MEREDA’s Morning Menu – How changing building codes can help create affordable housing
May 21, 2026 – 8:30 – 10:00 am
Buffet Breakfast: 8:30-9:00 am
Program: 9:00-10:00 am
Location:
McGoldrick Career & Student Success Center
35 Bedford Street, Portland, ME
About the Event:
With high construction costs, every square foot matters in the battle to produce affordable housing. This presentation will introduce the building code requirements currently in effect in several U.S. jurisdictions, their intended application to address life-safety risks, and how they enable the creation of more cost-efficient buildings, such as single-egress stair (SES) buildings. Small, single-egress stair (SES) buildings up to six stories are currently a hot topic in the housing industry. Housing advocates and community leaders are advocating for them as a solution to build more affordable housing. Other entities, often including fire officials, have concerns that these SES buildings are not as safe and may compromise occupants’ and firefighters’ safety. Simpson Gumpertz & Heger’s Associate Principal Joshua Greene’s presentation will address key life-safety considerations for residential buildings and how they can be used to maximize housing. Questions and discussion during the presentation are encouraged.
Josh Greene is an Associate Principal in the fire protection engineering practice of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger in Waltham, MA. Josh is a licensed professional engineer in nine states, including Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island. He has over twenty-seven years of experience in building and fire code consulting, fire protection system design, smoke control analyses, and system commissioning and construction administration services. Josh specializes in assessing unique and challenging designs and employing performance-based concepts for alternative solutions to prescriptive code requirements. He is active in numerous professional organizations, including leadership roles in technical committees and working groups for the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and the National Fire Protection Association.
Ticket Pricing:
Member $45 | Non-Member $55
Refund Policy: Your RSVP is requested by May 14. Payment is expected at the time of registration. No refunds will be granted to anyone who registers, but fails to attend, or who cancels after May 14. Prices increase by $10 after May 14.
Register Here — https://mereda.org/events/changing-building-codes/
Thank you to our Breakfast Series Sponsor:
