UPDATE: WTC Study Spurs Possible Code Improvement

NEW YORK CITY-The first 19 proposed changes to model building codes based upon and consistent with the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s World Trade Center recommendations were submitted to the International Code Council. They were used as templates for codes legislated, implemented and enforced by state and local jurisdictions. The NIST released the recommendations last October .”Taken together, they are a robust, reasonable and appropriate set of advancements and, if adopted, would represent a significant improvement in public safety over current practice,” says WTC lead investigator Shyam Sunder.

The 19 proposed changes were submitted by building code experts associated with two ICC committees, the National Institute of Building Sciences and the US General Services Administration. They address areas such as increased resistance to building collapse from fire and other incidents, use of spray-applied fire resistive materials, performance and redundancy of fire protection systems, elevators for use by first responders and evacuating occupants, the number and location of stairwells, exit path markings, and fuel oil storage/piping.