Technical revisions, expected to be transmitted at year-end or early next year, are 80 percent complete, according to Patricia J. Lancaster, commissioner of the city Dept. of Buildings.
New York City’s buildings commissioner says the idea that the large number of people involved in framing the new code results in indecision is not true. So far, there are only 17 instances of mediation relating to 5,000 submissions.
There were "mighty heated discussions" about many of the provisions of the code, said Lancaster during a June 9 panel that examined the code at the 2005 National Conference of the Associated Owners & Developers, in New York City. But "the idea that no one can agree on anything is really not true," said Lancaster. She has the final say on issues that cannot be resolved through mediation.
To date, there have been only 17 mediations relating to 5,000 submissions, she said. Scissor stairs are one controversial topic. Owners want them because they are space-efficient but firefighters are opposed. Typically, there is compromise. (Scissor stairs are allowed, but with some extra fireproofing.)
The process began 18 months ago after a mayoral commission recommended the 2003 International Building Code as the model for a new code. It is being advanced through the efforts of 400 volunteers from the construction industry, serving on 13 technical and eight advisory committees.
The new code will be simpler to navigate, said Margot A. Woolley, assistant commissioner of the city’s Dept. of Design & Construction and a member of the administrative-enforcement committee. For example, charts for all periodic inspections will be in one location. The format will be familiar to users, including newcomers to New York City, because it will follow IBC, used in 48 states.
The code will contain some "flexibility," says Woolley. For example, there is an option to hire an approved professional to inspect or check for compliance, rather than depending on city inspectors. Also, there is an option to pay to accelerate the speed of getting the work permit or a certificate of occupancy. Permits will be issued for two years, not one.
The question of whether to address threat-induced events in the code was debated and rejected. "The message that the building code cannot protect people [in a terrorist attack] should be gotten out to the public," Lancaster said.
Mediation has not resolved the issue of whether there should be progressive collapse provisions.
Structural peer review, for certain "unique-type" buildings also is under consideration. To date, the committee has not locked in on the definition of unique.
Ernest A. Conrad, president of Landmark Facilities Group Inc. and a member of the mechanical committee, said the new code will likely become a model for high-density development in other areas.
