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ASSOC I A T I O N S NATIONAL COUNCI L

Celebrating years 1993-2013

The Code Advisory Committee (CAC) is composed of 6 subcommittees: General, Existing Buildings, Seismic, Quality Assurance, Wind, and Evaluation Services, and an executive committee, composed of the chairs of each of the subcommittees, including Ed Huston (General), David Bonowitz (Existing Buildings), Kevin Moore (Seismic), Kirk Harman (Quality Assurance), Don Scott (Wind), Bill Warren (Evaluation Services) and this author. The CAC’s charge is to improve the building codes to assure safe, economical and reliable construction. Building codes today consist of no single document, but rather, a complex suite of documents including the model codes themselves (there are several), the individual state and municipal adoptions of these codes, the ANSI consensus standards the codes adopt by reference, and a series of evaluation services reports that identify the code conformance of proprietary products of different types. The committees’ specific activities include: 1) Monitoring the status of the model building codes, their referenced standards, and evaluation service approvals, to assure that our “codes” are providing safe and economical structures, and do not place undue burden on structural engineers either through unfair apportionment of professional responsibility/liability, or through imposition of unclear, conflicting, or hardto-implement requirements. 2) Through advocacy, suggesting, to the standards committees, proposals intended to address our membership’s concerns. 3) Providing public comment to the standards associated with revisions that are not in our member’s interests. 4) Developing and submitting code change proposals to the ICC, to address issues of concern. 5) Monitoring code change proposals submitted by others, to assure that these do not violate the principles indicated in 1 above. 6) Attending the ICC code hearings, and advocating for (or testifying against) proposals consistent with the goals indicated in item 1 above. 7) Partnering with the ICC-ES and other evaluation services, to improve the technical adequacy of their evaluation of acceptance criteria and product reports. 8) Providing public comment on acceptance criteria proposals, through the public hearing process, as appropriate to accomplish the goals in item 1 above. In recent years, the CAC has also initiated activities aimed at providing continuing education to NCSEA members on the various code requirements and their proper implementation. This takes the form of development and publication of design manuals and webinars.

Building Codes

ICC is in the process of developing its 2015 series of model building codes, including the International Building Code (IBC), the International Existing Building Code (IEBC), and the International Residential Code (IRC), among others. It does this in two groups, over a period of three years. Group A changes, which were administered in 2012, included technical changes to structural design criteria included in the IBC. Group B changes (administered this year) include administrative adoption of updated structural standards adopted by the IBC, as well as technical changes to the IRC and IEBC. Presently, we are in the middle of the cycle for Group B changes. Proposal submittals were due in January 2013; and ICC just public hearings in May to review and vote upon proposals submitted. The IRC is a highly prescriptive code with a focus on the use of “conventional” construction requirements. Tables within the code prescribe minimum size and spacing of structural elements based on span, story height, wind speed and seismic zonation; however, these tables are often based on past common practice, rather than actual calculations of demand and capacity, and frequently result in lower-strength structures than the IBC. Structural engineers would like to see the IRC brought into closer alignment with the requirements of the IBC, thereby guarding against permitting prescriptive construction for complex structural situations, where the expertise of a structural engineer is required to assure an appropriate structure. The IEBC is still new to many jurisdictions. The intent of this code is to govern the use of existing buildings, including additions, repairs and alterations, and to deal with unsafe conditions, traditionally the subjects of Chapter 34 of the IBC. The IEBC includes a series of requirements for structural evaluation and upgrade for an existing building, triggered by different project types (additions, alterations, repairs, change of occupancy, or relocation). In addition to evaluation and upgrade triggers, the IEBC also includes a number of alternative design procedures for specific types of buildings, such as unreinforced masonry bearing wall buildings and wood frame residential construction with unanchored cripple walls. Many of these design procedures have been developed over the years by NCSEA and our member organizations.

