Resources
Guides and reference data for architects and home designers — climate and solar design data, zoning, building assemblies, permits, construction costs, and architecture software compared.
- Building Assemblies & Specs
How architects specify building assemblies — fire-resistance-rated walls and floors, R-values and U-factors, and STC acoustic ratings — with typical build-ups and where the authoritative tested listings come from.
- Building Code Calculators
Worked code calculations architects run on every project — occupant load, egress width and exit count, travel distance, allowable height and area, and plumbing fixture counts — with the formula, a worked example and a checkable worksheet.
- Climate & Energy Design Data
Climate inputs architects need for envelope and HVAC design — ASHRAE/IECC climate zones, heating and cooling design temperatures, degree-days, and energy-code envelope requirements.
- US Building Code Adoption by State
Which edition of the IBC, IRC, IECC and IFC each US state enforces, checked against every state's own code publication on 1 October 2026.
- What Changed Between Code Editions
Edition-to-edition changes in the I-Codes — the 2018, 2021 and 2024 IBC and the 2021 IECC — with the sections that moved, the numbers that changed, and a repeatable method for comparing any two editions.
- Construction Costs
Order-of-magnitude construction cost benchmarks for architects and building designers — cost per square foot by building type and city, plus location cost factors.
- Design Standards & Dimensions
Space-planning and dimensional standards architects check daily — accessible clearances, minimum ceiling heights, stair rise and run, egress widths, and accessible parking, as typical code minimums.
- Building Code Glossary
Defined terms from the International Building, Residential, Fire, Mechanical, Plumbing and Energy Codes — quoted from the code, compared across codes, and linked to the chapters that use them.
- Building Permits & Process
How the building permit and plan-review process works for architects and building designers — required documents, typical fees, review timelines, and submittal checklists by jurisdiction.
- Solar & Daylight Data
Sun-path, solar altitude and azimuth, and daylighting inputs for architects — how to read sun-path diagrams and use computed solar angles for orientation, shading, and passive design.
- Structural Design Loads
Plain-language references to the site-driven structural design loads architects and engineers look up early — ground snow load, ultimate design wind speed, seismic design category, and risk/exposure categories per ASCE 7 and the IBC.
- Zoning
Plain-language zoning references for architects and building designers — districts, floor area ratio, setbacks, height and lot coverage — with the local ordinance always authoritative.
- Building Codes
State-by-state IBC building code reference — occupancy, egress, heights and areas, and more.