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By
Jennifer Lee
Aug 2004
Building
codes, they lay down the law of the land and have recently started to unify
across the
United States
. With the
merging of three previously existing U.S. model building code organizations
from the southeast, northeast and west into the International Code Council (ICC),
the new unified International Building Code or
IBC
is now set to
become the single U.S. model building code, from which states and
municipalities will derive their own codes as of January 2005. It is within
this set of codes that the standards and regulations for building
construction and housing as we know it, have been determined.
U.S.
building
codes have further combined into one single set of standards called the
International Building Code or IBC and it is within this set of codes, that
the standards and regulations for building construction and housing as we
know it, have been determined.
The
Building Officials & Code Administrators (BOCA) representing the
north-eastern
U.S.
, the
International Council of Building Officials (ICBO) representing the western
U.S.
and the
Southern Building Code Congress (SBCCI) representing the south eastern
United States
, have each
come together and formed what is now considered a "unified"
U.S.
model
building code. The resulting International Building Code (
IBC
) has been
adopted and considered to be the best of the bunch in light of previous
codes. The final product consists of one master document, which is currently
being implemented, not only in the
U.S.
but in many
other countries who are interested in improving their building standards.
With
every new development in the codes, houses as we know them receive a
facelift and the industries that help keep them safe and in compliance, such
as fire protection and preventative products, are placed on higher demand.
Of
course, the question then arises, can the implementation of new and more
stringent industry standards help sky rocket certain brands that builders
and developers come to rely on? How exactly do codes shape the industry and
what does this mean for the future of fire protection and safety regulation
and products?
While
we see an increasing number of assigned housing projects in the
U.S.
, as has been
predicted over the next couple of years, it can be deduced that codes will
help to set the bar at a new level in the buildings we conduct business in
and the houses where we live.
Michael
Huddy, President of International Barrier Technology Inc. a company that
"develops, manufactures, and markets proprietary fire resistant
building materials designed to help protect people and property from the
destruction of fire," offers some insight on the matter.
According
to Huddy: "A unified model building code will make the development of
specifications for products to meet these code requirements universal in
scope and help the companies producing these products market their products
wherever that code is adopted. Recent partnerships with companies like Mule
Hide Products, that develop and market building products all over the
U.S.
in
cooperation with their affiliate distribution company, ABC Supply, Inc.,
have offered Barrier increased distribution access throughout the
U.S.
This
increased distribution access will facilitate the delivery of product to
emerging markets as they are specified to meet with code regulations."
According
to the company’s site, International Barrier’s product Blazeguard® is
coated with a patented, “non-toxic, non-combustible Pyrotite formulation,
which has an extraordinary capability: it releases water when exposed to the
heat of fire. Pyrotite has potential application to engineered wood
products, paint, plastics, and expanded polystyrene.”
As
building codes continue to evolve, it will be interesting to note where fire
safety and prevention companies, maintain their lead within this industry.
The upcoming boom in the housing sector over the next few years, may
certainly produce some interesting results.
Jennifer Lee
Jennifer Lee has a degree in English Literature from the University of British Columbia . She holds a publishing certificate from Simon Fraser University and has worked at both Vancouver and Western Living magazines, where she began her career as an editorial intern. She has worked as an editor in countries such as Zimbabwe and South Africa , producing books, newsletters and editing various quarterly magazines on a variety of international development related topics. In South Africa , she worked to help produce a bi-weekly newsletter for the Institute for Security Studies on crime and corruption headlines which appeared in all national and provincial papers. Prior to working in southern Africa , she wrote articles for DMR Consulting, on mergers and acquisitions taking place in the market during 2001. She now produces a quarterly publication at the University of British Columbia and works on the side as a freelance writer.
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