Code Change Proposals

Participation in the ICC code change process is a major effort and is one of NCSEA’s most publicly visible activities. Effective action in this environment requires not only detailed technical knowledge, but also political sensitivity and superior

communication skills. The code hearings last almost two weeks and are a major effort by our delegates. The Existing Buildings Subcommittee was active in code development, making 50 proposals (of which 48 were successful and one is still pending) for the 2015 I-codes. Major changes, which Existing Buildings supported, will include the update to ASCE 41-13 for seismic evaluation and retrofit with any of the IEBC’s three methods, and the introduction of certain proactive wind and seismic mitigation triggers into the IEBC’s Prescriptive method, to match the Work Area method. Perhaps the most obvious change in the 2015 I-codes will be the removal of Chapter 34 from the IBC, so that the IEBC will be the default code for existing building regulations (though users will still be allowed to choose one of three methods). The committee was neutral on this proposal, since the substance of the codes should not change, but is working now to ensure a smooth transition. The General Requirements Subcommittee reviewed a total of 247 proposals submitted by others who wished to revise the IRC and provided public comment on thirty-seven of these. The General Requirements Subcommittee was successful on 75% of the items they took positions on. The Seismic Subcommittee has been actively engaged in the 2015 IRC code cycle. SEAOC submitted 9 code change proposals to CAC which we reviewed, endorsed and submitted to IBC as NCSEA proposals. These proposals sought to strengthen the technical requirements of the IRC to be more compatible with the requirements of the IBC. The ICC will produce a report on the Dallas hearings and public comments will be submitted in August. Final Action Hearings for Cycle B, for the 2015 IRC, will be held in Atlantic City, NJ in early October.

Other Activities

In the coming year, with fewer code development deadlines, the Existing Buildings Subcommittee hopes to develop a set of case studies illustrating the intent of the IEBC’s and IRC’s existing building triggers and exceptions. The Seismic Subcommittee is working to recruit a few more authors interested in developing a Seismic Design Manual for SDC C. The subcommittee developed a general scope/ outline for the Seismic Design Manual at the Annual Meeting in St. Louis and is continuing its work with Tim Mays and the Publications Committee. The Wind Subcommittee recently focused on educational activities, including a series of five webinars that were presented for NCSEA during the months of January, February and March, and is presently initiating the process of formulating submissions for Group A proposals for the 2018 I-Codes. The Evaluation Services Subcommittee principally works with ICC-ES to monitor and assist in the improvement of that Evaluation Service’s products (Evaluation Service Reports qualifying the use of proprietary products in construction). The subcommittee chair participated with the ICC ES Task Force in developing testing and acceptance criteria for lateral force resisting components “equivalent” to timber shearwalls. In addition, our chair has reviewed the evaluation reports produced by ICC ES and begun to make recommendations, for either format or content revisions, to better serve the needs of the structural engineering profession and reduce any confusion in their use. Coordination is also ongoing with other Evaluation Service agencies, e.g. IAPMO. Ronald O. Hamburger, S.E., SECB, is Chair of the NCSEA Code Advisory Committee.

Atlanta will be the center of structural engineering from

September 18-21. Join NCSEA and leading structural engineers from across the country for targeted, timely educational programs and opportunities to network and learn from peers and leaders in the field. Educational highlights will include a keynote by Bill Baker of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and sessions on Serviceability, ACI 550, ASCE 412, DoD Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings, and Complex Stability Bracing. A complete list of educational sessions can be found at www.ncsea.com. The Annual Conference will include social events that facilitate networking with fellow structural engineers and a trade show featuring structural engineering products and services. Special features for young engineers will also be offered, including a special reception and networking opportunities. Registration is now open! Special discounted registration rates are available for first-time attendees, young engineers and NCSEA members. Register online at www.ncsea.com today!

NCSEA Annual Conference Sponsors to date:

Platinum:

Silver:

Bronze:

Don’t Forget!

• Nominations are due Monday, July 15 for the NCSEA

Service Award and the Robert Cornforth Award, to be presented at the NCSEA Annual Conference in

Atlanta in September. Nomination forms can be found at www.ncsea.com. • Entries for the 2013 NCSEA Excellence in Structural

Engineering Awards are due Friday, July 12. Up to three awards will be presented in eight categories. The

Call for Entries is available at www.ncsea.com.

NCSEA Webinar

August 13, 2013

Checklist for Reviewing a Concrete Mix Design – There’s More to It than You Think!

Kim Basham, Ph.D., P.E., president, KB Engineering Register at www.ncsea.com.

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