2009 IBC / 8th Edition Mass Code
If you missed the New England Chapter DHI meeting last week...a Q&A presentation on codes, the question/answer document and the handout are now available on the chapter website.
Massachusetts 8th Edition Approved
The 8th edition of the Massachusetts State Building Code 780 CMR becomes effective on August 6, 2010. From August 6th, 2010, to February 6th, 2011, there will be a concurrency period during which the 7th or 8th edition requirements can be followed, and after February 6th, 2011, the 8th edition must be used.
Mass. Building Code – 8th Edition
I posted a while back about the proposed 8th edition of 780 CMR, the Massachusetts State Building Code. The link that I had provided to the proposed code stopped working, but the information is now available online, including a read-only link to the 2009 IBC, the proposed Massachusetts addendums, and the comments and proposals from the February public hearing.
Massachusetts 780 CMR – 8th Edition
Considering that it took 11 years to go from the 6th edition of the Massachusetts State Building Code to the 7th edition, I was surprised when I learned that the 8th edition is due out the beginning of 2010. It is based on the 2009 edition of the International Building Code, which references the 2007 edition of NFPA 80 (and includes the requirement for the annual inspection of fire doors).
Mass Code Update
At next month's meeting of the Boston Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), I'll be doing an update on the 7th edition of the Massachusetts State Building Code. The presentation should be about 45 minutes + time for questions, so relatively painless, and the food is GREAT! If you'd like to attend and you're not a CSI member, email Shelley Hudson. Here are the particulars:
Glass Challenge
A couple of weeks ago, one of our specwriters called to ask me this question and I knew the answer immediately. Then...hmmm...I thought about it, and talked to myself for a while as he sat on the other end of the phone waiting for both of my selves to come to an agreement.
Code Update: Connecticut
Just a reminder that the 2009 amendments to the 2005 Connecticut State Building Code and the Connecticut State Fire Safety Code went into effect on August 1, 2009. Connecticut will continue to use the 2003 International Building Code as the basis for their state codes.
Code Update – Vermont
The new Vermont Fire & Building Safety Code went into effect on June 15, 2009. The new code references the 2006 edition of the International Building Code, and the 2006 edition of NFPA 101 - The Life Safety Code.
Continuing Ed
Last week I conducted a 3-hour class for the New England Chapter of the Door & Hardware Institute. The class is available to any hardware suppliers, architects, or end users in New England who need to understand code requirements related to doors and hardware, including recent changes to the Massachusetts State Building Code, and the 2006 and 2009 editions of the International Building Code and the Life Safety Code. If you have 12 or more people who are interested in attending, I will conduct the class at your facility or our office in Needham, Massachusetts. It's worth 3 HSW learning units for AIA members, and 9 continuing education points for DHI members.
New Requirements for Nightclubs in Massachusetts
In the Good Old Days when I was a more frequent nightclub visitor, I remember trying to exit through a club's main entrance at closing time and encountering a locked door. The manager had locked the door to prevent more people from coming in. The vestibule was dark, and the dark bronze storefront door had an Adams Rite deadlatch with a dark bronze lever. The lever was completely invisible and people started to gather behind me. If it had been a panic situation there could have been tragic consequences.
