Stronger Building Codes Proposed : Hurricane: Two industry groups are pressing for tougher construction standards across the United States.

In the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Andrew, two of the nation’s most powerful building regulatory groups plan to press the construction industry to adopt more stringent standards for new home construction in the United States.

The Southern Building Code Congress, International, which publishes the influential Standard Building Code, is scheduled to vote next month on whether its members should adopt more stringent roof standards submitted by the National Roofing Contractors Assn., according to Thomas L. Smith, the association’s research director.

Meanwhile, the International Conference of Building Officials, a Whittier-based trade group that publishes the rival Uniform Building Code, is drafting rules that would require tiles, shingles or other roof coverings to withstand winds of 110 m.p.h. or more, rather than the current UBC standard of 58 m.p.h., said John Traw, vice president of engineering.

The two code organizations, whose current guidelines have been adopted by more than half of the states, are also examining whether other items such as windows and doors can be strengthened so that they can better resist blowouts that can occur when a strong wind rips them out of their frames, officials say.

Traw said all homes, not just those located in hurricane zones, would benefit from any such strengthening because the loss of windows and roof coverings often leads to costly water and structural damage to a home even in instances where a storm packs less than hurricane-force winds.

“I’m not surprised at the (poor) performance of roof coverings in the hurricane in Florida,” Traw said. “There is countrywide concern over this issue. We need to adopt (better construction) techniques for roof coverings.”

Since the nation’s costliest natural disaster hit South Florida on Aug. 24, building inspectors and engineers from across the country have been analyzing the destruction to determine whether improving building materials and techniques can ward off future damage.

Dade County already has one of the most rigorous building codes in the United States, requiring dwellings to endure winds of 120 m.p.h. Still, some Florida residents complain that current standards are too lax. What’s more, officials have turned up evidence that the damage was exacerbated by poor building design, sloppy workmanship and neglectful and even corrupt building inspectors.

“We can build roofs that can withstand hurricane force winds . . . without a lot of radical or fundamental change,” agreed Smith. “In most cases, we’re talking about a few more nails or (nails) in different locations.”

Some experts, noting that scientists are still trying to determine actual ground-level wind velocities, say there is not enough evidence to determine whether tougher standards could have saved more South Florida homes from damage.

“It’s pure speculation at this point” as to whether tougher building standards would save more buildings, said Robert McCluer, head engineer at the Building Officials and Code Administrators International, a Country Club Hills, Ill., group.