A voice for the industry

By Emma Peterson. 

How IIBEC is supporting the industry by signing coalition letters in support of building codes. 

The International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC)’s goal is to advocate for professionals in roofing, waterproofing and exterior wall specification/design around the world. Recently, one of the ways they have pursued this mission is by supporting and signing two coalition letters. These letters were sent to U.S. congressional committees and support building code updates.  

In addition to supporting IIBEC’s mission to be a voice for the industry, these letters also align with their work as a member of ASTM and the International Code Council. Through that role, IIBEC proudly assists and participates in the process of developing model codes for states to use as guidelines in their individual development processes. 

The first letter 

Sent to the congressional transportation and infrastructure subcommittee on economic development, public buildings and emergency management, this letter was sent on the first of May, prior to a hearing titled: “Disaster Mitigation: Reviewing the Effectiveness and Costs of FEMA’s Resilience Programs.” 

The contents of the letter focused on sharing how the adoption and effective implementation of resilient building codes provide powerful returns. Some of the well-documented research that was cited in the letter explained how Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) even projects that current building codes could save the nation more than $600 billion in losses caused by floods, hurricanes and earthquakes in the next 36 years. Additionally, there were three U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories that found current codes can reduce deaths due to extreme heat by 80% and extreme cold by 30%. 

The second letter 

The subsequent letter was sent on May 22 to the congressional energy and commerce subcommittee on energy, climate and grid security prior to their hearing, “Green Building Policies: Jeopardizing the American Dream of Homeownership.”  

The goal of this letter was to correct the false narrative that building codes are the reason the market has grown more unfriendly and inaccessible to buyers. As the letter explains, “Contemporary research continues to find that modern health- and safety-focused building codes do not negatively impact housing affordability — in fact, no peer-reviewed research has found otherwise.”  

Read the full letters online!