THEORY OF

ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE
Arch 4111

Lecture 03 –
Building codes,
Regulations and Standards
EBCS and AA Regulations
Oct 28, 2022
ARCHI YOSEPH H.
 FOR INSPIRATION

•Rahel Shawl
• Architect, Educator & Mentor
• Rahel Shawl (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1968) graduated in 1991 from
the Addis Ababa School of Architecture. In 1994, she founded
Abba Architects, and in 2004, Raas Architects. Shawl’s career is
fruitfully rooted in the cultural and professional context of
contemporary Ethiopia. Thanks to local newbuilds and
international collaborations with foreign firms, Raas Architects
works on architectural design as well as building supervision
FOR INSPIRATION

•Rahel Shawl
• Architect, Educator & Mentor
• Rahel shawl is founder and principal of RAAS architects in addis
ababa, ethiopia. Since 1991, she has participated in and
completed various notable building projects within ethiopia;
including embassies, schools, health care centers, offices,
commercial, industrial and residential buildings both local and
through international collaborations. Rahel blends her industry
know-how with her passion for people and identity, constantly
using architecture to bring about positive impact.
Rahel Shawl
• Architect, Educator & Mentor
• She received the Aga Khan Award for architecture in
2007; the Loeb Fellowship at Harvard Graduate
School of Design in 2017; was one of the finalist for
the Dorfman Award at the Royal Institute of Art in
the UK including the recent selection of RAAS
architects as one of the 50 best architecture firms
2020 by DOMUS magazine.
Rahel Shawl
• Architect, Educator & Mentor
• Through her initiative abRen, and using her practice
RAAS Architects as a platform, Rahel continues to
mentor young professionals and encourage women
in particular to elevate their knowledge of
architecture through practice-based learning. The
empowerment of young architects, Rahel believes
will help create a new wave of design thought
leaders, promoting the emergence of more
sustainable, just and equitable architecture
practices serving communities and societies in
Ethiopia and the rest of Africa.
Rahel Shawl
• Architect, Educator & Mentor
• Built projects include embassies, schools, hospitals, clinics, housing, hotels, master plans for
campuses, landscaping and interiors. All have the aim of being innovative while using local
knowledge, and being sensitive toward the context and landscape that hosts and generates
them. One illustration of these principles is given by the Cure Ethiopia Children’s
Orthopaedical Hospital built in two phases (2014 and 2018) in Addis Ababa, which offers
optimum connectivity between the hospital rooms and the surrounding forest. The
construction method uses easily available materials to create quality space.
Rahel Shawl
• Ethiopia
Children’s
Orthopaedical
Hospital
Rahel Shawl
• Architect, Educator & Mentor
• The same type of intelligence applied to the relation between inhabitants and context
characterises the Irish Embassy (2011) in the Ethiopian capital: it is conceived as an oasis in the
middle of urban concrete. Raas’s quest for individual uniqueness is seen in the differently
designed open spaces for each living unit at the Ska-1 apartment building (Addis Ababa, 2019).
Rahel Shawl
• Irish Embassy
(2011) in the
Ethiopian
Rahel Shawl
• The Royal
Embassy of
Netherlands
Rahel Shawl
• The SKA-1
apartment
building.
Content
• Building codes, Regulations and Standards
• History
• The what , why, how and who?
– Types Codes, Rules and Regulations that govern Architectural Practice ?
– Other forms - Standards, specifications, Guidelines
– Building codes and regulations in the international arena and local practice
• Building codes IBC .. EBCS..
• Regulations – City structural Plans
• EBCS Ethiopian Building Code and Standards
• Addis Ababa City Regulations Structural plan document
– The Addis Ababa Structure Plan (Master Plan)
– የአዲስ አበባ ከተማ ኮንስትራክሽን ቢሮ የህንፃ መመሪያ 2/2010
– Addis Ababa Land Use Regulation
– Addis Ababa Building Height Regulation
– Infrastructure Provision Plans
References:

