Construction Industry Trends
May 2006
Learning a Difficult Lesson
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On November 29, 2005, exactly three months after Hurricane Katrina made landfall in southeast Louisiana, the state’s governor, Kathleen Blanco, signed legislation strengthening building codes throughout the state. The bill, which was introduced and approved by the state legislature during a special session, is designed to ensure that homes and businesses being rebuilt in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are more likely to withstand future storms of Katrina’s caliber.
Louisiana’s adoption of the International Codes (I-Codes) developed by the International Code Council (ICC) unites a formerly disparate hodgepodge of local building codes of varying degrees of stringency. Under the new law, builders will need to apply the International Building (IBC), Residential (IRC), Existing Building, Mechanical, and Fuel Gas Codes to buildings being constructed or rebuilt starting in 2007—except in 11 of the costal parishes. These parishes, which were the hardest hit by the hurricanes, are already applying the codes to construction projects.
Under the IBC and IRC, all buildings in Louisiana will be constructed to withstand the higher winds that come with hurricanes. Both codes provide specific construction guidelines for location-specific wind loads—for example, homes and businesses built along the Gulf Coast will need to be built to withstand wind speeds of 130 to 150 miles per hour, while new buildings further inland may be built based on a lower wind load.
The IBC and IRC have been revised over time to reflect new data gathered from past events such as hurricanes, points out ICC Senior Vice President Tom Frost. Because they continue to incorporate this new information into their guidelines, they can help make a difference in ensuring the safety of people who live in Louisiana. “The real value and power of the code development process is realized during rebuilding when buildings and structures are designed and rebuilt to resist state-of-the-art wind load predictions,” he says.
Even though many in the state recognize the importance of stronger building codes, the passing of this new bill has also been met with some criticism. Organizations such as the Louisiana Home Builders Association—which did support the legislation—have argued that tougher building codes could lead to higher construction costs, particularly in areas which previously did not have building codes in place. However, ICC cites studies that show that every dollar invested in building safer and stronger can save $4 to $7 in future losses.
In addition, the codes offer new challenges to local construction companies. “It’s a learning curve for a lot of them where there was no code enforcement in areas of south Louisiana, and all over the state for that matter, but particularly in south Louisiana,” says Mark Roberts, regional manager, ICC.
Despite these challenges, Roberts, who lives in Louisiana, believes that adoption of the codes will help minimize damage that could be caused by future storms. “That’s what the wind and flood provisions of the IBC and IRC are there for,” he says. “They’re geared for these coastal areas that have sustained damage from hurricanes.”
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