Pub. 1 2021 Issue 1

12 AIA IDAHO ARCHITECTURE | 2020-21 | www.aiaidaho.com The Importance of Building Codes BY DREW MORGAN, SE, BHB STRUCTURAL W hile not scientifically proven, it is well known in the AEC community that it takes approximately three years to become familiar with an edition of the building code. In unrelated news, the ICC publishes a new version of their model building codes every three years. Let’s assume for a moment that the ICC does not exist solely to burden architects and engineers with new standards to learn and owners and contractors with higher costs of construction. What then is the purpose of continually rewriting the rules that we all play by? As engineers, we are to “dedicate [our] professional knowledge and skill to the advancement and betterment of human welfare.” 1 Architects have a similar creed. Building technologies, systems, and knowledge are advancing as much as other sectors of the economy. If we continue to design buildings the way we have always done and ignore these advancements, we rob the public of their benefits. Frequently updating and implementing new building codes is how design professionals apply the latest building technology to benefit building owners and society in general. While mostly outside the purview of a structural engineer’s scope, the energy code provides a great example of this principle. Buildings account for about 40% of energy usage, 70% of electricity usage and 40% of worldwide carbon emissions. 2 Making buildings more energy efficient is the most effective way for society to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and energy dependence. Building owners see a direct benefit to updated energy codes also, as “buildings constructed under the 2012 code reduce energy usage by more than a third compared with the 2006 code.” 3 Now let’s look at an example closer to a structural engineer’s heart, design loads for buildings. 4 Loads on buildings can reasonably be divided into three categories: dead loads, live loads and environmental loads. Dead loads, the weight of the structure itself and anything permanently fixed are easily determined. We know how much things weigh and we add them up. Live loads include the weight of the people, furniture, partition walls, and anything else that moves around during