SCPI Executive Worns lndustry Agoinst "single Building Code"

Washington, D.C.-Attempts by either private industry gro.ups or the federal government to establish a single building code for the whole United States will weaken the advance of code modernization in this country, Douglas Whitlock, board chairman of the Structural Clay Products I_nstitute, warned the April building code meeting here. Certain seg,ments of the building industry, as well is government officials, have at times advocated a single national building code as the answer to the many code problems which face the nation, he said,

Whitlock pointed to the great progress which is being made in the four major organizations now sponsoring model building codes. They are the Building Officials Conference of America, the National Board of Fire Underwriters, the International Conference of Building Officials and the Southern Building Code Congress.

"The establishment of a single building code would surely result in a compulsion which would weaken or even destroy the vital, competitive climate which has brought improvement and strength to these four major model building codes," he warned. The last ten years have seen a steady increase in the adoption of one or another of these model codes in a large number of cities with a resulting reduction of obsolescence and multiplicity, he added.

The four sponsoring groups strive continually to improve their codes. Three of them annually hold public hearings on proposed code changes and put them to a democratic vote by their members. All of them carefully consider proposals from industry and others {or changes in existing regulations, Whitlock explained.

"What we need is not another code, but wider use made of these excellent existing ones," he added.

"There is still a great deal to be done in the code field before we have a satisfactorv situation everywhere in the

Fqllout Shelrer Construcfion To Get Nqtionwide DemonstTsfion

To inaugurate a nationwide program for public demonstration of fallout shelter construction, an actual basement family shelter and the prerequisite equipment was on display until May 29 at the National Housing Center in Washington, D.C. The brick structure was erected by the Structural Clay Products Institute in coopdration with the National Assn. of Home Builders, the Ofrce of Civil and Defense Mobilization, the Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterers International Union, and the Housing and Home F inance Agency.

The shelter is desigrred and furnished for daily use as a recreation room, guest room, TV room or den to show how a basement shelter can be incorporated into the lived-in areas of a home. A fallout shelter of this type is estimated to cost between $500 ad 9700. OCDM recommends that shelters be equipped in a manner that would be conducive to mental as well as physical comfort to sustain living periods of up to two weeks.

Under the program, the SCPI will coordinate and aid home shows and other local organizations to place fallout shelters on display throughout the U. S. The plan calls for the donation or loan of construction materials but, in most cases, labor to construct the shelter demonstration units will be supplied at no cost by local unions. The units will be equipped and the displays manned by state and local defense organizations.

Earlier this year, the F ederal Housing Administration took steps to make the cost of an OCDM-approved basement shelter an eligible item in determining property value for the purpose of mortgage insurance.

fiftv states." the brick industrv foris to improve and moderniz'e of construction industry people.

leader said. "However, efcodes are not only the job It must also be the deep