8:00 AM to 8:30 AM
Advocacy News
Featured speaker: John Nunnari, Executive Director of AIA/MA

Our meetings open with a brief report on state code and regulatory activities including the status of pending legislation and Building Code / regulatory changes of interest to owners, developers, architects, and engineers.

8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
The Benefits of Performance-Based Fire Protection Design: Working within the Requirements of the Building Code
Guest Speaker: Eric Monplaisir, PE
TERP Consulting

This presentation focuses on challenges encountered when utilizing performance-based aspects of the building code with respect to fire protection design. The benefits of using performance-based design as well as alternative means and methods are discussed and illustrated through the use of case studies. Commonly accepted and sound engineering practices are detailed. Discussion will cover the potential pitfalls and red flags that may lead to certain designs not aligning with the performance-based aspects of the building code. The process of implementing performance-based designs is also discussed in the presentation. Topics covered by the presentation include, but are not limited to: structural fire resistance, smoke control, the use of engineering judgment, firestopping, fireproofing, and much more.

Mr. Montplaisir has 14 years of experience in Code Consulting and Fire Protection Engineering in the field of Fire and Life Safety. His expertise includes building, fire, life safety, and accessibility code consulting for both existing buildings and new construction projects in accordance with local and national codes and standards.

Mr. Montplaisir has mastery of local and international codes such as the International Building and Fire Code (IBC/IFC) as well as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards which include, but are not limited to standards regarding life safety and fire protection systems. Mr. Montplaisir has also been directly responsible for code compliance with respect to egress, fire resistance, smoke management, and other fire protection systems. He specializes in all aspects of performance-based design for new and existing buildings, including rational analysis development, fire and smoke modeling, and structural fire resistance. Mr. Montplaisir is also a certified special inspector of spray-applied materials, firestopping, and smoke control systems.

1.5 LU/HSW AIA credits are available

As a complement to the presentation our speaker will provide a PDF to all attendees who request it.

This meeting may also be attended via video-conferencing – but CEs are through self-reporting. To join remotely, go to https://zoom.us/j/4733555948, run Zoom Launcher, and use Meeting ID: 473-355-5948

To learn more about the Codes Committee, visit architects.org/knowledge-communities/codes-committee.

The co-chairs of the BSA Codes Committee are:

Tarica Leskiw AIA, CBT Architects, [email protected]
Andrew Kollar AIA, Fused Studios [email protected]
Drake Jacobs AIA, Group One Partners [email protected]

AIA credits are pending approval