AEI’s Greg Smithmyer Delivers an Update on the IBC’s “New” Higher Ed Lab Requirements
Designing and operating safe and compliant higher education laboratories that support student learning and scientific exploration requires staying up to date with the latest building codes. In 2018, the International Building Code (IBC) introduced new requirements to better address the realities of these spaces and align with current practices. Many states, however, are only now transitioning to these more recent versions of the IBC, leaving owners, design teams, architects, and engineers to catch up with implementing the new provisions.
In an article for Lab Design News, Senior Project Engineer Greg Smithmyer discusses these updated requirements for designing higher education laboratories and how they benefit university facilities. Previous code requirements were deemed overly restrictive and out of alignment with modern design and operational practices. The IBC's new requirements specifically address factors unique to higher education labs.
One significant change allows laboratories to exceed chemical volume limits under certain conditions. Laboratories can surpass the maximum allowable quantities of hazardous materials as long as they comply with additional code requirements outlined in the IBC, IFC, and NFPA 45 regarding hazardous material safety, emergency power, ventilation, floor construction, and fire protection.
Discover how the new IBC requirements improve safety and compliance in higher education laboratory environments while also fostering a dynamic atmosphere for scientific exploration.