VOLUME 28 NUMBER 19 ■ CHARLESTONBUSINESS.COM
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OCTOBER 17-NOVEMBER 6, 2022 ■ $2.25
Dream deal
Boeing, China Airlines finalize Dreamliner deal. Page 4
It’s electric
Volvo seeking tax breaks as part of SUV manufacturing. Page 24
Maker spotlight
Event highlights impact of manufacturing in SC. Page 8
On the Waterfront
Developer secures funding for next phase of project. Page 16
INSIDE
Upfront ................................ 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 In Focus: Architecture, Engineering and Construction ...................... 12 List: General Contractors....25 At Work ..............................26 Viewpoint ...........................27
BUILT TO LAST
A new technology center at Midlands Tech’s Beltline Campus is an example of projects build to stricter building standards in South Carolina. (Photo/Hood Construction)
Stricter building codes offer security in SC in face of natural disasters By Christina Lee Knauss
I
cknauss@scbiznews.com
mages of destroyed, damaged and flooded homes and businesses have been all too common in the weeks after Hurricane Ian ravaged the southwest coast of Florida and then caused damage and flooding along the S.C. coast. Most storm damage in those counties came from Ian’s high storm surge, and the worst destruction came in the form of sand dunes swept away, beach accesses torn apart, and fishing piers broken or completely demolished. Many houses received some flooding, damage to roofs and other components, but thankfully the state’s coast didn’t see the massive, complete destruction of homes and businesses that hit places such as Fort Myers and Sanibel Island in Florida. However, repairs to those homes that were affected will likely take months, and this latest natural disaster is a reminder to property owners, builders and architects in South Carolina that the state’s volatile weather is something that needs to be on the radar when designing and building new homes and commercial buildings. One thing that should satisfy many property owners’ concerns is the fact that structures in the state have had to be built to conform to
much stricter codes over the past 30 years, said Mark Nix, executive director of the Homebuilders Association of South Carolina. “When you look at storm damage these days, usually the worst you’ll see is to homes built prior to the 1990s,” Nix said. “Ever since Hurricane Andrew hit Florida in 1992, new codes that have been enacted have done a good job of mitigating a lot of losses and damage, especially on the coast.” Nix said South Carolina officials decided during the 1990s to switch the state’s set of building codes from what was called the Southern Codes. The state now adheres to building codes set by the International Code Council. These are revised and updated every three years to respond to new building innovations as well as weather conditions and other concerns, and the latest codes were adopted on Jan. 1, Nix said. Those with property concerns along the coast should also feel good about the results of a 2021 study by the Insurance Institute that placed South Carolina as having the thirdbest set of building codes among coastal states nationwide, Nix said. While hurricanes might be the disaster most on everyone’s radar right now, another potential danger has increasingly been on the minds of Midlands residents this year – but this one comes from deep underground.
Since Dec. 27, 2021, 47 earthquakes have occurred in the Kershaw County towns of Lugoff and Elgin, with the highest magnitude of 3.6 occurring on June 29, according to statistics from the S.C. Emergency Management Division. There have also been several earthquakes in the Upstate and in the Charleston area, but nothing like the activity near Elgin. State and national geologists have termed the unusual tremors Elgin’s “earthquake swarm,” and say it is just normal seismic activity along one of the state’s many fault lines and not related to any human activity such as mining or construction. Still, the tremors have made many local residents nervous and caused them to wonder how their homes would stand up to bigger earthquakes. Nix said earthquake-resistant measures are already built into the existing codes. “We’re consistently addressing this concern,” he said. “The S.C. Building Code Council studies local and regional maps, and two of the biggest concerns addressed in the codes are seismology and high winds.” The benefits of the last few decades’ worth of stricter building codes are very evident to Mark Hood, president of Hood Construction in Columbia. See CONSTRUCTION CODES, Page 14
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