It all started innocently in the spring of 2012. An engineer
from California proposed a change to a load testing section
of the International Building Code. Lori Simpson of Langan
Engineers, Dan Stevenson of Berkel and Company, and I attended
the IBC hearings in Dallas, Texas. We convinced the engineer to
withdraw his proposal because it caused conflicts with other sections
of the code.
“Let’s change lots of the code,” we said. Note: Garland Likins of
GRL Engineers called and got me involved in this Dallas trip, but no
hard feelings.
Unexpected at the time, that cavalier comment started a sevenyear
odyssey.
We formed the GeoCoalition, which became a collection of
37 structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, and foundation
contractors from across the country. The PDCA Technical
ADVOCACY
Committee was an important part of the effort. It also included
other groups, such as several DFI committees and ADSC. We knew
that a well-rounded industry effort would be more respected by the
International Code Council (ICC) than any individual proposals.
Every two weeks or less, we had a web conference set up by
the PDCA office. The computer screen was controlled by Garland
Likins or Anna Sellountou of PDI. They put up a paragraph and
the peanut gallery on the phone made suggestions. Changes were
done in the ICC format – deletions were shown by strike outs, and
additions were underlined. Sometimes consensus was difficult as
we looked at each and every sentence, one by one.
The interaction of people from various parts of the country
in different disciplines mixed with regional variations of rules,
foundation types and viewpoints was a wonderful learning experience.
We made more than 40 changes to the code. So confident of
The hearing room in Kansas City, filled with building officials, the only people allowed to vote
Photos: Dale Biggers
International Building
Code: Louisville
By Dale Biggers, Boh Bros. Construction, and Chair, PDCA Technical Committee
This is the first of a multi-part review of the changes to 1810, the Deep Foundation section of the International Building Code.
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