Building Codes

Confidence Through Sealed Engineering, No Seal=No Teammate

July 30, 2018

When building officials, or really anyone, reject an engineer’s seal instead of following the code compliance process for alternative materials, products, designs, building system designs and methods of construction, they exceed the authority given to them by the building code or professional engineering law.

APA Confirms Wide Range of OSB Design Values

July 26, 2018

An APA report entitled, A Review Of Large Scale Wood Structural Panel Bracing Tests, states there is a wide range of OSB shear resistance performance values given the wide variety of boundary conditions that exist in real buildings.

Benchmark Comparison & Boundary Condition Testing Are Important

July 26, 2018

APA states, and the SBC Research Institute (SBCRI) agrees, that test results can be affected by test apparatus and real world boundary conditions.

Competition Improves Everyone; APA Disagrees

July 26, 2018

Competition makes everyone in a market better. That is why SBCA continues to fight for a free and fair market place that has access to accurate and transparent information and facilitates good decision making.

A Guide to Properly Insulating Attics and Roofs

July 25, 2018

The performance of attics and roofs covers a big subject area, so this is the first of two articles addressing this topic. In this first article, we get every one on the same page, explaining the science and options available to builders and remodelers.

APA Introduces "Standard Factors for OSB Equivalency" Concept

July 25, 2018

On January 3, 2013, SBCA hosted a meeting with APA to address overstated OSB design properties in the building code. Mr. Elias, who attended the meeting, responded with a letter where he discusses the concept of “standard factors” for “product equivalency.

New Science-Based Construction Standard Coming to the U.S.

July 11, 2018

HOK and BRE today announced plans to Americanize the BREEAM New Construction standard for the U.S. marketplace. BRE expects to release BREEAM USA New Construction for public consultation in January 2019.

Grenfell Fire Should Not Spur Code Changes in the U.S.

June 27, 2018

Just over a year ago, a fire in London’s Grenfell tower killed 72 people and had building industries around the globe taking a closer look at fire protection. However in America, what happened to Grenfell is unlikely to occur because a building like Grenfell would not have been built in the first place.

Indiana Begins Review of State Energy Code

June 27, 2018

Indiana is beginning a review of the 2018 IRC and potential updates to their current, 2009-equivalent code. An initial public meeting will be held on July 18, 2018 where the Commission will review Chapters 7-12 of the IRC which includes Chapter 11, the energy portion of the code.

U.S. Mayors Provide Major Endorsement for IECC

June 27, 2018

The U.S. Conference of Mayors, at their annual meeting in Boston, adopted unanimously a resolution endorsing America's model building energy code, the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).