Briefly …

Members of three major code-making organizations—Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA), the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) and the Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI)—took the historic step in October of officially consolidating into a single organization: the International Code Council (ICC). They have elected a board of directors and expect to begin operation by late January. First conceived in 1994, the ICC has been a long-term project to establish a single, unified building code.

The Society of Fire Protection Engineers offers two new publications: Fire Protection Engineering in Building Design considers the integration of fire protection engineering into overall building design. Guidelines for Peer Review in the Fire Protection Design Process addresses the increasing use of performance-based design.

The Guide to Low-Emission Boiler and Combustion Equipment Selection is intended to be widely distributed throughout the industry. Prepared by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. Dept. of Energy, the comprehensive guide was undertaken in cooperation with the American Boiler Manufacturers Association (ABMA), the Council of Industrial Boiler Owners (CIBO) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.