorities.
International Organization for
Standardization (ISO)
O Promotes worldwide proprietary, industrial
and commercial standards.
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating
and Air-Conditioning Engineers
O Global professional association seeking to
advance heating, ventilation, air
conditioning and refrigeration systems
design and construction.
National Association of Home
Builders of the United States
O Works to enhance the climate for housing,
homeownership and the residential building
industry.
 Canadian Organizations
O Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
(CMHC) – responsible for administering the
National Housing Act.
O Canadian Housing Information Center (CHIC) –
part of CMHC , provides publications related to
all aspects of housing, building, and community
development.
O Canadian Wood Council (CWC) - national
association representing manufacturers of
Canadian wood products used in
construction.
 Trade Associations
O Represents the interests of the member firms
of an industry.
O American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)
- a not-for-profit technical institute and trade
association for the use of structural steel in the
construction industry of the United States.
O American Concrete Institute (ACI) – technical
and educational organization dedicated to
improving the design, construction,
manufacture, and maintenance of concrete
products and reinforced concrete structures.
O Portland Cement Association (PCA) - a nonprofit
organization that promotes the use of Portland
concrete.
O Aluminum Association – primary source for
statistics, standards, and information on
aluminum and the aluminum industry.
O Gypsum Association - to promote the use of
gypsum while advancing the development
growth, and general welfare of the gypsum
industry.
O Asphalt Institute - the international trade
association of petroleum asphalt producers,
manufacturers and affiliated businesses.
 Gypsum

(a soft white or gray mineral consisting of hydrated

calcium sulfate. It occurs chiefly in sedimentary deposits)
 Organizations under Wood
Industry
O Southern Pine Inspection Bureau (SPIB) - leader
in providing quality assurance standards to the
softwood lumber industry.
O West Coast Lumber Inspection Bureau (WCLIB) -
enhance the identity of the grading and
inspection services provided by the association.
O National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) -
designed with the furniture trade in mind to provide a
measurable percentage of clear, defect-free wood for
each grade.
O APA – The Engineered Wood Association - represent
engineered wood manufacturers and mandate things
such as quality testing, product research, and market
development.
O American Institute of Timber Construction (AITC) -
national technical trade association of the structural
glued laminated (glulam) timber industry.