• Building Spatial Design CES 164, Compulsory Ethiopian Standard,

– First Edition 2015 ICS: Published by Ethiopian Standards Agency © ESA
• Fire Precautions During Building Construction Design, Works and Use CES 165,
Compulsory Ethiopian Standard
• First Edition 2015 ICS: Published by Ethiopian Standards Agency © ESA
• የአዲስ አበባ ከተማ ኮንስትራክሽን ቢሮ የህንፃ መመሪያ 2/2010
• The Addis Ababa Structure Plan (Master Plan)
• Addis Ababa Land Use Regulation
• Addis Ababa Building Height Regulation
• Infrastructure Provision Plans
 – History
• The existence of building regulations goes back almost 4,000
years. To the times of King Hammurabi,

-King Hammurabi, the famous law-

making Babylonian ruler who reigned
from approximately 1955 to 1913 B.C.

- He is probably best remembered for the

Code of Hammurabi, a statute primarily
based on retaliation.
Building Codes – History
• If a builder build a house for some one, and does not construct it properly,
and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder
shall be put to death.
• If it kill the son of the owner, the son of that builder shall be put to death. If
it kill a slave of the owner, then he shall pay slave for slave to the owner of
the house.
• If it ruin goods, he shall make compensation for all that has been ruined,
and in as much as he did not construct properly this house which he built
and it fell, he shall re-erect the house from his own means.
• If a builder build a house for some one, even though he has not yet
completed it; if then the walls seem toppling, the builder must make the
walls solid from his own means.”
o Laws 229–233 Hammurabi’s Code of Laws (ca. 1780 BC)
Building Codes – History

• The earliest recorded building laws apparently were concerned

with the prevention of collapse. During the rapid growth of the
Roman Empire under the reigns of Julius and Augustus
Caesar, the city of Rome became the site of a large number of
hastily constructed apartment buildings—many of which were
erected to considerable heights.
• Because building collapse due to structural failure was
frequent, laws were passed that limited the heights of
buildings—first to 70 ft (21 m) and then to 60 ft (18 m).
Building Codes – History
• In London, during the fourteenth century, an ordinance was issued
requiring that chimneys be built of tile, stone, or plaster; the ordinance
prohibited the use of wood for this purpose.

• In the United States, building construction regulations date back to the

17th century. In Boston for example, laws were passed that prohibited
thatched roofs and wooden chimneys and required stone or brick walls on
buildings after two fires destroyed major parts of the city in 1631 and
1679.
Building Codes – History
• The great fire of London
o Started Sunday, 2 September 1666
o The fire lasted 4days and 4 nights spreading over 2 miles and destroying 80% of
London
• Rebuilding Act of 1667
o aimed at eradicating some of the risks that had made the fire so catastrophic.
• upper floors of houses were no longer permitted to jut out over the floor below.
• hanging signs were banned.
• all houses or buildings, whether great or small, were to be built only in brick or stone – if
new houses were built of other materials they would be pulled down, meaning no more
building with wood and thatch.
• new Fire Prevention Regulations included easy access to water and the beginnings of a
fire hydrant system for the city.
Building Codes- History
• Various civilizations over the centuries have developed building codes. The
origins of the codes we use today lie in the great fires that swept American
cities regularly in the 1800s.

• Chicago developed a building code in 1875 to placate the National Board

of Fire Underwriters, who threatened to cut off insurance for businesses
after the fire of 1871. It is essential to keep the fire-based origins of the
codes in mind when trying to understand the reasoning behind many code
requirements.

