Official notice, important information on the 2015 ICC ABM.

To view the Annual Business Meeting notice, call for nominations to the ICC Board of Directors and proposed resolutions, click here.

Significant changes to the 2015 IFC.

With the deletion of Section 5704.2.9.7.3 in the 2015 International Fire Code (IFC), flame arresters or pressure-vacuum breather valves are no longer required on all protected above-ground storage tanks, only those containing Class I flammable liquids. The 2012 IFC required such a device on all protected aboveground tanks.

In the 2015 IFC, there are places where a flame arrester or a PV breather valve is required, even on a protected above-ground tank. Those situations are dependent on the product contained in the tank. (This information is excerpted from the Significant Changes to the 2015 International Fire Code.)

Workshop to study resiliency in homes, buildings.

During the Government Relations Forum at ICC's 2015 Annual Conference in Long Beach, Calif., Professor Jesse M. Keenan, Research Director for Columbia University's Center for Urban Real Estate in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, will give a presentation on basic understanding of various resilience-based concepts as they are applied in the U.S. and abroad, as well as a review of an ongoing survey of resilient building codes.

The presentation is part of ICC's renewed commitment, along with numerous other organizations, including the American Institute of Architects, toward the topic of resilience. Register for the Conference today.

ICC is sponsoring the 2016 NIBS conference.

The Code Council will sponsor Building Innovation 2016: The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Fourth Annual Conference and Expo Jan. 11-15, 2016, in Washington, D.C. ICC is a Sustaining Organization Members of NIBS and its representatives participate in leadership roles on a number of Institute councils and committees, as well the Institute Board of Directors.

Since the Institute's founding more than four decades ago, ICC and NIBS have collaborated together on numerous projects to improve the safety of U.S. communities.

Texas adopts 2015 IRC energy provisions with amendments statewide.

With the adoption of the 2015 International Residential Code (IRC), the state of Texas has updated its minimum statewide energy requirements for homes. The legislation requires all Texas homes to meet the energy efficiency requirements of Chapter 11 in the 2015 IRC that are identical to the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code. The changes, which take effect in September 2016, are the first updates to the Texas statewide code since January 2012.

CALBO, AIA, SEAOC to examine collapses.

The California Building Officials (CALBO), American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) are forming a task force to examine dry rot and other issues that led to the recent collapses of a balcony in Berkeley that killed six young adults and a stairwell in Folsom that took the life of a 26-year-old graduate student.

While building experts don't know how widespread the underlying conditions are, they say problems are common enough that another building failure could happen anywhere in the state. "This is not just a local issue," said SEAOC President Ryan Kersting. "This is going to follow through to other jurisdictions." Read more.

Contribute to the development of ICC Certification exams.

Share your expertise and help ensure the credibility of your profession's most widely recognized credential, ICC Certifications. To apply for a seat on an Exam Development Committee, click here. Applications are being accepted until Aug. 24.

Industry Advisory Committee meeting set for Aug. 4.

ICC's Industry Advisory Committee will hold its next meeting Aug. 4 at the National Institute of Building Sciences office building in Washington, D.C. A light lunch will be provided courtesy of the American Iron and Steel Institute. The meeting is open to the public. Read the meeting notice.

NCHEC achieves IAS accreditation.

The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC) earned accreditation as a Personnel Certification Body by the International Accreditation Service (IAS). Accreditation provides a global benchmark for personnel certification programs to ensure consistent, comparable and reliable operations worldwide. "The IAS accreditation provides quality assurance to the public and other stakeholders that NCHEC's policies and procedures comply with high international standards of practice for certifying agencies," said Dixie Dennis, PhD, MCHES, and chair of the NCHEC Board of Commissioners.

Fedrizzi announces departure as USGBC CEO.

Rick Fedrizzi, the visionary founder of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and CEO since 2003, will not seek renewal of his contract as USGBC's CEO at the end of 2016, paving the way for an organizational leadership transition in 2017. Fedrizzi co-founded USGBC 22 years ago and served as its volunteer founding chair the first six years before being appointed president and CEO in 2003. In 2009 he also became CEO of the newly created Green Building Certification Institute. Read more.

Ketchum will cap 40-year career with retirement.

After a 40-year career with Amherst, N.Y. — including 32 years at the helm of the town's building department — Thomas Ketchum is retiring effective Aug. 28. "I have been working with the town for almost 40 years now," Ketchum said. "I feel like it's an appropriate time to retire. It's been a very interesting job, though. The town's been good to me."

After graduating from college with degrees in civil and environmental engineering, Ketchum accepted a position as a junior engineer with the town in August 1975 and was promoted to building commissioner on Sept. 1, 1983. Read more.

GMC profile: Greg Beste.

A mission trip to Thailand in 2008 brought renewed perspective to Greg Beste about the building profession and building codes — and set the stage for his involvement with the Global Membership Council (GMC).

As a registered architect with over 32 years of experience — specializing in the design of churches and associated structures including sanctuaries, fellowship halls, family life halls and schools — Beste also is a well-known forensic architect, called in by insurance companies and legal teams to investigate damaged building envelopes following natural disasters or man-made events. Read more.

St. Bernard Parish rebuilds after Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina left St. Bernard Parish a ruin. The floodwaters took just hours to inundate the entire parish, swallowing up subdivisions and sweeping two-story homes off their foundations. Nearly every home and business marinated in the fetid seawater for weeks. The majority of St. Bernard's 68,000 residents was left homeless.

Almost a decade after the storm, however, much of the parish has been rebuilt and many of its residents have returned. Home prices have rebounded and the median household income has ticked upward. Read more.

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