The Blog

January, 2012. Kevin Harris, FAIA, Architect, was recently appointed as a member of the Internal Code Conference (ICC) Consensus Committee on Residential High Wind for the development of the 2013 edition of the upcoming Standard for Residential Construction in High-Wind Regions (ICC 600). Harris’ term is effective immediately and will end upon completion of the standard. As a member of the committee, Harris will be responsible for the review of the standard and public comments submitted to update the standard in an effort to determine if the standard should be re-affirmed, revised or withdrawn.

The current edition of ICC 600 is the 2008 edition. The purpose of the ICC 600 standard is to establish the minimum requirements to safeguard the public health, safety and general welfare through design, construction and installation requirements for residential buildings sited in high-wind regions.

Harris is a graduate of LSU School of Architecture and Harvard University Graduate School of Design. He opened his eponymous firm in 1982 and has over 29 years of experience designing residential new construction and renovations in high wind zones of the Gulf South region. Harris taught design at Louisiana State University’s School of Architecture for 10 years. He completed three grants documenting the durable architecture of the region. He helped author guidebooks on residential construction details as a technical advisor to the Southern Forest Products Association. Harris lectures frequently on design and at this year’s AIA National Convention, he co-presented the program titled “Rebuilding the Gulf Coast Vernacular for High Wind, Water, and Hurricanes.” He is former chair of the AIA’s Small Project Practitioners Knowledge Community. The firm’s residential design work has been featured in the Robb Report, The New York Times and Businessweek among others. His work has garnered numerous local, regional, and national design awards.

About the The International Code Council

The International Code Council is a member-focused association dedicated to helping the building safety community and construction industry provide safe, sustainable and affordable construction through the development of codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.

The International Codes, or I-Codes, published by ICC, provide minimum safeguards for people at home, at school and in the workplace. The I-Codes are a complete set of comprehensive, coordinated building safety and fire prevention codes. Building codes benefit public safety and support the industry’s need for one set of codes without regional limitations.

Fifty states and the District of Columbia have adopted the I-Codes at the state or jurisdictional level. Federal agencies including the Architect of the Capitol, General Services Administration, National Park Service, Department of State, U.S. Forest Service and the Veterans Administration also enforce the I-Codes. The Department of Defense references the International Building Code for constructing military facilities, including those that house U.S. troops, domestically and abroad. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands enforce one or more of the I-Codes.