• The first model codes were written from the point of view of insurance
companies to reduce fire risks. Model codes are developed by private code
groups for subsequent adoption by local and state government agencies as
legally enforceable regulations.
Building Codes- History
• USA-20th century
• The first major model- code group was the Building Officials and Code
Administrators (BOCA), founded in 1915 and located in Country Club
Hills, Illinois.
• Next was the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO),
formed in 1922, located in Whittier, California. The first edition of their
Uniform Building Code (UBC) was published in
• 1927.
• The Southern Building Code Congress (SBCCI), founded in 1940 and
headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, first published the Southern
Building Code in 1946.
• The first BOCA National Building Code was published in 1950.
Building Codes- History
• The BOCA National Building Code was used primarily in the north central
and northeastern states.
• The SBCCI Standard Building Code was used primarily in the Southeast.
The model-code groups merged in the late 1990s to form the International
Code Council - ICC
• BOCA, ICBO, and SBCCI ceased maintaining and publishing their legacy
codes.
• The ICC publishes building codes applicable to commercial, institutional
and residential structures. These codes guide the compliance process to
ensure safe, sustainable, and resilient construction. The ICC is based on a
set of 15 integrated and geographically-specific model codes, known
collectively as the I-codes.
What is a building code?

• A code is a law or regulation that sets forth minimum

requirements and, in particular, a building code is a law or
regulation that sets forth minimum requirements for the design
and construction of buildings and structures.
Why Building codes?

• These minimum requirements, established to protect the health

and safety of society, attempt to represent society’s
compromise between optimum safety and economic
feasibility.
How are codes and standards developed?

• The codes and standards development process is intended to be open and

transparent, allowing the participation of interested individuals or
stakeholders. The processes are designed to weigh a balance of interests
and provide due process.
• The development of codes and standards considers evidence-based
building science and engineering principles, as well as the experience and
technical expertise of individuals and stakeholders, which may include
experts, construction and design professionals, enforcement personnel and
product manufacturers.
Who enforces building and construction codes?
• The practice of developing, approving and enforcing building codes varies
considerably by country. There is ample evidence that strong and well-
enforced building codes can and do save lives and reduce property
damage, with many being overseen by building inspectors or code officials
to ensure safe construction.

• Who do you think enforces the building codes in Ethiopia?

Types of Building Codes

• There are two types of codes –

o Model codes
o Adopted codes
• Model codes are a set of rules, suggested practices or recommendations
for others to follow (i.e. what to do) pertaining to the construction and
occupancy of buildings and structures. Model codes are not law, but they
can become law when adopted by local, state, provincial, or national
governments.
• Adopted codes, often referred to simply as “codes”, are those that are
developed by a jurisdiction themselves (either based on a combination of
model codes or by other means permitted in local laws) that set out a
minimum standard that must be adhered to.
The future for code development
• Performance vs. Prescriptive Codes

• This approach requires that each element

of a building has a minimum acceptable
standard.
• For example, when reviewing energy
codes, prescriptive tables require a specific
insulation value for different types of wall
and roof construction across different
climate zones. These tables typically list R
and or U-values that are required as
minimums for the walls, windows, and
roof.
The future for code development
• PERFORMANCE BUILDING CODES
• Using performance pathways to establish energy code compliance
requires “modeling” the building to predict energy usage against an
acceptable baseline. This modeling is performed by using commonly
available software that creates a “virtual” building, then uses historical
weather information to predict how it would perform under those
conditions.
• Performance Code, define the problem and allow the designer to devise
the solution. The word “performance” in this context refers to the
problem definition and to the setting of parameters for deciding if the
proposed solution solves the problem adequately. These standards
define the problem, but do not define, describe, or predetermine the
solution.
Other forms - What is a guideline?
• A design specification is a detailed document providing a list of points
regarding a product or process. For example, the design specification could
include required dimensions, environmental factors, ergonomic factors,
aesthetic factors, maintenance that will be needed, etc. It may also give
specific examples of how the design should be executed, helping others
work properly (a guideline for what the person should do).
Other forms - What is a standard?
• Standards establish testing methodology, material specifications, guidance
documents, practices and more. Standards serve as a common language
for defining quality and often establishing performance and safety criteria
(i.e. International Organization for Standardization (ISO), ASTM or
CAN/ULC).
• A standard is more technical in nature when compared to a building code.
Other forms - What is a specification?
• A design specification is a detailed document providing a list of points
regarding a product or process. For example, the design specification could
include required dimensions, environmental factors, ergonomic factors,
aesthetic factors, maintenance that will be needed, etc.
• It may also give specific examples of how the design should be executed,
helping others work properly (a guideline for what the person should do).
Building codes and regulations in the
international arena and local practice

