The sponsor's long-term goal is to develop a statewide, uniform building code for the State. It is anticipated that the results of this project will help inform the decision of whether or not to proceed with the development of such a code, and should that path be followed, will define the technical and political foundations for that work.

In order to accomplish the objectives of this project in a timely and cost-effective manner, IBS researchers worked closely with the National Institute of Building Sciences to create a computerized, full-text searchable database that will include State promulgated administrative rules affecting construction as well as model codes and referenced standards.

Additionally, special consultants were identified and employed to address issues of duplication, inadequacy, excessiveness, and obsolescence within the current codes and standards. Their input was enriched by that of professionals and affected parties throughout the State, who met in public fora to identify areas of particular concern.

The final products of this study were the database, tabularized summaries of technical and administrative conflicts within the codes, and a documentation of the review processes.

Sponsor:
Florida Housing Finance Administration, Florida Department of Community Affairs

Principal Investigators:
Thomas Martineau
Walter Grondzik
Ronald Shaeffer

Project Director:
Thomas Pugh

Duration:
January - December '95

External Funding Level:
$198,000

Resulting Presentations:

Regulating Indoor-Air Quality and Energy Efficiency - Why Building Codes are Inadequate, Symposium on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, Thermal Engineering Department of Tsinghua University and Air Conditioning Research Institute, Beijing, China, July 1996

An Innovative Database for Keyword Search and Cross-comparison of Building Codes and Standards, 28th Annual Conference of the National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards, Albuquerque, New Mexico, November 1995