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I'm not in construction or an engineer but when I was watching Mike Holmes he said the "code" (building code) really means minimum building code. I had never really thought of it like that before it was a good point why strive for minimum?

You can build better there's no reason you can't (cost obviously) but most people just aim to barely pass minimum building code.

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That's a bit misleading. Yes, new construction must at least meet the building code. But it's not like it's been designed to be just enough. There's a heavy safety factor in the codes. In some cases they work to reduce the code because it's too much.

Isn't that the mantra of engineers to make something within budget that just barely doesn't collapse. Maybe it's an inside joke I didn't quite get.

My experience within the North American precast concrete industry is its almost unanimously over-engineered. However, I am not a Structural Engineer.

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