Building code

• Building Regulations History: Building rules have existed for almost 4,000 years. The
Babylonian Code of Hammurabi said that if a builder’s house collapsed and killed the owner,
the builder could be put to death. If the owner’s child died, the builder’s child would die
instead.

• Public Safety: Building rules exist to protect the health, safety, and well-being of people,
which is why designers and builders must be licensed.

• Roman Empire’s Experience: The Roman Empire realized how important building rules
were after an amphitheater collapsed in 27 A.D., killing or injuring 50,000 people.

History and precedents

• Builder’s Responsibility: If a builder makes a house that falls down and kills the owner, the
builder will be put to death.

• Punishment for the Builder’s Family: If the house kills the owner’s son, the builder’s son
will be put to death. If it kills a slave, the builder must give the owner a slave to replace the
one that was lost.

• Compensation for Damage: If the house destroys the owner’s property, the builder must
pay for the damage. If the house falls because it was built poorly, the builder must rebuild it
at his own cost.

• Ongoing Responsibility: If the house isn’t finished and the walls look like they will fall, the
builder must fix them at his own cost.

History and precedents

• Early Building Codes: In 1189, London’s mayor introduced rules for building walls with
stone to help prevent fires. It’s not clear if these rules were followed.

• Fires in London: In 1212, a fire partly destroyed the city. Then, in 1666, the Great Fire
burned for five days and destroyed about 15,000 buildings.

• New Building Code: After the Great Fire, a new building code was created. But by the time
it was approved, it was already out of date. London started rebuilding without following the
rules because there was no way to enforce them.

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History and precedents
• Origin of Building Codes: The building codes we use today started after big fires destroyed
cities in the 1800s.

• The Chicago Fire: In 1871, the Chicago Fire lasted two days, killed 250 people, destroyed
17,000 buildings, and left 100,000 people homeless.

• New Building Rules: After the fire, Chicago created building and fire safety rules in 1875
because insurance companies threatened to stop covering businesses if they didn’t improve
safety.

• Focus on Fire Safety: Many of today’s building rules focus on preventing fires because they
were created to stop such disasters.

History and precedents

• Moving to Risky Areas: As the population grows, people are moving closer to water, into
areas with strong winds, and into forests near towns, which increases the risk of floods, high
winds, earthquakes, and wildfires.

• Hazard Protection: New building rules now include ways to protect against these dangers
in areas where people live.

• Fire Safety: Fire safety is still important, but today’s building codes also include other
safety measures, not just fire protection.

• Codes After Disasters: Building rules were often made after disasters, not before. This is
why it’s so important to enforce building codes to stop tragedies from happening again.

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Model codes:
• Three Original Codes: At first, the U.S. used three different building codes.

• ICC Process: The ICC (International Code Council) changed this by creating one national
building code, developed by many code writers working together.

• Unified Format: The three codes were combined into one format, making them easier to
use.

• International Building Code (IBC): The IBC was created, reviewed by code experts, and first
published in 2000.

International building code:

• International Residential Code (IRC): This code is for building one- or two-family homes and
townhouses that are no more than three stories high.

• International Existing Building Code (IEBC): This code is for changes to old buildings,
including additions, repairs, and alterations.

Federal and national codes:

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): This law, passed in 1990, requires buildings to be
accessible to people with physical or certain mental disabilities.

• Federal Fair Housing Act (FFHA): This law, passed in 1988, makes sure that housing is
available to everyone, regardless of their background or disability.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires buildings to be accessible to people with
all kinds of disabilities, not just those who use wheelchairs. This includes people with
hearing, vision, speech, or thinking disabilities, as well as people who are short or have
limited movement. The ADA applies to all new buildings, and also asks that any barriers in
old buildings be removed if it’s easy and affordable to do so. Deciding what’s “easy and
affordable” is the building owner’s responsibility, not the architects.

The Federal Fair Housing Act includes rules from the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD). These rules say that new residential buildings with four or more units,
built after March 13, 1991, must be designed to be usable by people with disabilities. For
example, ground-floor units must be easy to access, and all units must have ramps or
elevators to make them accessible.

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State and local codes:
• State Building Codes: Each state has its own process for creating and adopting building
codes.

• Local Building Codes: Many local areas use the model codes with only small changes,
mainly for how the local building department works.

Other codes and standards:

Codes and standards are related, but they have different roles:

• Building codes (like the International Building Code) set the basic rules to keep people
safe, healthy, and protected in a building.

• Building standards (like NFPA 13, which covers fire sprinkler rules) explain the best way to
follow the code.

In short:

• Code tells you what you need to do (e.g., put in sprinklers).

• Standard tells you how to do it (e.g., how to install the sprinklers, how far apart they
should be, etc.).

….

When designing a building, architects usually focus on building codes and accessibility rules,
but they also need to know about other codes for things like electrical, plumbing, mechanical
systems, fire sprinklers, and fire alarms. These rules can affect the work of designers and
architects.

One important code is the Life Safety Code (NFPA-101), which is created by the National Fire
Protection Association. This code helps guide safety plans, like how people can exit the
building in case of an emergency.

….

Fire codes are maintenance rules that keep buildings safe and ensure life-safety systems, like
fire alarms and sprinklers, are always working in case of an emergency.

Plumbing codes set rules for how many plumbing fixtures (like sinks, toilets, etc.) are needed
in different types of buildings.

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Navigating code:

• Building codes are made to solve specific design problems using clear rules.

• Designers should understand what problem the code is trying to fix.

• By focusing on the reason behind the rules, designers can better understand how to use
the code.

• Designers have goals for how the building should work and look.

• They should make sure their design goals match the goals of the building code.

• Don’t ignore the code to get approvals. The designer is always responsible for following
the code.

• Approvals do not take away the designer’s responsibility to keep people safe and healthy.

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