International Code Council partners with AWC, WoodWorks on heights and areas app

LEESBURG, VA. – The International Code Council has joined the American Wood Council (AWC) and WoodWorks in branding a free app that calculates the maximum allowable heights and areas for buildings of various occupancy classifications and types of construction. The Heights & Areas Calculator is based on provisions in the 2006 to 2015 editions of the International Building Code (IBC).

Users can input a given building geometry, site conditions (e.g., open frontage), type of construction and occupancy, and the app shows allowable types of construction that are permitted. The “basic” version of the calculator limits building input to a single occupancy and equal floor areas for the entire building. An “advanced” option permits multiple occupancies and different floor areas.

“Determining allowable heights and areas for building code compliance can often be a tedious and time-intensive task for code officials, designers and builders,” said Kenneth Bland, AWC Vice President of Codes & Regulations. “AWC continuously works to make building with wood more accessible. This app streamlines the process to identify compliant types of construction.”

“Building safety is always at the core of what we do, and we’re proud to partner on a project that helps building safety professionals accurately and quickly understand the maximum allowable heights and areas in the IBC,” said Mark Johnson, Executive Vice President of the Code Council.

“We often work with design teams that are exploring wood construction as a way to cost-effectively increase the density of their projects,” said Bill Parsons, Vice President of Operations for WoodWorks. “The new heights and areas app lets building designers quickly determine if they’re maximizing value based on the objectives of the project, and to compare the options available with different construction types.”

The Heights & Areas Calculator is available for free download via Android, iOS, and Windows platforms. Visit the AWC website for links to all available free apps: www.awc.org/codes-standards/calculators-software.

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About the International Code Council

The International Code Council is a nonprofit association that provides a wide range of building safety solutions including product evaluation, accreditation, certification, codification and training. It develops model codes and standards used worldwide to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures.

About the American Wood Council

The American Wood Council is the voice of North American wood products manufacturing, an industry that provides almost 450,000 men and women in the United States with family-wage jobs. AWC represents 86 percent of the structural wood products industry, and members make products that are essential to everyday life from a renewable resource that absorbs and sequesters carbon. Staff experts develop state-of-the-art engineering data, technology, and standards for wood products to assure their safe and efficient design, as well as provide information on wood design, green building, and environmental regulations. AWC also advocates for balanced government policies that affect wood products.

About Wood Works

WoodWorks – Wood Products Council provides education and free technical support related to the design, engineering and construction of commercial and multi-family wood buildings in the U.S. A non-profit organization staffed with architects, structural engineers and construction experts, WoodWorks has the expertise to assist with all aspects of wood building design, including (but not limited to): allowable heights and areas/construction types, structural detailing of wood and hybrid systems, fire resistance and acoustical-rated assemblies, efficient and code-compliant lateral system design, alternate means of code compliance, and energy-efficient detailing. For assistance with a project, visit www.woodworks.org/project-assistance or email help@woodworks.org.