Common Building Code Violations

As we do facility assessments for school districts, we come across some common violations that we see in schools. The most common is the locking of panic devices with a chain and padlock. This occurs in the older style of panic bars, or crash bars as they sometimes called, as the hardware and exit doors age they become more difficult to keep secure. The chaining of the bars together certainly keeps the doors secure, but does not allow for exiting of the building should someone be inside. As the building code has been updated, this bar type panic device is no longer allowed by code, but there are many that have not been replaced and still exist in many types of buildings, not just schools. We recommend the replacing of the panic bars with the newer style of exit devices that cannot be chained. The next most common building code violation is the blocking of an exit door, or the narrowing of an exit passageway. For educational occupancies the exit corridors must be a minimum of 6 feet wide. Many times I have observed the corridors filled with chairs, desks, band instruments, you name it and at some point in time there has been a corridor with this in it. You must maintain a clear passageway to the exit. Also, many times I have observed an exit door from a corridor, that has been closed by adding a wall and a door making a room out the space for storage or an office for example. This could be a violation of the exiting requirements as well because of taking out an exit door. The number of doors is a direct calculation of the number of occupants in the building. By decreasing the exits, you could be putting people at risk by not being able to exit the building properly. Always check with your architect before closing an exit doorway to make sure that you are not violating the building code. We find this violation more in elementary schools than others, the displaying of too much student artwork and projects on the walls of the exit corridors. While it is noble to display the work of the students, you should not cover more than 25% of the wall surface of the corridor. As you can tell from these examples, most of the violations are in the exiting requirements of the building and keeping those exit passageways safe and open for the emergency evacuation of the building. Keep that in mind as you observe the changes that are made as your building grows older and people work and modify their environments. Contact your architect and ask if the requested changes will be in compliance with the current building codes. Michael King AIA

Rain Gardens

What is a rain garden?
It’s a landscape feature consisting of a planted shallow depression which collects rainwater runoff from roofs, parking lots and other impervious surfaces. Integrating rain gardens, rain barrels and other types of on-site rainwater management techniques on school property can be inexpensive, environmental practical and full of educational opportunities. Many public schools have taken advantage of building a rain garden for their campus such as the Mount Tabor Middle School in Portland, Oregon where they converted an existing parking lot into a rain garden.

Having a rain garden and process of planning it can be a valuable experience for students and teachers. It will provide an awareness of environmental issues, within your neighborhood which can provide many lessons and knowledge that can be passed on from one community to the next. Here are a few of the benefits and downfalls on rain gardens.
Pros:
-Prevents flooding and drainage problems
-Protects streams and lakes from contaminants
-Reduce erosion
-Reduce the load on municipal storm water treatment.
-Hands-on, in-the-field educational opportunities
-Sustainable through drought, flood and the summer break
-Enhance community awareness of stormwater issues
-Create a sense of community ownership of the solution to pollution issues
Cons:
-Most rain gardens need some maintenance
-Traditional ornamental plants will not survive. Must use native plants

There are several existing programs to help each school start up their own rain gardens. Here are several links for your use.

http://uwarboretum.org/eps/research_act_classroom/rain_garden_curriculum.p
http://www.lowimpactdevelopment.org/school/articles/rain_garden.pdf
http://www.schools.indiawaterportal.org/node/9

Understanding Building Codes- A History

Building codes have been in existence for over 4000 years. One of the earliest written codes comes from Babylon and is known as the Code of Hammurabi, written around 1750BC. The part of the code pertaining to buildings is essentially an 'eye for an eye' where if the house fell in and killed the owner, then the builder was put to death. More recent codes have been driven by disasters. For example, the great London fire of 1666 led to the 'London Building Act' of 1668 which led to some of the first appointed building inspectors. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire in 1906 led to the formation of the first building codes in the United States. The system of building regulations in the United States has been based on three regional model code groups. Codes developed by the Building Officials Code Administrators International (BOCA) were used on the east coast and in the midwest known as the BOCA National Building Code. Codes from the Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI) were used in the south and southeast known as the Standard Building Code. Codes published by the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) covered the west coast and into the midwest known as the Uniform Building Code. Local jurisdictions would adopt the particular year the code was published and the particular model code, for example the '1985 Standard Code'. Building codes are updated every three years, so if a city had not updated their ordinance, they might be operating under an outdated code. Each jurisdiction could adopt any model code they saw fit. As you can see, this created some confusion in the building and design industry. From one city to the next, there could be significant differences and keeping up with the modifications was nearly an impossible task. It became obvious in the early 1990's that the country needed a single coordinated set of national building codes. The three model code groups decided to combine their efforts and in 1994 formed the International Code Council (ICC) to develop codes that would have no regional limitations. The first International Building Code was published in 1997 and by 2000, the ICC had completed the International Code series and the other codes (BOCA, Standard, and Uniform) have ceased to be published. As has been the pattern, the IBC (International Building Code) is updated every three years. Most cities have adopted either the 2006 or 2009 code and some are moving to adopt the 2012. What if your school is not in the limits of a city jurisdiction? The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has stated that if this is the case, the School Board must adopt the latest building code for your building project. The building codes are here for all of our protection. As I continue this series I will outline some of the basics of the code so that you can be aware of the what are the most common code violations that we encounter when we assess schools. Michael D. King AIA

