All Entries in the "Buildings" Category
Expanding Use of Plastic Insulation
Foam Sheathing Makers Gain Major Success at ICC Code Hearing By Approval of Proposal Expanding Use of Plastic Insulation The Foam Sheathing Committee (FSC) of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), through an industry effort, achieved an important change in gaining broad acceptance of a performance-based standard for the use of foam insulation products in all code […]
Engineering Ground Zero
To commemorate the anniversary of 9/11, NOVA presented an epic story of engineering, innovation, and the perseverance of the human spirit. With extraordinary access granted by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, “Engineering Ground Zero” follows the five-year construction of One World Trade Center (1 WTC) and the National September 11 Memorial […]
Great Buildings Listings and Links
More than 1000 great buildings from around the world and across history are listed below and illustrated on this web site and the Great Buildings Collection on CD-ROM, with photographic images, architectural drawings, discussion, bibliography, architect info, and live 3D walkthrough computer models.H O M E — B U I L D I […]
High-rise fires cause quarter billion dollars of property damage a year
High Rise Fire Operations High-rise fires cause quarter billion dollars of property damage a year The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is reporting that in 2005-2009, there were an average of 15,700 reported structure fires in high-rise buildings per year with an associated $235 million in direct property damage. The report, “High-Rise Building Fires,” (PDF, 499 KB) cites […]
Woonsocket (RI) Eight Alarm Mill Fire: Caused by Welding
A 112-year-old building, once the home of the Woonsocket Rubber Co., a firm that made decoy tanks for the D-Day invasion in World War II and later manufactured Keds sneakers, was destroyed Tuesday night by a spectacular fire. Smoke from the blaze could be seen as far away as Providence.Fire Chief Gary Lataille said 10 […]
Chesapeake (VA) Auto Parts Store Roof Collapse Double LODD 1996
OVERVIEW Fifteen years ago, on March 18, 1996, two firefighters were killed in Chesapeake, Virginia when they became trapped by a rapidly spreading fire in an auto parts store and a pre-engineered wood truss roof assembly collapsed on them. The cause of the fire was an electrical short created when a power company truck working […]
Los Angeles firefighter dies of injuries
Los Angeles firefighter dies of injuries Glenn Allen, a veteran of more than 36 years with the LAFD, was to have retired in less than two years. ( Associated Press / February 18, 2011 ) Glenn Allen died Friday of injuries suffered Wednesday in a Hollywood Hills blaze. When rescuers found him beneath debris, he was […]
Safety rule sparked by Acushnet (MA) Fire takes effect
Exactly three years after an Acushnet modular home burned to the ground, a new safety rule that was sparked by the blaze is now in effect. On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards voted unanimously to require that builders use mechanical fasteners (such as nails, screws and staples) rather than just adhesive […]
Modular Construction and Operational Impacts
Modular homes are built using an engineered approach to produce buildings in a more efficient and cost effect method that can deliver lower home prices per square foot. Instead of the traditional stick-built, on-site construction methods, most of the work is pre-fabricated at an off-site climate controlled factory. As each sub-section is finished it […]
Shoddy Construction in a Modular Home?
Shoddy construction in a modular home? Fewer inspections for modular homes questioned Mike Beaudet(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) Ron Chasse’s modular home in West Boylston looks great from the outside, but Chasse says he was shocked to find out what lay hidden inside the walls. “I’ve seen storage sheds that are built better than this. Honestly,” […]
Modular Home Construction to Change
Modular Home Construction to Change BOSTON (FOX25 / MyFoxBoston.com) Updated: Saturday, 22 May 2010, 5:05 PM EDT Published : Tuesday, 13 Apr 2010, 10:56 PM EDT Acting weeks after a FOX Undercover investigation raising questions about fire safety and modular homes, the board that sets the Massachusetts building code voted today to change the way […]
Modular Homes: Built to Burn?
Modular Homes: Built to Burn? Mike Beaudet MyFoxBOSTON.com After six people barely escaped from a fast-moving fire that destroyed their modular home, the fire chief who fought that fire wants changes in the way modular homes are built, saying the construction methods used for these pre-fabricated homes can make fires burn much bigger and faster […]
Attic Fires in Residential Buildings Report
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has recently issued a special report examining the characteristics of Attic Fires in Residential Buildings (PDF, 884 Kb). Developed by USFA’s National Fire Data Center, the report is based on 2006 to 2008 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). According to the report: […]
The New Lexicon and Challenges
Of the many issues affecting the Fire Service, the prevailing challenge that has a pronounced impact on operational safety is the assimilation of engineered structural systems (ESS) into mainstream building design and construction. The presence of engineered structural systems (ESS) are no longer considered to be an innocuous feature in a given building or occupancy; […]
Chicago: Anatomy of a Building and its Collapse-PDF Download
Chicago: Anatomy of a Building and its Collapse PDF Training Aid The recent post titled: Chicago: Anatomy of a Building and its Collapse has been receiving a considerable amount of attention as the post makes its way throughout the fire service eMedia sites, links, likes, shares and commentary circles, with over 6,000 views in the past […]
