Interpreting the Code…

Building codes can be confusing and messy. They are normally open to interpretation, even though there are hundreds of pages of code “language” in the code books. You might ask why there needs to be any interpretation of the code if the code book has so much detail? Well, the answer is that nothing is fully set in stone and sometimes there are multiple ways to design a building to meet the level of code requirement that the State mandates. This can be both frustrating (if you’re a very literal person) and satisfying (if you are one that likes options). I’d like to share a quick story of a project we are working on currently that put us in a situation where there wasn’t necessarily one “perfect” solution.

We are in the process of designing an airport hangar building for a small municipal airport in central Indiana. Per the building code, the overall size of the building required us to either provide a fire sprinkler system or fire separation, which is a series of fire walls that “compartmentalize” the building into smaller spaces. Since the building is located in a rural area where a fire sprinkler system would be difficult to utilize due to water supply, we were forced to go the fire separation route. There were a few different ways we could go about the separation, so we chose the one that would fit best with the size and configuration the building without limiting its overall functionality. Ultimately we were able to get to the same end result, which is a safe building that meets State approval standards.

Codes are somewhat up to interpretation, but the final decision on interpretation is ultimately left in the hands of the State reviewer. As a consulting firm, we do our best to interpret the codes to work within the guidelines of the State as well as the functionality of our client’s needs. If you’re ready to build new, add on to your current building or renovate an existing facility, give us a call and let us help you get the job done.

Perfect Design

We are working on a project with a local contractor who we have done several projects with over the past few years. He approached us a few months ago with a potential office building project here in the Fort Wayne area. His client initially had another firm look at the project using design concepts he had come up with. It became clear that the clients design concepts were a little “over the top” and needed to be simplified in order to stay within the established construction budget. So, PDMi came up with a modified design using the criteria set forth by the client that would give him an architecturally pleasing design while incorporating the function and flow that he needed inside the building. When my contractor friend showed him the conceptual design we had come up with, his immediate reaction was “I love it!”. The issue was that he hadn’t taken time to really study the plan. It turns out that we had made a few compromises (relocating a mechanical room, making his storage room smaller, re-designing the second floor office space, etc.) that did not fit perfectly into his vision and specific needs. After he took some time to look at the plan, he gave us feedback which allowed us to make his space flow better and we were able to implement his feedback in a manner than worked perfectly for him.

I tell you this story to remind you that not every design is perfect on day one, many times it takes several versions of the initial design to find the right fit. Had we gone with his initial reaction of “I love it!”, we would have compromised on some of the items that were truly important to him. Remember, it’s a lot easier (and much less costly) to make the changes on paper ahead of time rather than after construction has started.  

If we can be of help on any of your future design needs, give us a call. We would love the opportunity to develop a perfect design for your next facility…

Solid Foundations

We were with a client recently who had one of his tenants run a fork truck into a column damaging it quite extensively. As you can imagine, this is cause for major concern as the only thing holding up that portion of the roof is that specific structural member. The real kicker was that the column had been run into many years ago, twisted like a spaghetti noodle and then encased in concrete for added “support”. As we stood in the facility looking at the twisted column, we noticed the next column to the left had a large portion of the bottom sliced out of it (another causality of the fork truck). Needless to say, our client spent a few $$’s that day getting columns repaired. Thankfully the foundations of the columns had not been damaged. Setting a good foundation for your column is imperative so that column replacements can be done easily and effectively.

Planning for your next building project is a lot like setting the foundation for your columns. Building foundations support the superstructure from settlement and failure. Similarly, planning provides the base to keep your project from veering too far right or left before it ever gets started. There will always be outside factors that can throw the project off course, just like a fork truck running into your column. As long as you start with a solid foundation of planning in the beginning, “repairing the column” during the building process is an easy fix to keep you focused on the end goal.

At PDMi, we can help you establish that solid foundation on your next project. Give us a call so we can put our experience to work for you.