[Cob] Cob and codes

[ANovelli at aol.com]

Deborah wrote to the coblist: 

>>I got very brave today!
I went to the building inspectors office in Jackson County, NC where I
live and asked some questions.
The big bad building inspector was not to be seen and basically I found
out the initial things I need to do to get a permit for a cob house of my
design.   This process most likely varies from one county to the next.
The most important thing I learned was that North Carolina is definitely
governed by the International Building Code and that I would have to
purchase the BOOK on this code if I need it to design and build, meaning
if I don't know what the code is.   Which I don't.   But I would want to
exceed the code I would think.
Well, I already know this information is expensive and I am pretty sure
that there is no code specifically for cob in the IBC.
Please, someone correct me if I am mistaken on this.
Also, I am thinking that perhaps we could as a group purchase one copy of
the IBC and share it amongst us.
Would that be illegal?   If illegal to copy and disperse, then perhaps we
could lend it around?
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Deborah
ddenmark at earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~ddenmark/GreenTreeArtsHome.html<<

Deborah,
I rarely have time to review this list, though ventured over the messages 
this morning and came across your post. As we work closely with the ICC who 
publishes the IBC, here's a bit of feedback for you (with a little help from David 
Eisenberg).

1) While I assume your tone is joking, the "big bad building inspector" menta
lity is often a self-defeating attitude, and I think among the natural 
building community there are enough accounts to prove this. Check out the following 
link for a nice guide on how to approach your inspector and building 
department: http://www.dcat.net/about_dcat/current/codes.php# and click on the checklist 
link.

2) It probably isn't necessary to actually purchase the code book unless you 
have masochistic tendencies or lots of extra cash laying around. If you have 
no experience building and you plan on doing it all yourself, perhaps it would 
be a good idea, but since there will be little in it that will relate directly 
to cob, it may be of limited value except in terms of the other aspects of 
your building that will need to conform with the code. There should be copies 
though at the building department, and they might help you identify which 
sections to focus on, like foundations, etc., maybe even allowing you to make a few 
copies. There may be a copy at the local or regional library as well.

Any good building manual is going to get you pretty far though in terms of 
having a set of plans to talk about with your official. I would recommend the 
many books out there on natural building, including The Natural House by Dan 
Chiras, and Build It With Bales II, for it's straightforward approach to simple, 
safe buildings. Using those kind of foundation and roof details and taking 
into account the differences in wall materials, should get you a good ways down 
the road. A positive relationship with your inspector and building department 
is the most valuable tool overall though. Be honest about your vision and 
limitations, emphasize the importance of safety to you, and ask their assistance in 
finding a way that meets those needs and the code.

3) There is no specific code for cob in the current IBC or anywhere else, 
though some talk of trying to get it in there has gone on for some time. There is 
nothing even about adobe construction in the International Residential Code, 
though there is a little in the IBC. The IRC in many ways is more useful for 
homebuilding as it was written as a single stand-alone code which includes ev
erything related to building a home including mechanical, electrical, and 
plumbing provisions.

4) Sharing a book shouldn't be a problem. If there are people in the area who 
would like to pitch in for one, it could be worthwhile. You need to find out 
which version of the International Code is adopted where you are - it may be 
the 2000 or the 2003. The code is also available on CD-ROM, and sharing that 
should be fine too, though I'm sure duplicating it would be a copyright 
violation.

Recognize that the code organization that generates the IBC is a nonprofit 
organization just like DCAT is. Their primary revenue streams are dues and book 
sales. They strive to be independent of corporate funding and the influence 
that travel with it. And, as can be seen in the current issue of their magazine, 
Building Safety Journal, the upper management is beginning to embrace the 
responsibility for more sustainable building in a big way. 

Check this link: http://www.iccsafe.org/news/bsj/   

This is the fifth issue of either Building Standards (the magazine that 
preceded Building Safety Journal) devoted to alternative construction and green 
building that DCAT has organized and submitted. David Eisenberg, DCAT Director 
pens a regular column entitled "Building Codes for a Small Planet" for Building 
Safety Journal. And through DCAT's efforts, ICC and the US Green Building 
Council (USGBC) are forming a strategic alliance to start working on greening the 
codes in a more formal way. All of this is testament to the collaborative 
approach we support and have outlined in the link above.

Lastly, just to clue you all in to the kind of environment we have
created within the building code arena, I'm pasting in the text of the 
President's Message from the current issue linked above. There's much to say on this 
topic, and as infrequently as I am available here, please write to me 
directly if you wish to dialogue further. Best wishes on your journey!