My Roof Leaks!

One of the most annoying and potentially damaging things that can happen in a school is roof leaks. The most warranty call backs that we receive as architects is roof leaks. So what can be done to reduce the amount of leaks in your roofing system? You will notice that I said 'reduce the amount of leaks' and not eliminate them completely. I honestly do not believe that you can totally eliminate roof leaks in a large structure over a long period of time. All roofing systems take maintenance and over time the amount invested in maintenance will increase no matter what type of roof you have. So what is the best roofing system to use? Many clients will tell me that they want a pitched metal roof "because they don't leak". Well, even pitched metal roofs will eventually leak. The type of roof system you select will largely depend on the design of the school - or vice versa - if you insist on pitched metal roofs, then that will affect the design of the floor plan. For example, pitched roofs such as you have on your house would not work over a compact school floor plan. The span of the roof is so great that the height of the roof would be excessive, over several stories high. So what designers do is create low sloping roofs that can span great distances, but not create excessive volumes under the roof. Don't get me wrong, I like metal roofs but don't expect them to be perfect. If you can limit the amount of penetrations through the roof, then metal is a good choice. There are several roof systems that are used for these low sloping applications. Four Ply Built-Up roofing is one example. This system uses asphalt impregnated fiberglass sheets with layers of asphalt between them, hence 4 sheets or plys, then a top coat of asphalt and gravel. This is a long time proven system and you can get a warranty up to 20 years on this type of system. There are variations of this type of system that use three plys or two plys with various top coats of gravel or modified bitumen sheets. There is also several manufacturers of single ply roofing that use specially formulated thermoplastic coated membranes (PVC or TPO) products. The single sheets are laid and welded together to form a seamless membrane on the roof. These systems also have the added value of a light reflective surface that reflect the sun's rays to keep the roof from absorbing heat. The single ply's typically have a 10 to 15 year warranty. Before going into your building project, know what type of roofing that the design professional is recommending and why. What type of roof can you afford? What type of roof will give you the best warranty? All of these issues need to be thoroughly discussed. As an added value, you may want to employ a roofing consultant to help you wade through the myriad of choices. This is something that we recommend because this professional can help not only in the design of the roof system, but can also be present when the roof is being installed to insure that a proper job is being done. Michael King AIA

Classroom Acoustics

Have you ever wondered if acoustics in learning spaces are impacting how a student hears and retains information? Communication between teachers and students is a key component of learning. Many teachers have different communication styles and each student also processes information differently, but if the student cannot hear the information then that is another problem all together. The good news is that it is a correctable problem. This is why high performance facilities are addressing the impact acoustics have on communication between teachers and students in lecture and group activity settings.

In 2002, the American National Standards Institute created ANSI S12.60, the Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements and Guidelines for Schools. It was last updated in 2009. It provides a standard that sets specific criteria for maximum background noise and reverberation time for unoccupied classrooms.
Currently, ANSI S12.60-2002 is voluntary unless adopted by state or local jurisdiction. It has been adopted by several northeastern and some western school districts as a design standard. There are also European countries that have embraced it in addition to LEED for Schools and CHPS.

In 2010, The US Access Board, a federal agency advancing the ADA began the process of developing regulations for classrooms based on ANSI S12.60 to apply to all new classrooms nationwide in the future.

