International Code Council launches process to conduct an in-depth review of the ICC Performance Code

The International Code Council announced that it will be working with Brian Meacham, Ph.D., P.E., an international expert in performance-based building control systems, to launch a process of reimagining the ICC Performance Code for Buildings and Facilities (ICCPC). The aim is to gain a better understanding of current thinking and perspectives across multiple disciplines about how performance-based approaches are viewed in the United States and internationally, and to learn from the past two decades of increasing use of performance-based codes.

When the ICCPC was developed in the late 1990s, the key areas of focus in the discussion surrounding performance-based design were structural and fire and life safety. Since that time, knowledge has advanced in many areas, such as indoor air quality, renewable energy and energy storage systems, and on the performance of building materials and systems. The current ICCPC also does not include explicit consideration of sustainability and resiliency concepts, which have become important components of building regulation. A more contemporary ICCPC could address these items and more, and it would also be better positioned to address matters of resiliency related to increasingly severe weather-related events. Like the original effort that led to development of the ICCPC, the current reconsideration of the code should consider the current state of practice in performance-based design, what advancements have been made in the U.S. and internationally, what is needed for broad acceptance and implementation, who the key players are, and what is needed to achieve the objectives.

“Performance-based design has both advanced and grown in use over the past few decades, and many standards development organizations in the United States have embraced performance-based design in their area of focus,” said Code Council Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims, CBO. “And while performance criteria and methods have been incorporated into the International Building Code, the time seems right to explore the potential opportunities as well as concerns that can support the development process of a modernized ICCPC.”

The Code Council has laid out a three-phased approach, the first of which is launching with a new ICCPC portal, which includes the opportunity for stakeholders around the world to register their interest in collaborating to rethink the ICC Performance Code, and to join an active discussion through a new Code Council-moderated discussion forum on LinkedIn. The Code Council will also be using surveys and roundtable discussions to solicit input and engagement to determine how to best proceed to create a more updated, comprehensive and robust performance code that will be more attractive for adoption by a wide range of jurisdictions around the world.