Issue No. 5A

Sullivan Code Group e-mail Newsletter November 2000

BSA Codes Committee Hosts National AIA Codes Advocate at BuildBoston Meeting

David Collins, FAIA, president of The Preview Group, a code consulting firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been actively monitoring code development by the International Code Council (ICC) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), as well as ongoing attempts to reconcile these two competing organizations on behalf of the AIA. We are fortunate to have Mr. Collins as our guest at the BSA Codes Committee meeting this November at BuildBoston. Please bring your colleagues and a lunch to the Washington Room on Wednesday November 15th from noon until 1:30 (Code D2B for registration purposes). For more information contact Vernon Woodworth, AIA at avw@rwsullivan.com .

NFPA Scores Upset Victory in California Building Code War

The ICC was hit hard in their own territory when the California Building Standards Commission did an about face on the adoption of the International Building Code/International Residential Code in October and directed state agencies to proceed with the adoption of the Western Fire Chiefs Association’s 2000 Uniform Fire Code and IAPMO’s 2000 edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code and the Uniform Mechanical Code. As the WFCA and IAPMO are partners with the NFPA in the development of a new family of codes intended to compete with the ICC this development is likely to have significant repercussions.

Fire Incident Documentation Pilot Program Launched at BSA in October

Boston will renew its reputation as a pioneer city in the development of building codes as a result of the Fire Incident Documentation Program launched this past October at the Boston Society of Architects headquarters on Broad Street in Boston. An all-day training session on October 17th conducted by Ed Comeau, a consultant and former fire investigator for the NFPA, and Robert Duvall, the current fire investigator for the NFPA, introduced volunteers to the principles and procedures of fire incident documentation. Starting in early 2001 volunteers will begin to collect data on building performance at fire scenes. The purpose of this Pilot Program is to develop a nation-wide process for systematic data collection on building performance under fire conditions. This data is expected to be instrumental in the future development of prescriptive and performance-based codes. A recently incorporated non-profit, the Building Performance Research Institute, will administer this project. For more information contact Vernon Woodworth, AIA at avw@rwsullivan.com .

R.W. Sullivan and the Sullivan Code Group at BuildBoston

This year BuildBoston will be a celebration of a vibrant design community, a booming economy, and a city which is poised to recreate itself through significant reworking of its waterfront and central artery. R. W. Sullivan will be in attendance, celebrating over fifty-five years of service to Boston’s architectural community. Please stop by our booth on Arlington Street to say hello and learn about our expanded consulting engineering and code consulting services.

The Sullivan Code Group is: Paul D. Sullivan, P.E.; Herbert W. Eisenberg A.I.A.; Ed Kotak, P.E.; Ron Melucci, P.E.; Jim Albanese, P.E.; A. Vernon Woodworth, AIA and Kevin Hastings.