2021 ICC Codes under consideration for the Maryland Building Performance Standards. Anticipated adoption in 2023. Local jurisdictions have 12 months from effective date to adopt.  

MA Building Code (10th Edition 780 CMR) to be based on 2021 ICC Codes. A draft is available at mass.gov. Anticipated adoption in late 2023. 

2021 accessibility update has been rescinded effective October 26, 2022. 2018 accessibility provisions now in effect.

2021 accessibility update has been rescinded effective October 31, 2022. 2018 accessibility provisions now in effect.

AKF values continuous learning opportunities as they fuel our knowledge of industry trends and stimulate our creativity for providing the best engineering solutions for our projects. We look forward to connecting with clients and colleagues at the following conferences:

Hospital, Outpatient Facilities & Medical Office Buildings Summit:

New York, NY - Ryan Achatz will be a panelist - April 11.

New York, NY - April 11 - 12.

Newton, MA - April 14.

VSHE Annual Conference:

Roanoke, VA - May 8 - 11.

MHA Design + Construction Conference:

Burlington, MA - May 19.

Winston Salem, NC - July 31 - August 4.

San Antonio, TX - August 6 - 9.

Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC) has over 650 staff members and 150 clinicians who provide medical, dental, behavioral health, and eye care services, as well as pharmacy services and social services. Since moving to their current location in 1993, patient visits to LCHC have increased from 62,000 per year to 283,000 per year, with over 400 new patients every month.

In addition to the pharmacy project, AKF's Code Consulting team

developed a comprehensive Construction Fire Safety Program for LCHC's main location in accordance with NFPA 241: Standard for Safeguarding Construction, Alteration, and Demolition Operations. The master fire safety program provides LCHC with a framework for documenting and promoting safe construction practices for future projects in the building.

Visit our website to read more about our healthcare work!

Required fire resistance ratings for storage rooms are a common source of questions, confusion, and citations for healthcare facility designers and managers. As with many code-related topics, the answer to whether a storage room requires a fire rating is a resounding "it depends". With different categories of healthcare occupancies and different types of storage, required ratings can vary from room to room.

The following requirements are specific to Ambulatory Care and Healthcare occupancies and depend on the type of storage in the room.

Clean linen storage is regulated the same as other storage rooms, and must be protected based on the size of the room. In general, clean linen rooms and other general storage rooms must be enclosed by smoke partitions. However, a 1-hour rating is required where such rooms are greater than 100 SF.

Rooms containing soiled linen are regulated separately due to the arrangement of soiled linen storage (e.g., in bags, piles, etc.). The protection requirements for soiled linen are based on volume of storage, rather than area of the room. As a result, many healthcare facilities opt to rate soiled linen rooms regardless of the area to provide better flexibility and avoid potential future citations. However, a 1-hour rating is specifically required where the following volume thresholds are met:

• Ambulatory Care: 10 cubic feet or more of storage

• Healthcare: More than 64 gallons of storage

Note that where soiled linen rooms exceed 100 SF, a 1-hour rating is required based on the requirements for general storage rooms.

See IBC 509 and NFPA 101 Chapters 18, 20, and 38 for further details. As always, be sure to check your local jurisdictional requirements for potential amendments and changes to the base IBC and NFPA 101.