Tony
anovelli at aol.com

MAY/JUNE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Building a Safer World
  "Building a Safer World" is a phrase ICC prints on letterhead,
embroiders on hats and streams across banners. We like it so much we
registered it as an ICC trademark.  A worthy task it is and a substantial
one. We must ask ourselves, how do we approach such an undertaking from a
truly "International" viewpoint? Our last issue focused on disaster
mitigation and the positive impact appropriate codes and enforcement have
on individuals and communities. Are the solutions the same for us as for
emerging nations? Will one size fit all? Is safe, affordable housing
according to US standards achievable in the majority of the world? Are
there more sustainable ways to regulate construction here? What is the
future role of the code community in facilitating alternative,
appropriate technology? These are complex questions which will take a
long time to answer. Hopefully, some of the articles in this issue will
aid the discussion.

  Among the articles in this Building Safety Journal is an update on
straw bale construction, written by California structural engineer, Bruce
King. Bruce also wrote an article on this topic in the first-ever feature
on alternative materials to appear in a model code group magazine, in
September 1998. That first feature on alternative materials started a
valuable trend providing access to information both outside the current
mainstream and a different frame of reference within which to consider
our work and our responsibilities.

  There is a common thread running through the articles on alternative
materials, green building and the Global Policy Summit on
Performance-based Building Regulations featured in this issue. It runs
through most of the related features and articles published since 1998.
The thread is the influence of a small non-profit organization in Tucson,
Arizona, the Development Center for Appropriate Technology (DCAT). DCAT's
contribution to the codes community hasn't been limited to their work
with our publications, but extends to a deeper kind of influence which
helps reconnect us with why we do this work.

  My first direct contact with DCAT's work was in St Louis five years ago
while attending an educational session by Bob Fowler and David Eisenberg,
entitled "Building Sustainability Into the Codes". David's work had a
profound impact on Bob and together their presentation dramatically
affected the way I would think about the future of building construction.
I now consider connections, responsibilities and unintended consequences
of "business as usual" which I never considered before. Much of that
bigger context is apparent in David's columns in Building Safety Journal,
"Building Codes for a Small Planet," and was apparent at a Summit in
Washington, DC last November.   The article, written by Brian Meacham,
about the November 2003 Summit on performance based codes, acknowledges
the larger context that inspires DCAT's work.

  The official title of that conference was "The Global Policy Summit on
the Role of Performance-Based Building Regulations in Addressing Societal
Expectations, International Policy, and Local Needs". That title doesn't
even make a reasonable acronym, but it was a great conference. With a
diverse group of nearly 100 experts on codes and regulations, risk, and
global trends, we were treated to two and a half days of informative and
often thought-provoking perspectives from around the world. James Lee
Witt was a keynote speaker and I also was honored to present at the
Summit.

  In his comments in the closing session of the Summit, David Lucht of
Worcester Polytechnic Institute again connected to DATC stating David
Eisenberg's presentation had, after three decades in the industry,
recalibrated everything for him. He said those thoughts along with
another presentation from South Africa made real a set of issues that we
just don't typically see from the US perspective though they will
seriously impact everyone everywhere.

  I recommend reading Brian's article and then, if you find this as
interesting and important as I do, following the links from that article
and learning more about the complex and fascinating set of issues that
will profoundly affect us and our children. Seeing things from differing
perspectives help guide our work and minimize negative unintended
consequences.

  Among the things that David pointed out in his presentation at the
Summit was that the work DCAT carries out is based on deeply conservative
values. He included a quote from the 18th-century British philosopher and
statesman, Edmund Burke, widely recognized as the father of modern
conservatism. Burke believed that conservatism was based on a "societal
contract" between "those who are living, those who are dead, and those
who are to be born." He saw this as an essential partnership required
because science, art and progress cannot be achieved without deep regard
both for the past and those to follow.

  David added another quote which is especially relevant to our work in
safeguarding the public health, safety and welfare: Burke believed that
government or anyone "possessing any portion of power ought to be
strongly and awfully impressed with the idea that they act in trust." We
all must remind ourselves of that reality, as we go through our
day-to-day challenges, balancing the interests and welfare of our
communities today, as well as those in the future, with a deep regard for
what we have inherited from those who have gone before.

Anne vonWeller is President of the Board of Directors of the
International Code Council

************************
Tony Novelli
Assistant Director
Development Center for Appropriate Technology
P.O. Box 27513
Tucson, Arizona 85726-7513 USA
(520) 624-6628
(520) 798-3701 Fax
anovelli at aol.com
http://www.dcat.net

*************************
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know 
peace"
-Jimi Hendrix
*************************
The Development Center for Appropriate Technology is a not for profit 
organization that is supported solely by foundation grants and charitable 
contributions from corporations, small business, and individuals. Our mission is to 
enhance the health of the planet and our communities by promoting a shift to 
sustainable construction and development through leadership, strategic 
relationships, and education. To learn about how you can support DCAT’s crucial work, visit 
our website at www.dcat.net.