Ballanco elected ASPE President. Julius Ballanco, P.E.,

Ballanco

was elected the new president of the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) at its biennial Conference and Engineered Plumbing Exposition in Tampa, Florida. Ballanco has spent the last six years serving on the ASPE Board of Directors, most recently as Vice President, Technical.

Construction rises one percent in September. New construction starts increased one percent in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $635.2 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. Moderate growth was registered by two of the three main sectors for the construction industry–non-residential building and non-building construction (public works and electric utilities). This slightly outweighed a further loss of momentum for residential building. Through the first nine months of 2006, total construction on an unadjusted basis came in at $515.0 billion, up one percent from the same period a year ago.

Volunteers, Bill Neville (left) and Bob Sunday complete sheetrock work on a home in Mississippi that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. (Michelle Miller-Freeck/FEMA)

Building boom depletes county inspectors. A building boom in Jackson County, Mississippi, is expanding the tax rolls but depleting the number of county building inspectors needed to oversee the process. Planning director Michele Coats said inspectors are leaving the planning department to become contractors. Normally, the county's planning department has seven inspectors plus a building official. "They are making more money out in the field building houses as contractors. I've been through just three building inspectors since the storm. Right now, we have four. There are three open positions," said Coats.

The proposed green building standard is being developed to help drive green building into mainstream building practices.

Committee formed for development of green building standard. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) have completed formation of the committee charged with the development of Standard 189P, the ASHRAE/USGBC/IESNA minimum standard for high-performance green building. The proposed green building standard is being developed by the three organizations to help drive green building into mainstream building practices and is scheduled for completion in 2007.

Study shows energy-efficient school design lowers operation costs, increases productivity. A new national report, Greening America's Schools, reveals that building energy-efficient schools results in lower operating costs, improved test scores and enhanced student health. The report, produced by Capital E and co-sponsored by AIA, concluded that schools designed to be environmentally friendly save an average of $100,000 each year—enough to hire two additional full-time teachers.

Utah builder named NAHB's first Custom Home Builder of the Year. Utah builder Paul Magleby has been named NAHB's first-ever Custom Home Builder of the Year. The award was announced during NAHB's annual Custom Builder Symposium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

DESIGN OF STRAW BALE BUILDINGS
#9543S
List: $45.00Members: $40.00
For the first time, this is a design manual for practicing professionals, drawing on the collective experiences of the most senior and respected figures in the rapidly emerging field of straw bale construction. This is the only book that provides truly useful information for architects, engineers, building officials and builders who want to design intelligently with plastered straw bales. (Paperback, 288 pages.) Read the Table of Contents.

2006 IBC STRUCTURAL/ SEISMIC DESIGN MANUAL, VOLUME 1: CODE APPLICATION EXAMPLES
#9011S061
List $67.00Member $53.50
Volume 1 provides a step-by-step approach to applying the structural provisions of the 2006 International Building Code®. Featuring 57 examples covering a broad base of problems addressing both structural and seismic issues, this manual is an invaluable resource for structural and civil engineers, architects, code officials, and students. (210 pages.)

The following are upcoming events at which ICC staff will attend and/or host an exhibition booth:
November 9, Campus Fire Forum 8, Chapel Hill, NC
November 14-16, Build Boston, Seaport, MA
November 14-17, Code Officials of Lower Alabama, Mobile, AL
November 15, Illinois Fire Protection Association, Countryside, IL
November 16-18, Sunbelt Builders Show, Grapevine, TX
November 29-30, Structural Engineers Building Conference, Washington, D.C.

ICC ePARTNERS
Volume II, Issue 11
November 2006

ICC Vision and Mission Statements
Vision
Protecting the health, safety, and welfare of people by creating better buildings and safer communities.
Mission
Providing the highest quality codes, standards, products, and services for all concerned with the safety and performance of the built environment.

CEO Richard P. Weiland appreciates your feedback on this enewsletter. Please send your comments to COO Dominic Sims, 1-888-ICC-SAFE (422-7233), ext. 5267.

