Codes

Building

CoreLogic recognizes the three national building codes: Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA), Uniform Building Code (UBC), and Standard Building Code (SBC). The requirements of each of these codes have been considered in our costs. National codes change periodically. CoreLogic reviews these changes and, when necessary, adjusts commercial occupancies to reflect the changes. The commercial occupancies meet all three of the national codes, but they do not reflect any additional codes imposed by state or local municipalities. Most state and local governments have adopted one of these codes as a standard or enhanced them to reflect local concerns.

Barrier-Free Design Standards

The occupancies have been designed to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) barrier-free design standards. The impact of ADA on building construction involves creating buildings without physical barriers — the barriers that prevent disabled people from entering and using buildings. One important distinction to remember is that CoreLogic costs comply with the ADA requirements for new construction, not for retrofitting or remodeling existing buildings.

Energy

CoreLogic occupancies are also designed to conform to the requirements of the Model Energy Code (MEC). This code provides criteria for the design of equipment and building envelopes for adequate thermal resistance and energy efficiency. Our commercial occupancies meet the current minimum insulation quality standards and reflect all energy conservation guidelines.

Seismic

Construction practices and applicable codes vary in the United States' five seismic zones due to the probability of earthquakes and the potentiality of resulting damage. As a precaution in areas where earthquakes are likely, there is a tendency to increase safety factors. The primary differences in construction are the structural members of the building; in zone 4 this means greater emphasis on reinforcing and shear walls.

In the system, all base costs were prepared for seismic zone 0. The seismic guidelines provided include adjustments that should be applied in zones 1 through 4.