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Library

This library contains research reports produced by the Building America program and other building science resources used to support this Solution Center. The materials cover both new construction and existing homes. Use the search box and/or the filters to explore hundreds of residential building resources. Access to some references not produced by Building America may require purchase from the publisher. Documents are listed alphabetically. While we continually update our database, links may have changed since posting. Please contact our webmaster if you find broken links.

Showing results 1 - 50 of 800

2003 International Wildland Urban Interface Code - IWUIC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2003 edition of the code establishing regulations to safeguard life and property from the intrusion of wildland fire and to prevent structure fires from spreading to wildland fuels; regulates defensible space and provides ignition-resistant construction requirements to protect against fire exposure...

2006 International Wildland Urban Interface Code - IWUIC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2006 edition of the code establishing regulations to safeguard life and property from the intrusion of wildland fire and to prevent structure fires from spreading to wildland fuels; regulates defensible space and provides ignition-resistant construction requirements to protect against fire exposure...

2008 Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters, ICC NSAA 500

Author(s)
International Code Council,
National Storm Shelter Association
Organization(s)
ICC,
NSSA
Publication Date
Guide providing minimum design and construction requirements for storm shelters that provide a safe refuge from storms that produce high winds, hurricanes, and tornadoes.

2009 International Fire Code - IFC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2009 edition of code establishing regulations involving life and property safety from fires and explosion hazards, including emergency planning, fire department access and water supply, automatic sprinkler systems, fire alarms, and hazardous materials planning and storage.

2009 International Wildland Urban Interface Code - IWUIC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2009 edition of the code establishing regulations to safeguard life and property from the intrusion of wildland fire and to prevent structure fires from spreading to wildland fuels; regulates defensible space and provides ignition-resistant construction requirements to protect against fire exposure...

2012 International Fire Code - IFC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2012 edition of code establishing regulations involving life and property safety from fires and explosion hazards, including emergency planning, fire department access and water supply, automatic sprinkler systems, fire alarms, and hazardous materials planning and storage.

2012 International Wildland Urban Interface Code - IWUIC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2012 edition of the code establishing regulations to safeguard life and property from the intrusion of wildland fire and to prevent structure fires from spreading to wildland fuels; regulates defensible space and provides ignition-resistant construction requirements to protect against fire exposure...

2012 Uniform Plumbing Code - UPC

Author(s)
International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials
Organization(s)
IAPMO
Publication Date
Code set from IAPMO explaining plumbing standards. 2012 Publication.

2014 Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters, ICC 500/NSSA

Author(s)
International Code Council,
National Storm Shelter Association
Organization(s)
ICC,
NSSA
Publication Date
The purpose of this standard is to establish minimum requirements to safeguard the public health, safety and general welfare relative to the design, construction and installation of storm shelters constructed for protection from high winds associated with tornadoes and hurricanes.

2015 Fortified Home High Wind Technical Summary

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Report summarizing the requirements to strenghthen new homes against property damage caused by high wind occurrences per the IBHS Fortified Homes High Wind Standard for New Homes.

2015 I-Codes: Summary of Changes to Flood Provisions

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Fact sheet summarizing the changes to the flood provisions in the 2012 I-Codes that appear in the 2015 edition.

2015 International Building Code - IBC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2015 edition of code for commercial buildings that brings together all structural, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, energy and electrical provisions for all buildings except detached one- and two-family residences and townhouses up to three stories.

2015 International Fire Code - IFC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2015 edition of code establishing regulations involving life and property safety from fires and explosion hazards, including emergency planning, fire department access and water supply, automatic sprinkler systems, fire alarms, and hazardous materials planning and storage.

2015 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code - IWUIC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2015 edition of the code establishing regulations to safeguard life and property from the intrusion of wildland fire and to prevent structure fires from spreading to wildland fuels; regulates defensible space and provides ignition-resistant construction requirements to protect against fire exposure...

2015 Uniform Plumbing Code - UPC

Author(s)
International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials
Organization(s)
IAPMO
Publication Date
Code set from IAPMO explaining plumbing standards. 2015 publication.

2017 Florida Building Code – Building, Sixth Edition

Author(s)
International Code Council,
Florida Building Commission
Organization(s)
ICC,
FBC
Publication Date
Florida building code including all the amendments and additions by Florida for the wind-borne debris regions and the high-velocity hurricane zone.

2018 International Building Code - IBC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2018 edition of code for commercial buildings that brings together all structural, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, energy and electrical provisions for all buildings except detached one- and two-family residences and townhouses up to three stories.

2018 International Existing Building Code - IEBC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2018 edition of code establishing a baseline for existing building retrofits to reach appropriate safety levels under new construction requirements covered in other ICC codes.

2018 International Fire Code - IFC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2018 edition of code establishing regulations involving life and property safety from fires and explosion hazards, including emergency planning, fire department access and water supply, automatic sprinkler systems, fire alarms, and hazardous materials planning and storage.

2018 International Residential Code - IRC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
ICC code chapter 6 focusing on wall bracing and wall construction.

