Photo courtesy NIBS
Jim W. Sealy, chair of the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) and former chair of the National Institute of Building Sciences, passed away on May 10 at age 82.
Sealy was an architect who made a huge impact on national architecture and building codes as well as on Texas.
“Jimmy will be greatly missed,” said Lakisha A. Woods, CAE, president of NIBS. “He made a tremendous impact on the industry and was very close to members of the board and staff.”
Sealy was a consultant to the design, codes, construction, and legal profession, and he served more than 40 years in the design and construction industries. He worked with architects, design professionals, developers, building managers and owners, and attorneys in matters dealing with architecture, building codes, fire and life safety standards, general construction, and accessibility issues.
In 1972, Sealy became involved in the writing of codes and standards, and he held continuous membership on a national, code-related committee since 1976, when he became a member of the Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI) Fire and Life Safety Subcommittee. He chaired the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Building Performance and Regulations Committee Liaison Team to SBCCI and served on the AIA Codes and Standards Advisory Committee. Sealy was the only privately practicing individual to sit on two international code drafting committees—the International Residential Code and International Performance Code. He also served on the International Code Council’s (ICC’s) Means of Egress Committee.
Sealy also received many awards for his outstanding work in the building code industry.
