Chapter 9 Guidelines and Required Codes That Affect Building Design

Introduction • Guidelines and codes that affect home design – Traditionally from home-owner associations – Many attempt to follow green building guidelines • Building codes – Required laws intended to protect the public – Minimum guidelines for construction and inspection of a structure

Green Building Guidelines • Green building – Incorporation of environmental considerations and resources into the construction process • Green or environmentally friendly building – Designed, built, operated, renovated, recycled ecologically, and in a resource-efficient manner • Meet certain objectives (e.g., protecting health, using resources efficiently, etc.)

Green Building Guidelines (cont’d.) • LEED Green Building Rating System – Designed to help improve building quality and minimize environmental impact – Developed by U.S. Green Building Council – Requires a minimum number of points • Certified: 26–32 points • Silver: 33–38 points • Gold: 39–51 points • Platinum: 52 points or more

Green Building Guidelines (cont’d.) • LEED Green Building Rating System key areas: – Sustainable sites – Water efficiency – Indoor environmental quality – Energy an atmosphere – Material and resources – Innovation and design process

Green Building Guidelines (cont’d.) • National Green Building Standard ICC 700 – Developed by NAHB and ICC – Whole-house systems approach – Intended to increase home’s performance and efficiency

Green Building Guidelines (cont’d.) • National Green Building Standard ICC 700 key areas: – Site design and development – Lot Design, preparation, and development – Resource efficiency – Energy efficiency – Water efficiency – Indoor environmental quality

Green Building Guidelines (cont’d.) • National Green Building Standard ICC 700 key areas (cont’d.): – Operation, maintenance, and owner education • Levels of certification: – Bronze – Silver – Gold – Emerald

National Building Codes • Regulation of buildings – Can be traced back more than 4000 years • George Washington and Thomas Jefferson • Building codes – Now used throughout most of U.S. – Regulates issues (e.g., fire, structural ability, health, security, energy, new materials and technology)

National Building Codes (cont’d.) • Model code organizations – Oversee accredited laboratories and testing facilities • Material suppliers may have their own testing facilities • Many jurisdictions adopt building codes with local amendments – Vary according to location

National Building Codes (cont’d.) • National code options – Most states adopted building codes published by International Code Council (ICC) – Some might still be using one of the legacy codes of the ICC • Each municipality and state has the right to adopt all, or a portion, of the indicated code

National Building Codes (cont’d.) • International code family – International Code Council (ICC) • International Building Code (IBC) • International Residential Code (IRC) • Choosing the right code – Responsibility of the architect and engineer

Basic Design Criteria for Building Planning • Building codes influence design and construction methods – Understand ICC markings • Space is subdivided into: – Habitable space – Nonhabitable space

Basic Design Criteria for Building Planning (cont’d.) • Location on the property – Exterior walls of residential building cannot be located within 5′ of property lines • Unless special provisions are met • Zoning regulations may further restrict location • Made from materials with one-hour fire rating

Basic Design Criteria for Building Planning (cont’d.) • Egress and accessibility requirements for a residence – Means of egress • Egress doors • Emergency egress openings • Halls • Stairs • Handrails and guardrails

Basic Design Criteria for Building Planning (cont’d.) • Room dimensions – Affect the size and ceiling height of rooms • At least one room with 120 sq ft of total floor area • Other habitable rooms except kitchens are required to have a minimum of 70 sq ft and not less than 7′ • Minimum ceiling height of 7′0″ (some exceptions)

Basic Design Criteria for Building Planning (cont’d.) • Light and ventilation requirements – Major effect on window size and placement • Natural light • Alternative light and ventilation methods • Heating and sanitation requirements – Minimal • Rarely affect design process

Basic Design Criteria for Building Planning (cont’d.) • Safety equipment – Automatic fire sprinkler system – Smoke detectors – Carbon monoxide alarms

Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria • Key elements to design a safe structure: – Air freezing index – Flood hazard – Ground snow load – Mean annual temperature – Ice barrier underlayment – Seismic design category

Climatic and Geographic Design (cont’d.): Criteria (cont’d.) • Key elements to design a safe structure – Susceptibility to damage by: • Frost line depth • Termites • Weathering – Wind design: speed and topographic effects – Winter design: temperature

International Energy Conservation Code • Published by ICC and is updated every three years • Regulates: – Design and construction of exterior envelope – Selection of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, water heating, electrical distribution and illuminating systems, and equipment

International Energy Conservation Code (cont’d.) • Determining required envelope – Exterior envelope comprises exterior walls, ceiling, openings in walls and ceiling, and floor • Construction depends on climate zones based on wet-bulb temperature

International Energy Conservation Code (cont’d.) • General requirements for building the envelope: – Insulation • Material used to restrict flow of heat, cold, or sound – Fenestration • Openings in envelope • Solar heat gain coefficient and solar heat gain

International Energy Conservation Code (cont’d.) • Specific requirements: – Ceilings with or without attic storage – Mass walls – Floor/crawl space walls – Basement walls – Slab-on-grade floors