The Code Council sponsors event highlighting building innovation with building community leaders from across the nation

The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) held its sixth annual Building Innovation 2018 Conference & Expo at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The International Code Council is proud to be a major conference sponsor. Board and Staff members from the Code Council attended the conference including Vice President of the Board, Bill Bryant and Secretary-Treasurer Greg Wheeler, Senior VP of Government Relations Sara Yerkes, Government Relations Regional Manager Bryan Soukup and External Communications Manager Madison Neal.

Under this year’s theme, “Sustain. Strengthen. Secure,” NIBS President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA, said conference attendees had the opportunity to “collaborate with colleagues, learn from industry leaders and participate in the process of improving the built environment.” Green added that the goal of the four-day event is “to bring representatives from the building community to address the industry’s biggest challenges.”

The conference offered educational sessions that covered topics including resilience evaluation tools, resilient and sustainable building design, the challenges of building regulation, timber construction, advanced technology and emerging trends of the industry, 3-D printing and high-performance buildings.

Yerkes and Code Council Board member and Deputy Director in the Division of Building & Fire Regulations for the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development Cindy Davis, CBO, presented during an educational panel session titled, “Challenges and Opportunities in Regulating Existing Buildings.” The panel was led by Code Council Member and former ICC Board Director James “Tim” Ryan, CBO. During the presentation, the speakers discussed the increasing number of blighted or abandoned buildings across the United States, the economic impact, and examples of communities that are experiencing these impacts. The panelists also discussed the International Existing Building Code (IEBC), published by the Code Council, which provides regulatory agencies, building owners and design professionals a single document to address repairs, alterations and changes in occupancy for our existing building stock. Yerkes spoke about the NY City project to adopt an existing building code and Davis, gave examples of how communities in Virginia are using the existing building codes successfully. The IEBC is the only national model building code for existing buildings’ remodeling, renovation or re-purposing.

During his opening acknowledgements at the Annual Awards Banquet, Green gave the Code Council prestigious recognition for its support and commitment to the mission and values of NIBS. Former ICC Board of Directors President Wally Bailey was also celebrated for his recent retirement from the NIBS Board of Directors and honored during the Annual Banquet. Tim Ryan received the most prestigious of award of the evening and was honored with the Mortimer M. Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to NIBS.

For the final luncheon, Sara Yerkes presented on the project team panel for the Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves 2017 Interim Report. The interim report researched the benefits of two mitigation strategies: federal mitigation policies and public disaster assistance funding beyond code requirements. The next module due out in the Fall of 2018 will examine the benefits of adopting and enforcing the I-Codes as the foundation for disaster mitigation, resilience and overall sound building regulations. This next study phase will also analyze the relationship between the model codes and beyond code requirements.