Navigational Complexity within Building Codes: Quantification and Affirmation

Abstract

The premise that building codes have become too complex has been discussed, commented on, and documented by practicing engineers; however, there is little quantitative evidence that codes are more complex today than in previous editions. Many aspects of building codes are complicated, and this reflects a combination of the inherent complexity of building design and the dynamic processes that produce the codes. This research focuses on navigational complexity and specifically on the aspects that can be quantified to demonstrate that current codes are more complex than their predecessors. Navigational complexity is defined as the complexity created by document cross referencing and other unintended structural features of a code. A metric for quantifying navigational complexity is developed. The metric can quantify navigational complexity within a given code and between different codes. Although it is unclear to what extent navigational complexity contributes to the overall level of complexity within a code, this research quantitatively affirms that navigational complexity has increased in various codes over the years and can be used to compare complexity between different codes.