After additional time to review late amendment proposals, the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code is on track to be implemented March 1 with VSAIA proposals intact. On Monday, Jan. 24, 2011, the Codes and Standards Committee and Board of Housing and Community Development heard testimony regarding the amendment petitions — with the majority of the petitions from the Fire Services Board — which would have derailed several positions taken or supported by the VSAIA through Kenney Payne, AIA.
During the two-plus years of review, Payne had succeeded in gaining approval for several VSAIA positions that modified the language in the 2009 model International Building Code. These included retaining an egress-width incentive for adding sprinklers and retaining a larger area threshold before sprinklers were required in education facilities.
Speaking for the VSAIA, Payne introduced the code change to retain the 2006 egress incentive in the new VUSBC. In the 2006 language, owners were given credit for adding a sprinkler system by allowing them to use a 0.15 factor on non-stair egress elements and a 0.2 factor on stairs. This was approved last year by the Code and Standards Committee and the full DHCD Board.
The 2009 model IBC language supported by the Fire Services Board would have deleted any incentive for using sprinklers. In the 2009 model code, all non-stair elements required a 0.2 factor and stairs required a 0.3 factor regardless of the use of sprinklers. In effect, the 2009 language would have reduced the allowable egress capacity of doors and corridors 25 percent and stairs 33 percent.
The VSAIA supported another proposal to maintain the 20,000 s.f. threshold that triggered the sprinkler requirement in education facilities. This, too, was approved last year by the committee and full DHCD Board. The petition sought to lower that threshold to 12,000 s.f., which is the language found in the 2009 IBC model code. This petition was denied.
The VSAIA supported a compromise proposal to retain the size of the fire command center at 96 s.f. unless the state fire marshal demonstrated that a building required more space up to a 200 s.f. maximum. This was approved last year by the DHCD Board. The petition sought the reverse, that the 200 s.f. size would be required unless the owner or architect demonstrated that it needed less space down to a minimum of 96 s.f. The DHCD Board rejected the petition.
The VSAIA supported a late petition to retain the 2006 exception to the fire extinguisher requirement when using quick-response sprinkler heads. This was previously denied last year by the committee and DHCD Board. The DHCD Board reversed itself and approved the petition.
Payne has been the eyes, ears and voice of the VSAIA in building code issues since October 2000. He is supported by several other architects, including Jim Snowa, AIA, Megan Shope, AIA, and David Jones, AIA.