Although delivering a safe and healthy building for human occupancy is the responsibility of design and construction professionals, the design and construction of buildings are done within the framework of numerous federal, state, and local laws or constraints. These laws and constraints are aimed at ensuring that public health and safety issues are carefully considered by design and construction professionals in delivering buildings.
Discuss the differences and relationships between the following constraints:
Building codes and construction standards
Zoning codes or ordinances and building codes
A client is considering building a multistoried office development in a hurricane-prone area in Louisiana. The local building codes require specific features for hurricane protection. Answer the following questions:
Who is responsible for ensuring that such features are included in the design of the building, and what possible consequences may be incurred by the responsible party if it does not do so?
Who is responsible for verifying that the construction of the building complies with the hurricane protection provisions of the building codes? What authority does the responsible party have to verify such compliance?