• Building codes and regulations in the international arena

Building codes and regulations in the
international arena
• International Building Code (IBC):

The IBC is a model building code that addresses both health and
safety concerns for buildings based upon prescriptive and
performance-related requirements. The IBC has been widely
adopted by jurisdictions across the United States as well as
several other countries. The code provisions are intended to
protect public health and safety while avoiding both unnecessary
costs and preferential treatment of specific materials or methods
of construction.
• International Residential Code (IRC):

The IRC is a comprehensive model code for residential buildings

that establishes minimum regulations for dwellings of three
stories or less. It combines provisions for many elements and
systems pertaining to residential home construction including
building, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, energy and electrical.
• International Existing Building Code (IEBC):

The IEBC establishes minimum regulations for upgrades and

improvements addressing the alteration, addition or change of
occupancy in existing buildings. It uses prescriptive and
performance-based provision and is intended to ensure public
health and safety pertaining to the existing building stock.
• International Green Construction Code (IgCC):

The IgCC provides the design and construction industry with an

effective means of delivering more sustainable, resilient and
high-performing buildings. Formed through a partnership
between AIA, ASHRAE, ICC, IES, and USGBC, the IgCC
represents a formula for green building codes that works toward a
new era that includes environmental health and safety as code
minimums.
• International Energy Conservation Code (IECC):

The IECC is designed to meet the needs of an up-to-date energy

conservation code through model code regulations that will result
in the optimal use of fossil fuel and renewable resources. The
code contains separate provisions for commercial buildings and
low-rise residential buildings (defined as being three stories or
less in height above grade).
• International Fire Code (IFC):

The IFC was created to satisfy model code regulations for an up-
to-date fire code addressing conditions hazardous to life and
property from fire, explosion, and the handling or use of
hazardous materials. The comprehensive fire code establishes
minimum regulations for fire prevention and fire protection
systems that safeguard public health and safety.
• International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC):

The IWUIC is a model code that is intended to be adopted and

used supplemental to the adopted building and fire codes of a
jurisdiction. The code has established minimum special
regulations for the safeguarding of life and property from
wildland fire exposures, fires from adjacent structures and to
prevent structural fires from spreading. We expand on the
wildland urban interface and its impact below.
Rating Systems
- There are also rating systems, the most well known and widespread
of which is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or
LEED program, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC).

- LEED is not intended to be a code, although some jurisdictions have

adopted LEED criteria as code language. Typically, a rating system is
a voluntary program based on options selected by the owner and the
design team rather than being a set of requirements. Rating systems
serve as an ever-being-raised “ceiling” for practice.
Other Federal and Local codes

• EBCS Ethiopian Building Code and Standards

• Addis Ababa City Regulations Structural plan document
• The Addis Ababa Structure Plan (Master Plan)
• የአዲስ አበባ ከተማ ኮንስትራክሽን ቢሮ የህንፃ መመሪያ 2/2010
• Addis Ababa Land Use Regulation
• Addis Ababa Building Height Regulation
• Infrastructure Provision Plans
Addis Ababa City Regulations
Today’s Discussion Topic…
• What is your perception on the Addis Ababa City Regulation (based on its
importance and the level of influence it wants to create)..? How do you see
the different revisions of Addis Ababa City Regulations and its implication
on the current Image of the City? The additional impacts caused by new
policies and sudden decision by the government officials…

• Large development programs like the La Gare and other real estate
developments essential? Will thy benefit our society and how?