The State of Alabama recently passed a law that will require any new building containing dormitory or classroom space for a public 2-year or 4-year college or university to include an ICC-500 compliant storm shelter.  A similar law was passed by the State in 2010 that applies to K-12 schools.   While there are many examples of tornado shelters capable of serving typical one to two story K-12 schools, structural engineers in Alabama will be among the first to design tornado shelters for the multi-story buildings that are typical on college campuses.   

We are organizing a committee through SEAoAL to discuss and address some of the challenges of incorporating an ICC-500 shelter into a multi-story university building.  If you would like to serve on the committee, please contact Patrick Lyons (plyons@hhei.com).  We also welcome any questions or comments you would like the committee to consider.

You can find more information at the State Building Commissions' Website http://bc.alabama.gov/bc-bulletins.htm