David Collins Recalls His Multi-Decade Career in Code Development and Application

David Collins, President of The Preview Group and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), has been involved with the International Code Council since its establishment.

Collins was an active participant in the AIA Standards and Codes Committee when it began to explore ways to simplify the future of code development and building safety. At that time, building codes were regionally divided among the Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA), the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) and the Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI). This made it difficult to get a national consensus on building safety, creating unnecessary challenges for builders and building officials alike.

“The whole terminology used in the three major model codes was a problem,” Collins recalled. As an AIA representative, he lobbied heavily with BOCA, ICBO and SBCCI to encourage them to consolidate into one code solution. “During that process, the thought of the Code Council came from within those three groups.”

SEE RELATED: The International Code Council Through the Years

Collins was among the advocates who signed an understanding that a single code would provide the best path forward.

“I was proud to be part of that,” said Collins. “[We believed] that those three building codes could be merged so that we could focus our energy not on three different codes, but on one uniform national code.”

His commitment to building safety paid off when the Code Council was officially formed in 1994, but Collins’ work was far from over. He would spend the next few decades continuing his work in interpreting codes and applying standards for architects, engineers, developers and builders.

A Powerful, Multi-Decade Career in Code Development

Collins’ career began in 1975 after he received his architecture license from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. He quickly moved into codes and standards when he joined the Hamilton County Building Department in 1977 and worked his way up to System Chief Building Official before joining the National Forest and Paper Association in 1985. Shortly after he founded The Preview Group, an architectural consulting firm that specializes in building codes and regulatory issues within the construction industry.

“In 2000 I officially started working for the American Institute of Architects as a consultant on code developments and standards developments,” said Collins. “I took over their codes processes, code applications and efforts across the board.”

Collins also served as the AIA’s voting representative on the ANSI A117.1 Committee, which focuses on making improvements to the A117.1 Accessibility Standard.

“The A117.1 Committee felt the need to reexamine many of the limits that were still in place through the Americans with Disabilities Act,” said Collins. “We moved to create a whole new set of minimums within the design and construction portions in regulations. Then things like adult changing tables became important because we have more individuals with disabilities needing places of attendance that didn’t exist. We addressed it, studied it, examined it and brought it forward into the minimum criteria that are much more stringent than they were originally.”

See Related: An Inside Look at How Adult Changing Table Advocates are Improving Accessibility, Part 1

Collins also served on other committees, including the Sustainability, Energy & High-Performance Building Code Action Committee, which he chaired for six years.

He also embarked on a personal project that involved a four-story building in Downtown Cincinnati. Built to house and sell pianos in 1919, the building was constructed with a heavy wood frame interior that was architecturally interesting to Collins. He saw the potential for both office and living spaces and acquired the building to begin his renovations. The second floor would ultimately become his office while the third and fourth floors became a new home for Collins and his wife.

“The building had these wonderful old maple floors, but there was a lot of damage from the prior owners who had allowed it to deteriorate,” said Collins. “We repaired what we could. We put in insulation, a new HVAC, new ceilings, new electrical and new plumbing throughout the building.”

While the first floor remained uncommitted (a byproduct of dwindling interest in downtown storefronts), Collins made use of every other part of the building, including the roof, which he turned into a garden.

At 78 years old, Collins said he is now semi-retired. He is continuing his work with The Preview Group and has set his sights on a new project: a house on eight acres. He and his wife decided to make the move – and sell his beloved downtown home – to build an even bigger garden with more land to utilize.

A Humbling Award for His Notable Legacy with the Code Council

Collins is proud to have been part of so many pivotal moments in code development, particularly his committee work, which has helped shape the present and future of accessibility and sustainability. His achievements and commitment to the code were recognized in 2017 when he received the Bobby J. Fowler Award. Named after the man who led the charge to create the consolidated Code Council and served as its first chairman, the Bobby J. Fowler Award is the Code Council’s most prestigious honor.

The award was doubly important to Collins, not only because of his extensive work with the Code Council but also because of his close friendship with Fowler. He said that learning about the award was like “finding out that there are people in an organization that you’ve worked with for a long time who care about what you’ve done, how you’ve done it and why.”

“Bobby Fowler was a very close friend of mine in the years up to and the creation of the Code Council,” said Collins. “He was one of the men in this world that was seriously wanting to do good at the highest levels. He was so important to the Code Council that they named the award after him. To have that honor given to me was hugely humbling. I was honored to be able to accept that award with dozens of friends at the Code Council’s 2017 Annual Conference and Expo in Columbus, OH.”

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