ICC 21 case studies
ICC 21 · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The ICC 21 is a professional credential within the International Code Council's credentialing program, which ICC describes as a way for building safety professionals to "further your career and growth." ICC certifications are aimed at building safety professionals, and this exam is relevant to practitioners who work with model codes and standards, such as inspectors, plans examiners, code officials, and related roles. This page is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ICC. The ICC 21 case studies are 5 cases and about 4,428 words.
1The 15-Percent Argument: Alteration, Change of Occupancy, and Who Decides
A design-build team submits plans to convert 6,200 sq ft of the ground floor of a 1974 five-story, 42,000 sq ft Type IIB office building into a members' club with a bar, lounge seating for 180, a small kitchen and two new toilet rooms. The four office floors above stay occupied and are excluded from the permit.
799 words, about 4 min2The Accessory Coffee Bar and the Free Mezzanine
A developer proposes a two-story, 44,000 sq ft building (22,000 sq ft per floor) of Type VB construction, fully sprinklered, with a ground floor containing a 12,000 sq ft mercantile sales area, a 1,100 sq ft coffee bar with 44 fixed seats and a 12 ft service counter with standing room in front of it, a 4,000 sq ft management office, and the balance in circulation and support. Above the sales area the architect shows a 5,000 sq ft mezzanine reached by two open stairs and used for seasonal displays.
907 words, about 5 min3The Two-Hour Wall That Was Supposed to Make Two Buildings
An owner of a single-story, 58,000 sq ft, fully sprinklered Type IIB building - half wholesale furniture storage (S-1) and half showroom (M) - wants to add 14,000 sq ft of showroom. The architect proposes a 2-hour fire wall between the new showroom and the warehouse so that each side can be treated as a separate building for allowable area.
848 words, about 4 min4One Door In, One Door Out: A Tenant Fit-Out Recalculated
A tenant fit-out of 8,000 sq ft in a fully sprinklered, single-story Type IIB shell contains 4,300 sq ft of open office, a 1,800 sq ft training room with tables and chairs, a 900 sq ft break room, a 500 sq ft storage and file room, and 500 sq ft of reception and corridor. The suite has one 3-ft public entrance at the front and one 3-ft rear door opening onto the parking lot; the training room has a single door to the suite corridor.
888 words, about 4 min5Restaurant Conversion: Hood, Makeup Air, and What Comes Out of the Kitchen
A 2,600 sq ft retail space is being converted into a 110-seat restaurant. The mechanical drawings show a 10-ft Type I hood over a gas range, two fryers and a charbroiler, connected to 40 ft of single-wall galvanized duct that runs through the concealed ceiling space, exits the roof, and terminates 4 ft above the roof surface, 8 ft from the adjacent property line and 6 ft from a rooftop outdoor-air intake serving the other tenants.
986 words, about 5 min