2018 International Residential Code - IRC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2018 edition of code for residential buildings that creates minimum regulations for one- and two-family dwellings of three stories or less, bringing together all building, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, energy and electrical provisions for one- and two-family residences.

2018 International Wildland Urban Interface Code - IWUIC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2018 edition of the code establishing regulations to safeguard life and property from the intrusion of wildland fire and to prevent structure fires from spreading to wildland fuels; regulates defensible space and provides ignition-resistant construction requirements to protect against fire exposure...

2018 Long-term National Seismic Hazard Map

Author(s)
U.S. Geological Survey,
Earthquake Hazards Program
Organization(s)
USGS,
U.S. Department of the Interior,
USDI
Publication Date
A colored map showing seismic zones across the United States, ranging from lowest to highest seismic hazards.

2018 Uniform Plumbing Code - UPC

Author(s)
International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials
Organization(s)
IAPMO
Publication Date
Code set from IAPMO explaining plumbing standards. 2018 publication.

2019 Fortified Home New Construction Hurricane Technical Summary

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Report summarizing the requirements for strenghtening and protecting the roof, openings in the house, and creating a continuous load path to strengthen walls and foundation per the IBHS Fortified Homes Hurricane Standard for New Homes.

2020 Fortified Home Standard Detail Set High Wind

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance in severe thunderstorms, straight-line wind events, and high winds at the outer edges of tornadoes.

2020 Fortified Home Standard Detail Set Hurricane

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance in severe thunderstorms, straight-line wind events, and high winds at the outer edges of tornadoes.

2020 Fortified Home Standard Summary of Change

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Report summarizing the requirements for strenghtening and protecting the roof, openings in the house, and creating a continuous load path to strengthen walls and foundation per the IBHS Fortified Homes Hurricane Standard for New Homes.

2020 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures, Volume I: Part 1 Provisions, Part 2 Commentary, FEMA P-2082-1

Author(s)
Building Seismic Safety Council,
National Institute of Building Sciences,
Federal Emergency Management Agency,
National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program
Organization(s)
BSSC,
NIBS,
FEMA,
NEHRP
Publication Date
Document presenting the minimum recommended requirements necessary for the design and construction of new buildings and other structures to resist earthquake ground motions throughout the United States.

2020 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures, Volume II: Part 3 Resource Papers, FEMA P-2082-2

Author(s)
Building Seismic Safety Council,
National Institute of Building Sciences,
Federal Emergency Management Agency,
National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program
Organization(s)
BSSC,
NIBS,
FEMA,
NEHRP
Publication Date
Document containing a series of resource papers that describe earthquake design components, including shear walls, resiliency, ground motion, and story drift and deflection, among others.

2021 International Wildland Urban Interface Code - IWUIC

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2021 edition of the code establishing regulations to safeguard life and property from the intrusion of wildland fire and to prevent structure fires from spreading to wildland fuels; regulates defensible space and provides ignition-resistant construction requirements to protect against fire exposure...

2024 Rating the States - Research Summary

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Report assessing building codes in the 18 states most prone to hurricanes, as of 2018.

40% Whole-House Energy Savings in the Hot-Humid Climate, Volume 15

Author(s)
Baechler Michael C,
Gilbride Theresa L,
Hefty Marye G,
Cole Pam C,
Adams Karen T,
Noonan Chrissy F,
Love Pat M
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
A guidebook helping builders design and construct homes that are among the most energy efficient available, while addressing issues such as building durability, indoor air quality, and occupant health, safety, and comfort. Measures described in this guide can help builders in the hot-humid climate...

40% Whole-House Energy Savings in the Marine Climate, Volume 11

Author(s)
Baechler Michael C,
Gilbride Theresa L,
Hefty Marye G,
Cole Pam C,
Williamson Jennifer,
Love Pat M
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report providing builders in marine climates with guidance for building homes that have whole-house energy savings of 40% over the Building America benchmark with no added overall costs for consumers.

40% Whole-House Energy Savings in the Mixed-Humid Climate, Volume 16

Author(s)
Baechler Michael C,
Gilbride Theresa L,
Hefty Marye G,
Cole Pam C,
Adams Karen T,
Butner Ryan S,
Ortiz S J,
Love Pat M
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Report describing measures that builders in mixed-humid climates can use to build homes that have whole-house energy savings of 40% over the Building America benchmark with no added overall costs for consumers.

5 Ways to Protect Your Home From Wildfires

Author(s)
McGuigan Connor
Organization(s)
Sierra Club
Publication Date
Article from the Sierra Club explaining 5 steps to take to ensure your home's resistance to wildfires, including site maintenance and roof construction guidelines.

A Guide to Preserving Trees in Development Projects

Author(s)
Elmendorf William,
Gerhold Henry,
Kuhns Larry
Organization(s)
Pennsylvania State University Extension,
PennState Extension
Publication Date
Article describing tree health, environmental considerations, and details on how to preserve trees.