A proposal to incorporate the first U.S. guidance on tornado-resistant design into the model 2024 International Building Code passed the International Code Council’s structural committee by a vote of 14-0, at recent model code hearings in Rochester, N.Y. 

The built environment is truly only as good as the sum of its parts, and as the demands of the spaces where we live, work, learn, and play increase, the materials and products that comprise them must evolve with those demands. So, too, must the means by which we test, measure, and verify the efficacy of these products.

EIMA has joined with its industry allies in protesting the manner in which a report of Underwriters Laboratories has been allowed be used as the basis for a code change that would essentially ban the use of foam insulation for EIFS and other exterior wall cladding such as vinyl siding. 

The Gypsum Association announces the publication of its revised application standard, GA-216-2016, Application and Finishing of Gypsum Panel Products.  The new 2016 specification provides appropriate installation methods for most gypsum panels, from the more common regular and type X wallboards to specialized performance boards such as glass mat water-resistant gypsum panels and abuse-resistant and impact-resistant gypsum panels.

 The Certified Steel Stud Association is a new organization with an undeniable commitment to code compliance.