Is there a version of the ICC codes, that has the code and relevant commentary in a second column on the same page like the ACI-318 Concrete Code and Commentary?
Having the code and commentary in the same place, would be really helpful to me since I’m trying to actually understand the code, and not just learn it verbatum.
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It is just cleaner when they are together.
The first codes I learend were the ACI ones when I was in college, the fact that they have the commentary right there which explains the "why" of the code, and it isn't just rote memorization, makes them lots easier to learn for me.
Things like the development length for reinforcing steel. If it hadn't been for the commentary I would have never realized that in true engineer fashion: Some guy who wanted to know how long the bar needs to be, to utilize the strength of the bar, just embedded pieces of various size bars different depths into concrete cylinders, and thin pulled on them untill they either pulled out or started to neck up as they stretched.
No fancy theoretical stuff, just some brute force simple experimentation, and a bit of statistics.
I know what you mean. An FPE buddy of mine had a annotated version of a fire/egress code that was great. At least you get to see the intent and a way that the code was to be interpreted. Sometimes the code can be fairly strange to read the words and until you see what it is they are talking about, there is a lot of head scratching going on sometimes!
Just remember, those who write codes are not particularly special ... or skilled. No different than you or me ... just in different ways. I've seen some pretty lame code language on occasion that seems to be written more to confuse than to keep it understandable.
>>Just remember, those who
>>Just remember, those who write codes are not particularly special ... or skilled. No different than you or me ... just in different ways. I've seen some pretty lame code language on occasion that seems to be written more to confuse than to keep it understandable.
Sometimes technical people can't write for beans.
Sometimes (usually?) they have to write cover a wide range of possible applications of a rule, and we're jus thinkof ouir own specific siuation.
Same thing happens with all other written laws.
It's just a form of spec writing -- very difficult to do well, and unfortunately often done by people with relatively little writing skill.