ADVOCACY
To Albuquerque and Beyond
IBC or bust
By Dale Biggers, Boh Bros. Construction and Chair, PDCA Technical Committee
This is the second part of a multi-part review of the changes to 1810, the Deep Foundations section of the International Building Code.
After our 2016 beatdown in the online International
Code Commission (ICC) voting, the GeoCoalition did
what it does best: Carry on Regardless!
We said “yes” to another two years of refining the 14 proposals
to have another shot at passing. And, we thought, why stop there?
We added three more to our list. As we reviewed the proposals,
we couldn’t help but compare our efforts to the efforts of any randomly
selected legislature.
We looked at most of these paragraphs 12 or more times over a
six-year period and constantly made revisions.
“Some could interpret this to mean… How can we
prevent that?” Contrast this with hundreds of pages with little
thought other than, “We have to finish so we can recess and
go home.”
The International Building Code (IBC) 2021 cycle started with
the presentations to the 14-person ICC committee in Albuquerque,
N.M. in the spring of 2019. The GeoCoalition was represented by
Lori Simpson of Langan Engineers, Dan Stevenson of Berkel and
Company and me. Bonus: Lori had lived in Albuquerque and knew
the best places to dine, but I digress.
When one presents to the ICC, their back is to the audience.
Two large screens loom so that the presenter’s face is visible. While
presenting, if you do not focus on the panel and your eyes wander
to the screen, you are frozen by seeing, for the first time, a two-feet
by four-feet view of your face!
Hip hip hooray for the GeoCoalition – all 17 of our proposals
passed by margins of 14-0 and 13-1 from the ICC committee panel.
As the session ended, we prepared for our triumphant return
home.
But not so fast! Leaving the arena, we were approached by the
ICC committee.
“We passed your proposals but three need rewording,” they said.
“But, but,” we said, “if we have to make Public Comments, we
must run the gauntlet of the Public Comment Hearings in the fall
and the dreaded online voting.”
They let us know that we had no choice. Rats!
Photos: Dale Biggers
But now for the proposals.
3307.2 Excavation retention systems, 1803.3.5.7 and 1804.1 both
with the same title Excavation near foundations. These all go
together. They allow removal only when the adjacent property is
protected. They add sheeting and bracing to a section that focused
on underpinning.
1705.10 Structural integrity of Deep Foundation Elements: This
is a completely new section that gives an engineer the authority to
demand tests for defects if they suspect a problem.
Break a leg! Lori Simpson, Dan Stevenson, and Dale Biggers (not shown)
prepare for another opening another show in front of the ICC panel
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