Victoria Luncheon: Developing an Existing Buildings Code Presenter: Steven Kuan, BC Building and Safety Standards Branch Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 Harbour Towers 345 Quebec Street Victoria, BC 12:00 noon - 1:30 pm About the Presenter: Steven Kuan is Senior Seismic Engineer with the Building and Safety Standards Branch in the Office of Housing and Construction Standards, the provincial office responsible for the BC Building Code. He has been leading one of the major projects in the Branch which is the development of a new regulatory framework for construction work in existing buildings. A structural engineer, Steven has over twenty years of experience in government, consulting and academia. About the Topic: Applying the BC Building Code to construction work in existing buildings could be challenging for building owners, designers, contractors and building officials. It could be difficult and costly to renovate or change an existing building with outdated design standards and different construction techniques to levels of performance specified in the current code. Further, if only portions of an existing building are to be worked on, for example the building envelope only, how to apply the building code may not be straightforward. One main reason is that the building code is intended for new construction. Developing a code specific for construction work in existing buildings is challenging as well. In addition to the technical requirements, such a code is desired to be practical and reasonable so to cover the many different scenarios, conditions and goals that would be presented by existing buildings projects. To that end, the development touches on several fundamental issues including acceptable performance levels for existing buildings. The Building and Safety Standards Branch has been working on a new "Existing Buildings Code". The work has been concentrated on four main disciplines: fire safety, seismic, accessibility and energy efficiency. Concepts, approach and requirements of this draft regulatory framework, along with the challenges encountered, will be discussed.   Location: Harbour Towers: 345 Quebec Street Victoria, BC Parking: 4 levels of underground parking Registration: - ALL ATTENDEES ARE REQUESTED TO REGISTER ON-LINE Students: $20.00 Pre-registered Members: $30.00 Pre-registered Non-Members: $35.00 All Walk-up's: $40.00* *All walk-ups - cheques only (no cash) and seating may be subject to availability and/or delay. Please note: This luncheon seminar qualifies for 1.0 Core Learning Unit. To receive credit, enter a valid AIBC Registration Number during the online registration process .   Registration for May 16th Victoria Luncheon : To register for this event online: Register Online NOW!   Upcoming Vancouver Luncheons: Mark Your Calendars! June 14, 2012         12:00 noon - 2:00 pm Upcoming Victoria Luncheons: Mark Your Calendars! May 16, 2012            12:00 noon - 1:30 pm June 20, 2012          12:00 noon - 1:30 pm   Save The Date! 2012 BCBEC Conference & AGM Dealing With The Elements Wednesday, September 26th, 2012 Fairmont Waterfront Hotel 900 Canada Place Way Vancouver, BC This one-day conference by the BC Building Envelope Council will explore current elements in building enclosure design. The conference will focus on integrated energy efficient wall solutions, window systems and related regulatory issues. Local experts will discuss themes such as energy efficiency requirements, ventilation guidelines in residential construction, energy rating of windows, lateral load requirements for houses and design considerations for mid-rise wood-frame buildings More information coming soon.