MAQs- Maximum Allowable Quantities

MAQ’s (Maximum Allowable Quantities) are an important concept when designing and building a distillery. The concept of MAQ’s comes from the International Building & Fire Codes (IBC & IFC). These codes regulate the safety of design and operations within buildings. The MAQ’s sets limits for different materials used or stored within building to determine at […]

Fire Protection Sprinkler Systems

Automatic fire sprinklers have been in existence for over a century, and since their widespread implementation, have extinguished many fires and saved countless lives. A majority of fires are extinguished in buildings that are designed and maintained properly. How Sprinklers Work Sprinkler piping is distributed throughout a building, usually overhead at ceilings, with spray heads […]

How Many Plumbing Facilites Are Required In a Building?

The IBC (International Building Code) and the IPC (International Plumbing Code) provide prescriptive requirements to calculating the minimum number of plumbing facilities needed in a building, including toilets, sinks, & drinking fountains.  Calculate Occupant Load First you need to calculate the number of occupants for a space. The occupant load table in chapter 10 of […]

Prohibition On Flammable Liquids In Plastic Totes

What Are IBC Plastic Totes and what is prohibited from being stored in them? If you’ve been to a few distilleries, you might have seen these around: Large plastic IBC (intermediate bulk container) totes. IBC totes are lightweight, come in a variety of sizes (often seen in 275 gallons or more),  and are affordable. They […]

Important Considerations for a Design of Boiler Rooms in Distilleries

example of a steam boiler used in a distillery Location, Location, Location Ideally, the location of a boiler room in your distillery wants to be as close to the equipment that it is serving as possible.  In general, this means as close to your still and fermenters as possible. This is meant to minimize the […]

Secondary Containment

What is Secondary Containment? Secondary containment requirements are found in the International Fire Code, a model code that is extensively used throughout the U.S. for safe building design and function. Most jurisdictions in the U.S. adopt this code as law, with some jurisdictions adopting a variation of it. For the purpose of distilleries, high proof […]

ADA Compliance Overview

Welcome! The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) is an important topic that those involved with the construction or remodel of buildings or spaces should be aware of and informed on. This post touches on some of the main ADA design issues we often come across when working with new and existing buildings, especially in distilleries! […]