10th Edition 780 CMR to be based on 2021 ICC Codes. A draft is available at mass.gov. Anticipated adoption in early 2023. 

AKF values continuous learning opportunities as they fuel our knowledge of industry trends and stimulate our creativity for providing the best engineering solutions for our projects. We look forward to connecting with clients and colleagues at the following conferences:

NEHES Fall Conference; Portland, ME - Visit us at booth 4 from September 18th-21st. Experts Jeff Rios and Caitlyn Angelini present "A Case Study at Maine Health: The Evolution of Sustainability Goals in the 21st Century" on September 21st.

2022 BCxA Annual Conference; Glendale, AZ - Michael Dooley and Carlos Londono present "Keeping the Power On through Electrical Commissioning" on September 22nd.

BD+C's 2022 Women in Design+Construction Conference; Chicago, IL - Say hi to Deborah Reider who will be in attendance September 26-28th.

Autodesk University 2022; New Orleans, LA - Nora Swanson speaks on the panel "Hard Questions Only! A Multidiscipline Panel on BIM and Digital Transformation" on September 27th.

The Northeastern University Energy Systems Society 8th Annual Energy Conference; Boston, MA - Lance Brown speaks on the panel "Redefining the Energy Landscape: The Path to Resilient Future" on September 30th.

I2SL Annual Conference and Technology Fair; Pittsburgh, PA - Brendan McGrath presents "Can Commissioning Enable Lab Safety and Sustainability?" on October 18th.

Advanced Building Skins Conference; Bern, Switzerland - Jeff Rios speaks on the panel "Façade Retrofits and Building Emissions" on October 21st.

BISNOW: Boston Higher Education Real Estate Summit; Boston, MA - Jason Sylvain presents "Facility Upgrades & a Greener Campus'' on November 1st.

AKF has a long history with the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA), having provided Engineering and Integrated Services for the campus since 2012. Located in Buzzards Bay, MA, the 55-acre oceanfront campus sits at the mouth of the Cape Cod Canal.

With the waterfront location, resiliency has been a primary focus of MMA's projects. In 2015, AKF conducted a master planning pilot project in which our team provided an energy master plan, analyzed triggers for code upgrades, and identified vulnerable infrastructure and campus features that could be susceptible to natural forces. AKF also created strategies to help mitigate damage/failure of campus infrastructure and delivered a recovery plan based on realistic, cost-effective, and sustainable protective measures. The report was later presented at the 50th Annual Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) International Conference.

In addition to master planning, AKF has provided design and consulting services for various additions, renovations, and equipment upgrades on the MMA campus. Most recently, AKF's MEP/FP and Code Consulting teams provided study and design services for an expansion of the existing Fantail Dining Area in MMA's Mess Deck. AKF's Code team performed an accessibility assessment of the existing Mess Deck to identify required upgrades. They also provided a code analysis, life safety plans, and assisted in obtaining a building code variance for the project's alternate flood mitigation design.

Reach out to our team to learn more about our work at MMA and other higher education facilities!

Codes are taking a fresh look at parking garages. Our last newsletter highlighted the fire hazards of lithium-ion batteries, which are becoming more prevalent as more people switch to electric vehicles. However, lithium-ion batteries aren't the only new hazard for parking garages. A greater amount of plastic and synthetic materials and more efficient parking layouts mean garages are housing more combustibles than ever before.

Notable fires in England, Norway, and the United States have led to a renewed focus on the hazards of parking garages. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) details the extent of the damage in their reports and publications. The fires destroyed hundreds, or sometimes thousands of vehicles and led to the collapse of some of the structures involved.

Under current codes, open parking garages are often not required to have a sprinkler system. However, changes to NFPA 13, the International Building Code (IBC), and FM Global Data Sheets emphasize the increased hazard of modern parking garages.

Previously considered Ordinary Hazard (OH) Group 1, the 2022 edition of NFPA 13 now identifies parking garages as OH Group 2 occupancies (2022 NFPA 13 Section A.4.3.3.2). Similarly, the 2021 IBC requires sprinklers for open parking garages greater than 48,000 SF [2021 IBC 903.2.10(3)].

While these changes may not be effective until adopted by a local jurisdiction, FM Global has already updated their Data Sheet 7-15 to delete the option to omit sprinklers in open parking garages. Therefore, FM-insured garages may require sprinklers even if such systems aren't yet required by the local building code.

Questions on the new garage requirements? Our Code team has the answers! Reach out to learn more.