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• <br /> BUILDING CODE FUNDAMENTALS <br /> The major fundamentals of a building code are to <br /> provide not only for safe, well constructed buildings, <br /> but also to provide for reasonable safely to life as <br /> well as to property from fire. <br /> Because buildings are normally constructed upward from <br /> the footings, the fundamental , a safe and well <br /> constructed building or structure, is presented first. <br /> To have safe, well constructed buildings the building <br /> code needs provisions for minimum live loads, <br /> concentrated floor loads, roof loads, impact loads and <br /> wind pressures. <br /> The next fundamental is safety to life. If there was <br /> no possibility of fire or explosion, provisions would <br /> be simple. Means of egress would be the same as those <br /> needed for people to enter or leave a building under <br /> normal conditions. There would be no need for fire <br /> separation between dwelling units in as apartment house <br /> nor for fire resistant enclosures of stairways. Fire <br /> is one of the greatest potential sources of injury in <br /> buildings. <br /> This fundamental has the following principles. Except <br /> for floor areas that are small or will have only a few <br /> occupants and a limited number of special conditions, <br /> each floor area should have at least two means of <br /> egress. Exit doorways and exitways are to be located <br /> with proper regard to safety of the occupants and ease <br /> of egress including good separation of the exits. An <br /> additional part of this principle is the maximum <br /> distance of travel to exit doorways. These distances <br /> generally are stated for the classification of the <br /> occupancy. At least two exit doorways or two exitways <br /> are needed so the occupants of any floor can walk away <br /> from a fire area without the risk of serious burns or <br /> the effects of smoke. <br /> The next principle is that the exitway provide a safe <br /> means for occupants to proceed to a street. Stairways <br /> or ramps need to be enclosed to provide a path of safe <br /> travel as well as to keep fire from spreading from <br /> floor to floor. For buildings of fire-resistive <br /> construction or of noncombustible construction and for <br /> buildings more than three stories in height, the <br /> enclosure should be of noncombustible materials. In <br /> addition, exitways should not be lined with materials <br /> that will permit the rapid spread of fire, but rather <br /> with a material that has a low flame spread rating. <br />