Clarkson University receives a portion of a US Department of Energy Grant to Improve Building Code Official Digitization and Efficiency

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July 29, 2024

Led by the International Code Council, and alongside project partners such as the New York State Department of State, the Association of Towns of the State of New York, Resource Refocus, and +LAB Architects, Clarkson University has been awarded a sub-grant in excess of $700,000 to provide subject matter expertise and develop micro-credentials in support of the U.S. Department of Energy's Resilient and Efficient Codes Initiative (RECI).

The Code Official Digitization and Efficiency Support Initiative (CODES) project is a collaboration that aims to develop and implement digital enforcement solutions to support modern energy code implementation, specifically targeting resource-constrained and underserved communities.

The team will create a digitization roadmap with tiered solutions to support jurisdictions in transitioning to electronic code enforcement processes. This roadmap will be informed by feedback from jurisdictions with diverse characteristics and through consultations with relevant stakeholders.

Central to the project's mission is a focus on understanding the barriers to digitization from the perspective of small or resource-constrained jurisdictions and those with underserved populations. The goal is to streamline energy code enforcement, particularly in small and under-resourced jurisdictions, through the application of digital technologies.

"The International Code Council is grateful for the opportunity to leverage federal funding and work with project partners to support jurisdictions in using the latest digital technologies to help make code compliance easier," said Ryan Colker, Code Council Vice President of Innovation, "We look forward to identifying the current gaps and barriers to digitalization and working to help address them."

In addition to the roadmap, the CODES project will produce a toolkit of digital tools, training programs and other resources which will be piloted in select jurisdictions, with a particular focus on communities that align with the Justice40 initiative priorities. The roadmap, training materials and other resources will be designed for maximum accessibility, ensuring that the benefits of digitization are available to all communities.

"Clarkson will be leveraging its expertise in facilities and construction engineering management, along with knowledge of rural community code compliance needs, within the CODES team to build solutions that help building officials where they need it most," said the Howard E. Lechler Director of Construction Engineering Management at Clarkson, Professor of Practice Erik C. Backus. "A critical component of this is providing accessible training for the digitization tools that are developed in this grant, through our very successful micro-credentials program." Backus will head up the Clarkson team while working in concert with a range of partners across New York State and the country.

"New York is the perfect place to develop this effort. We have communities that run the range of one of the most prominent global urban centers in New York City to some of the most rural places in the US, like right here in the North Country. Helping to make buildings safer, more resilient, and more efficient for everyone starts with helping code officials and design professionals do their jobs better," said Backus. "That's what we aim to do here."

The CODES project effort is a multi-year effort that will work with local communities across NYS. At the end of the effort, the CODES team will provide a suite of digitization tools accompanied by training micro-credentials that can change the paradigm for small town and rural code officials nationally.

Click here to learn more about this federally funded project to support building department digitization.