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©2006 International Code Council, Headquarters; 5203 Leesburg Pike, Suite 600; Falls Church, VA 22041 USA

(L-R) COO Dominic Sims, Board President Wally Bailey, ICMA Deputy Executive Director Elizabeth K. Keller and CEO Rick Weiland at the ICMA office in Washington, D.C.

ICC Board President Wally Bailey, CEO Rick Weiland, COO Dominic Sims, Government Relations Senior Vice President Sara Yerkes, Federal Programs Liaison Dick Kuchnicki and Special Assistant to the CEO Luci Vallejo-Mastrianni met recently with International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Deputy Executive Director Elizabeth K. Keller and other ICMA representatives to explore ways the two organizations can advance mutual goals. The group discussed sharing articles, participating in conventions and the role city managers can play in raising awareness of code officials.

Bailey, Weiland, Sims and Yerkes met with American Institute of Architects (AIA) CEO Christine W. McEntee and AIA Managing Director of Knowledge Resources Richard L. Hayes. The AIA Board recently passed a resolution making sustainability one of its priorities. AIA sees architects playing a major role in making buildings greener. ICC is a member of that coalition and the two organizations will be working on the effort together. In addition, ICC and AIA discussed partnering to raise the profile of the code official and teaching the codes in architecture schools.

They also had the opportunity to meet with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) President S. Joe Bhatia. Weiland encouraged ANSI to expand essential requirements to cover the ICC governmental consensus process and addressed the need for better ICC representation on ANSI boards, committees and panels.

I-Codes Chosen for Federal Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has made a favorable ruling on the use of I-Codes, according to Rod W. Arrington, C.B.O. and Construction Management Coordinator for the Federal Bureau of Prisons Design and Construction Branch. The Bureau's Assistant Director has signed off on a memorandum that allows the use of the International Building, Plumbing and Mechanical Codes for all federal prison building projects. The ruling states that the International Building Code (IBC) is the most nationally recognized building code, and its use will be mandated for existing institutions nationwide and for all new construction projects unless the local jurisdiction has adopted other codes and standards.

ICC's Dave Conover (second from right) demonstrates SMARTcodes during buildingSMART Day.

Government Relations Senior Advisor Dave Conover gave a presentation on SMARTcodes last week at buildingSMART Day in Washington, D.C. SMARTcodes is ICC's cutting-edge system to provide automated code compliance checking. Conover demonstrated a real building plan being automatically checked for code compliance to the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code. ICC is developing SMARTcodes in coordination with the buildingSMART initiative led by the International Alliance for Interoperability North America, a Council of the National Institute for Building Sciences.

World Standards Day a Success

	ASTM President Jim Thomas (left) talks standards with ICC's Sara Yerkes, Rick Weiland and Wally Bailey during the 2006 World Standards Day reception.

ICC hosted two tables at the recent U.S. World Standards Day Celebration in Washington, D.C. Board President Wally Bailey, Board Immediate Past President Henry Green and new Board Directors Gregori Anderson and Doug Murdock attended, along with CEO Rick Weiland, COO Dominic Sims, Government Relations SVP Sara Yerkes and local staff. Special guests included the National Association of Home Builders' Ed Sutton and Building Owners and Managers Association's Dave Johnston.

Weiland Announces Appointments

	Sims		deCourcy

CEO Rick Weiland has announced the appointment of Dominic Sims as Chief Operating Officer. Sims, who served ICC as Deputy Chief Operating Officer for the past three years, will be responsible for the company's day-to-day operating activities, including growth, financial performance, short-term and long-range planning, and strategic business activities.

Weiland also announced the appointment of David deCourcy as Senior Advisor to the CEO. deCourcy will assume additional responsibilities in addition to serving as General Counsel, including overseeing the activities of ICC's three subsidiaries: ICC Evaluation Service, International Accreditation Service and the ICC Foundation. This oversight will be consistent with those organizations' bylaws, ICC policies and principles of corporate separateness.

