Many local building departments are finding it difficult to keep up with the current construction boom. Early retirement and labor shortages of qualified staff, combined with pandemic response limitations along with a surge in residential demand, have made for a challenging environment for these officials. ECS fills that gap in several jurisdictions across the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, the District of Columbia and into the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Code Path Identified to Support Athletic Field House Renovation & Expansion
A design firm was tasked to renovate and enlarge an athletic field house in Woodbridge, VA that was built prior to the adoption of the Statewide Building Code. The renovation would add to the footprint and require new mechanical space for the building.
In the years since the original building was built, the codes changed, making it impossible to add a larger first floor footprint or a mechanical basement to the building as an addition. The design did not allow for a fire wall to create two virtual buildings. The designer was not able to find a solution and the building official would not waive the code requirements related to height and area.
The project seemed at an impasse. When ECS was brought on board to help, members of our staff visited the site to inspect the existing conditions and verify which portions of the building were code compliant under the current Code. Our staff then identified a code path to support the design with minimal changes to the building. Upon acceptance by the local Building Official, the owner was able to move forward with construction. This resulted in no impact to the final program and negligible impact to the cost and schedule, which was an invaluable help to the owner.
Learn more about our third party plan review and third party inspections services. Have a specific question about how we can help? Contact us today.