Get up-to-date with the most current provisions for helping to safeguard people and property in the built environment.
Adhering to recognized code criteria plays a vital role in reducing incidents of fire, electrical, and related hazards to minimize loss and improve public safety. The International Building Code (IBC®) offers comprehensive design and construction requirements for buildings in addition to provisions relating to a broad scope of related topics. Published by the International Code Council (ICC,) the document applies to all types of buildings and occupancies except for detached one- and two-family dwellings and up to three-story townhouses.
The 2021 edition features significant revisions and additions to reflect the latest knowledge, technologies, and procedures.
The ICC calls on extensive expertise in developing, reviewing, and updating the IBC. The new version includes a variety of changes ranging from defining and regulating escape rooms as amusement areas to classifying sections of a building divided by one or more fire walls as a separate building when calculating the number of control areas.
Additional changes and topics addressed include:
- Simplified requirements for metal composite materials and systems (MCM) installed on exterior walls and the deletion of sprinkler allowances
- Revision to now specifically address the use of intermodal shipping containers as buildings to supplement relevant existing IBC requirements
- Updates for enhanced classroom acoustics in some Group E occupancies
- New requirement for Group S-2 open parking garages with a fire area over 48,000 square feet to be protected by automatic sprinkler systems
- Updated structural design load maps and values consistent with ASCE 7-16
- Amended criteria requiring the special inspection of firestops, fire-resistant joint systems, and perimeter fire barrier system installations in some areas of residential-use buildings
- Update in foundation requirements to include frost protection for egress doors
- Added provisions for three new kinds of construction (Types IV-A, IV-B, and IV-C) to allow for heavy timber buildings of greater heights, increased allowable areas, and additional stories above grade than previous criteria for mass timber occupancies
Upgrade to the new IBC for access to the most relevant information.
This widely referenced publication is essential for anyone with concerns for the safe design and construction of buildings. Help ensure you are in compliance and up to speed with the most current safety concepts and criteria by getting your copy of the 2021 International Building Code.