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Abstract
Buiding regulations date back to the beginning of recorded history. The code of Hammurabi (found incised on an 8-foot column of stone in 1902)dates from ancient Babylon 1700 years before Christ. It includled a simple but effective building code provision: if an architect built a house so negligently that it fell down and killed the owner's son, then the architect's son was put to death. Our present-day codes have evolved into a comprehensive system of regulations which define the safety requirements for our built environment. By examining the evolution of earlier laws, we can better understand the underlying assumptions and bias of the constituencies who created them. This will help interpret the codes more accurately, and inform participants in the code amendment process.
Buiding regulations date back to the beginning of recorded history. The code of Hammurabi (found incised on an 8-foot column of stone in 1902)dates from ancient Babylon 1700 years before Christ. It includled a simple but effective building code provision: if an architect built a house so negligently that it fell down and killed the owner's son, then the architect's son was put to death. Our present-day codes have evolved into a comprehensive system of regulations which define the safety requirements for our built environment. By examining the evolution of earlier laws, we can better understand the underlying assumptions and bias of the constituencies who created them. This will help interpret the codes more accurately, and inform participants in the code amendment process.
Date
4/1995
4/1995
Author(s)
Albert Harness
Albert Harness
Page(s)
14-16
14-16
Keyword(s)
building code history; building code regulation
building code history; building code regulation