One of the key ingredients to good acoustics in a classroom that is less than 10,000 cubic feet is keeping the Reverberation Time between (0.4 – 0.6) seconds at 500 Hz. The time is increased to 0.7 seconds and greater for larger classrooms over 20,000 cubic feet) depending on the use. The specified reverberation times allow for optimum acoustic performance of a direct sound to reach the listener before the reflected sound becomes inaudible.

The Sabine Equation is used to calculate the Reverberation Time RT60

A typical classroom of 25x30 with 9 foot ceilings = 6,750 cubic feet

The Sabine Equation takes into account qualities of a typical classroom; such as the square footage areas for floor, walls, ceilings, marker boards, doors, windows, light fixtures and typical furniture; including the sound absorption coefficients of typical finishes used in a classroom. The results vary depending on the absorption qualities of the materials.

ANSI S12.60-2002, recommends that the most benefit of controlling the RT in a classroom under 10,000 cubic feet with 9 foot ceilings; is to place all the sound absorbing material on the ceiling. Part of the direct sound spoken from the teacher is being bounced (reflected) off the floor, ceiling and then the walls. At a volume less than 10 feet the critical location to absorb the sound is at the ceiling. Carpet on the floor provides very minimal absorption and mainly benefits reduction of foot traffic. In order to reduce the Reverberation Time to between (0.4 – 0.6) seconds at 500 Hz the ceiling material needs to have an NRC of 0.70 or higher. The Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) is an average measure of how much sound a material absorbs at 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, and 2000 Hz rounded to the nearest 0.05 when tested in accordance with ASTM C 423.

An (NRC) lower than 0.70 provides too long of an RT at 500 Hz. When the sound is reflected for too long, it is mixing earlier words with later words thus leaving the listener confused. Adults are good at using context clues to figure out what they thought they heard, but children; especially young students and those with learning disabilities or those taking a foreign language are academically affected by the missing words.

The Armstrong website offers a great alternative to calculating the Sabine Equation. It has an Interactive Reverberation Tool that automatically calculates the RT of a space after inputting the square footage and surface materials of a room. It provides numerical and audible before and after data, so you can hear the difference.

To access the tool, visit:
http://www.armstrong.com/commceilingsna/article21088.html

The Ceiling Attenuation Class (CAC) is another part of the puzzle, it blocks sound from escaping through the ceiling and being transmitting to the plenum space and over to the neighboring room, as well as mechanical noise. Air handlers are recommended to be located above spaces that are typically noisy such as cafeterias and corridors. It is preferred not to have units above classrooms, offices or libraries. A CAC of 35 or higher meets the ANSI S12.60.

Overhearing noise from a neighboring classroom seems to be a common problem for teachers. The Sound Transmission Class (STC) is a rating that measures the effectiveness of a wall (such as between classrooms, exterior and corridor walls) to block sound from escaping, just like the CAC for ceilings. The higher the STC the better the wall is at blocking sound transfer. For example, loud speech can be understood fairly well through an STC 30 wall, but should not be audible through an STC 60 wall. According to ANSI S12.60 the drywall classroom partition shall have a minimum STC of 50. This rating is achieved through the series of materials that are assembled. An STC of 50 is made up of two layers of gypsum board on each side of a metal stud with batt insulation. A cmu wall with insulation would also be acceptable. In addition, sealant is necessary to seal any penetration, air-gap, or “flanking” path that can degrade the isolation quality of a wall. Special consideration needs to be given to spaces where the noise transfer concern is other than from speech, such as mechanical equipment or music.

Due to the size of Lecture Hall spaces, these rooms benefit from a longer RT. It is recommended to have a 10’ ceiling or higher and install Gypsum board or a low NRC tile from the teaching wall into the middle of the classroom. Then provide an Acoustical Absorptive NRC = 0.75 or greater along three sides of the perimeter. In addition, acoustical wall panels on three sides of the room shall be added above 9’ to reduce echoes. This helps the direct sound reflect off the ceiling to the listener in the back of the room and then the perimeter tile and wall panels absorb it to NRC of 0.75 on the ceiling then the direct sound would not make it to the back of the room for the listener. The combination and location of the higher NRC at the perimeter creates the necessary balance.

The ceiling is the first line of defense in achieving good acoustics. Investigating how well acoustics are performing in your classrooms can provide valuable information to improving the learning environment for both teachers and students.

