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NAMBA Notes are brief, easy-to-digest articles related to building fire safety.

Articles, White Papers, and Fact Sheets

Building Fire Safety: There is No Singular Solution. It Takes a Village

2023-11-banks-koscher

This article was published in the November 2023 issue of IIBEC Interface.

Within the ICC’s I-Codes are two correlated codes – the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Fire Code (IFC) – that provide provisions on the application of how fire safety principles are regulated through multiple reinforcing layers of prescriptive and performance code requirements. These safety principals are: Prevention, Detection and Communication, Occupant Protection, Containment, and Extinguishment. This article provides an examination of how the IBC requirements support the Common Principles with a presentation of requirements for exterior walls, cladding, and fire testing.

Video: Q&A with Consulting Specifying Engineer Magazine on NFPA 285

NAMBA sat down with Consulting Specifying Engineer magazine for a Q&A on all things NFPA 285 and the importance of the fire performance test to building fire safety.

Where to Find Compliant NFPA 285 Test Data

June 2023 CSI article _published

Designers, specifiers, and code officials are unfamiliar with the best ways to locate information regarding National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 285 test data and tested assemblies. This article provides guidance on how and where to find compliant tested assemblies and the extension of test data through engineering analyses. Read the Construction Specifier here or download the article below.

Five Common Principles of Building Fire Safety

This article will provide a high-level explanation of the Common Principles and examine how they are reflected in requirements of the International Building Code® (IBC) as they relate to the building envelope.

Fire Performance and Energy Efficiency in Modern Buildings

Modern buildings and construction practices reflect the culmination of society’s learning about the built environment and construction materials. New and existing buildings have also been challenged to help fight climate change – everything from improved energy efficiency to electrification to reduction and reuse of materials. Plastic building materials and their various uses have provided innovative solutions to many construction challenges and will continue to do so in the years to come.

Advisory Note on New NYC Building Code Changes to Requirements for Exterior Walls

The new requirements change how walls are designed, installed, tested, and inspected.

3 New Compliance Methods for Code Enforcement of Exterior Wall Assemblies

3 New Compliance Methods for Code Enforcement of Exterior Wall Assemblies

Construction Site Safety Guide

Construction Site Safety Guide

This guide provides a high-level summary of information from various resources that address fire safety practices that can be employed when working around combustible materials.

Understanding the ICC

Understanding the ICC

Understanding the ICC Model Building Code Development Process

Facts About Flame Retardants

Facts About Flame Retardants

Facts About Flame Retardants & Foam Plastic Insulation

In a Building Fire

In a Building Fire

In a Building Fire, Every Second Counts

NFPA 285 – Extending Data with Comparative Engineering Analysis

2021-03-greenwald-banks

North American Modern Building Alliance published an article in the March 2021 issue of IIBEC Interface, the technical journal of the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants. The article discusses fire testing of wall assemblies and extension of this test data for building code compliance.

NFPA 285 Engineering Judgments: A Practical Compliance Option

This article was originally published in the June 2021 issue of The Construction Specifier magazine. This article discusses code aspects regarding fire safe construction and engineering judgments, and their use as a practical tool that can assist designers and building officials with assessing the compliance of exterior wall assemblies with the acceptance criteria of NFPA 285.

Fire Safety in High-Rise Buildings

AmericanChemistry Council Building Exteriors-V14

Detailed information about fire safety in high-rise buildings.

Continuousinsulation.org

Understand the advantages of using Foam Plastic Insulation Sheathing Continuous Insulation.