ICC Reaches Out Following Disasters
As news about the recent earthquake in Hawaii was being reported, ICC reached out to help those who were affected by the disaster. Congressional Relations staff visited the Capitol Hill offices of Hawaii's Congressional delegation to offer ICC experts as resources for questions and concerns regarding seismic building issues. They also distributed earthquake preparedness kits.

CEO Rick Weiland was also quoted in several media outlets, saying, "The good news is that no one was killed in Sunday's earthquake. A 6.6 magnitude earthquake in Iran just a few years ago claimed 30,000 lives. The difference is strong building codes. Those two earthquakes demonstrate that when disaster strikes, building to, and enforcing, codes prevents tragedies. Architects, engineers, builders, tradesmen, code enforcement officials, and others in the building safety and fire prevention industry work together to ensure your safety."

ICC also sent a letter to Bernie Weingardt, Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service, expressing the association's condolences after what is believed to be an intentionally set wildfire killed five fire fighters. In the letter, Weiland stated: "Yesterday was a very sad day for both the wildland and structural fire communities. I would like to extend our condolences to the families, friends and co-workers of the (five) U.S. Forest Service wildland fire fighters...who lost their lives while attempting to protect a home....Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and colleagues of the fallen fire fighters during this difficult time of loss."

CEO Rick Weiland (left) and Board President Wally Bailey recently joined staff members on a tour of the new ICC World Headquarters office space in Washington, D.C. Staff are expected to move in to the new location in early December. Above, Weiland and Bailey survey construction progress on this landmark building, which is the first U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified office building in the District of Columbia. They discussed some of the special requirements for the tenant finish-out to maintain the building's LEED rating. They also discussed issues of code compliance under the I-Codes, which are enforced in the District.

IBC Issues Examined
The Code Technology Committee (CTC) formed a study group under the balanced fire protection area of study to examine the height and area provisions of the International Building Code (IBC) after representatives from the California Fire Marshal's Office and AIA requested the disapproval of 28 proposed changes to those provisions. Kate Dargan, Assistant State Fire Marshal for the state of California, and David Collins, FAIA, asked that interested parties "resolve this complex and contentious issue outside of the hearings." The use of the CTC, in accordance with CP #5, will provide a forum outside of the time limitations of the code development hearings with the goal of preparing one public comment for consideration at the Final Action Hearings in Rochester, New York.

The study group met and reviewed the methodology and philosophy used to create Table 503, "Allowable Height in Building Areas," during the transition from the legacy codes to the IBC. Discussion included the role of modern fire protection requirements and the implications of changes to height and area limitations. At its next meeting the study group will consider case studies on different construction type/occupancy combinations.

Committees Act on TRB Code Changes
Of 14 proposals from the Ad Hoc Committee on Terrorism Resistant Buildings, two were approved as modified, one was withdrawn in favor of a proposal developed by the Code Technology Committee (CTC) and the rest were disapproved. The CTC also presented World Trade Center-related code change proposals. Two were approved and one was disapproved. Another proposal by the General Services Administration was recommended for disapproval by the committee, and was approved as submitted by assembly action.

ICC Makes Chapter Visits

ICC representatives attending the recent Code Administrators Association of Kentucky meeting in Louisville were (L-R) John Payne of Government Relations, Board Director Terry Cobb, Board President Wally Bailey and CEO Rick Weiland.

CEO Rick Weiland was joined by Board President Wally Bailey, Board Director Terry Cobb and Government Relations Regional Manager John Payne at the recent Code Administrators Association of Kentucky's Annual Membership Meeting in Louisville. Weiland spoke to chapter members about ICC's efforts to raise awareness of code enforcement officials, the importance of building strategic partnerships and strengthening ICC's services to its members.

Bailey also attended the recent Ontario Building Officials Association Annual Meeting and Training Session. He spoke to the membership about his goals for the upcoming year, and talked about the partnerships between ICC and its Canadian chapters. Weiland and Board Vice President Steven I. Shapiro joined Board Director Ed Berkel at the recent Missouri Association of Building Officials and Inspectors Annual Meeting. Weiland spoke to chapter members during the annual banquet on ICC and its plans for the future, while Shapiro swore in the new chapter officers.