For the resources on this topic visit:

The School Noise/Quiet Classrooms www.classroomacoutics.org
ANSI Classroom Acoustic Standard ANSI S12.60 http://asastore.aip.org/
Armstrong www.armstrong.com/schools.

Net Zero Buildings

The other day I was reading an online article about solar and wind energy for residential units. One of the criticisms the article presented was that energy producing technologies at a residential scale won’t solve large-scale energy problems. Large solar or wind plants are needed if one wants to use green energy to solve any kind of large-scale problem. The author then went on to counter-point by asking the question why not the small-scale, local model? What if energy wasn’t produced at a large, centralized location, but instead it was produced at a small, more localized level on a widespread scale? Why can’t the building itself produce its own energy?

Traditionally, buildings constitute 40% of the energy consumption in the U.S. and E.U. There has been a push in the architectural community to reduce this percentage. Net zero or near zero buildings are gaining in popularity and importance for this very reason. Net zero or near zero buildings produce as much energy as they consume. This can be achieved through a combination of energy efficient building systems (geo-thermal and lighting selection), building envelopes (ICF and low-e glazing), building orientation (natural ventilation and shading), and energy producing systems (solar panels and wind turbines).   Net zero buildings don’t have to be fully autonomous. These buildings can still be hooked to the grid. During times of low energy demand, the building can run off its own energy production. If the building is producing more energy than needed, excess energy can be fed back into the grid. During times of high energy demand or low energy production, the building could then draw from the grid as needed.

The idea of having a local, decentralized source of power for buildings may seem far off, but the technology to do this exists right now. Maybe not every building produces its own power. What if different neighborhoods had their own individual power sources? A system like this would be more secure when there are power failures due to intense storms and blackouts. One could also have individual neighborhoods experimenting with new technologies and different systems combinations. What if the neighborhood elementary school became a power contributor?

Here is a diagram of a net zero home. These same concepts can apply to educational facilities. Image courtesy of http://blog.builddirect.com/greenbuilding/net-zero-home-building/. You can also find more information on net zero homes here.

Construction Phase - 2

As your construction project is nearing its completion, there are a myriad of items to follow up on in order to be able to move into the building. Within 60 days of the anticipated completion you should be in communication with the contractor about the suitability of the Work in place, note any defects that need correcting and reviewing the quality control reports. Communicate any unsettled claims with a recommendation for closing those issues. All of these items can be relayed through your design professional. The contractor should be checking the status of the various State and Local Agency's and jurisdictions for any outstanding items. The most important is to secure the Certificate of Occupancy from the city. With out this document completed, you will not be moving into your building! Within 30 days of completion you should be able to establish the date of 'Substantial Completion'. This is the date that you as the owner take over the building. All parties will sign the Substantial Completion form, owner, contractor and architect. This is the contractual end of the project in regards to the time frame, so this document is very important. It also establishes the day and time that the owner's building insurance takes over. Contractually, substantial completion is the day that the owner can 'use the building for it's intended use'. Attached to the substantial completion form is the punch list. The punch list is a list of all of the uncompleted items or items that need to be repaired, replaced etc. For example, the contractor needs to touch up the paint in room #1, or the base board in room #2 is defective and needs to be replaced. These are usually minor items that do not affect the moving in of the owner. Once all of the items on the punch list have been completed, and the architect receives all of the close out documents from the contractor, then the contractor can be paid the final payment. The close out documents include all of the warranties and guaranties of all of the equipment and products in the bldg, air conditioning equipment, roofing, carpet, doors, security systems, data systems etc. Also it includes affidavits that all the contractor's bills have been paid and that there are no outstanding liens on the project. One final item that we always specify is that the air quality of the building be tested prior to occupying the building. You must leave time for the building to breathe. By this I mean allowing the glues and paints to dissipate so that the building is safe to occupy. Contractors are required to use products that have low volatile organic compounds (VOC's). There will be however, a time period when even these products will smell bad. The worst offenders seem to be furniture manufacturers and the glues that they use to build with. Some of the glues off gas formaldehyde which takes approx 2 weeks to dissipate. You need to plan accordingly and leave enough time between moving in the furniture to your new school and then occupying it. Test the air quality of the building after 6 months of occupancy and again at 11 months to establish a base line. This way there can be no disputing that the air quality is safe and no damage has been done to students and staff that are using the building. With all that, now that you are finished with this project, let's get started on the next one! Michael D. King AIA