Archinect - News

The 2024 Olympic Village as an answer to America's point access block problem

2024-07-01T11:21:00-04:00

Host cities through the decades, including Helsinki, Athens, London, Torin, Seoul, Barcelona, and most recently, Paris, have all used point access block housing that would be illegal to build in the U.S. When studying mixed-use Olympic Villages as a model for successful pedestrian-oriented development in the U.S., it becomes abundantly clear that major discrepancies exist between housing options in the U.S. and the rest of the world.

The endemic use of brick and natural stone in European apartment buildings versus their more combustible American counterparts is another factor underlying discrepancies architect Sean Jursnick herein describes as preventing the creation of better adaptable low-carbon multifamily designs in the country. It adds to another recent analysis of the point access block dilemma from the Center for Building in North America in May.

He says: “Reforming the building code and allowing for taller point access blocks, similar to Paris’ Olympic Village, is a great first step in unlocking high-performance housing.” The A/C-less dorms will house up to 14,250 athletes and support staff during the games before transitioning into permanent housing for 6,000 in the ailing Saint-Denis suburb.

ICC's method for updating building codes is revised to ‘foster more in-depth vetting’

2023-03-02T11:25:00-05:00

The International Code Council is to revise its building code development process with changes taking effect in 2024. The new process for reviewing code change proposals will see a three-year rolling cycle encompassing Committee Action Hearings and a joint Public Comment Hearings / Online Governmental Consensus Vote session, with the 2027 I-Codes to be the first edition produced using the pathway.

In the new timeline, Year One will host two Committee Action Hearings for Group A Codes, while Year Two will host two Committee Action Hearings for Group B Codes. In Year Three, joint Public Comment Hearings and an Online Governmental Consensus Vote will be held for both Group A and B Codes.

ICC believes that the addition of the second Committee Actions Hearings in the first two years will allow for a more thorough vetting of code change proposals while allowing proponents more opportunities to build consensus for...

Who owns building codes?

2019-12-23T14:49:00-05:00

A copyright infringement lawsuit filed in 2017 against building industry startup company UpCodes by the International Code Council (ICC) is getting ready to head to court next year.

UpCodes is a for-profit company that dubs itself as a "searchable platform for building codes" by providing a variety of code-related services for designers and other building industry professionals, including a Revit plug-in that can scan building models for code compliance. This for-profit use of the ICC-generated code information is what's at issue in the lawsuit.

Samples of UpCode's desktop and mobile code software systems. Image courtesy of UpCodes.

Although International Building Code (IBC) guidelines are written into the building codes specified by nearly all municipalities in the country, the codes themselves are considered to be under copyright by the ICC. ICC, a non-profit entity, does the work of researching, writing, and periodically updating the codes itself, a service that is funded throug...

What we can learn from the devastating earthquake in Indonesia

2018-10-03T20:24:00-04:00

Building codes and standards in many countries require engineers to consider the effects of soil liquefaction in the design of new buildings and infrastructure such as bridges, embankment dams and retaining structures

After the devastating earthquake that hit Indonesia, scientists are relating building collapses to soil liquefaction. When overly saturated soil is heavily loosened by intense seismic activity, particles in the soil lose its bond and contact with each other. Thus resulting in its loss of stiffness and structural support. When soil deposits lose its ability to provide stability for foundations, the land quickly turns into a liquid flowing nightmare.

Dr. Stavroula Kontoe of Imperial College London highlights on this phenomenon and provides a proactive perspective to preventing these disasters from happening in the future. Dr. Kontoe explains that soil liquefaction can be identified early on in a building's design process. If the correct mitigation techniques like soil strengthening and proper drainage systems are applied, areas that are more susceptible have a better chance in recovering from a natural disaster.

"Toilet Talk" – gender inclusivity in public restrooms, featuring special guest Susan Surface, on Archinect Sessions #42

2015-11-12T15:43:00-05:00

Special guest Susan Surface, former Archinect editor now at Design in Public, joins us on Archinect Sessions to talk about recent developments in the state of gender inclusive design – specifically, in public restrooms.

As the binary model of gender begins to slowly dissolve in the popular consciousness, in favor of a spectrum of different identifications, international building codes still often mandate restrooms (even single-occupancy ones) as strictly for either male or female. Those who do not identify as either face a difficult choice at best, and often harassment or exclusion. Various institutions are experimenting with more gender-inclusive designs and designations, but not without controversy. Advocates liken the advent of all-gender inclusive bathrooms to a civil right, akin to policies that guarantee equal access regardless of ethnicity or physical ability.

Surface, who has addressed more gender-inclusive amendments to building standards before, joins us to discuss the ways ...