The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released a document to assist structural designers in meeting building code requirements for low seismic-hazard regions.
The FEMA NEHRP document provides design guidance for ordinary SDC B buildings as denoted in ASCE/SEI 7. FEMA says its document will help designers to meet the code “without wading through the full, complex seismic design process in ASCE/SEI 7.”
Even in areas where seismic activity is low—Seismic Design Category (SDC) B—structural engineers must still complete a full seismic design process to meet building code requirements. Even in these regions, the risk of building damage or collapse is real.
A case in point is the 2011 Mineral, Va., earthquake that shook much of the East Coast and caused significant damage in areas close to the tremor’s origin.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Sep 21, 2018
More than 130 organizations petition OSHA to create heat protection standard for workers
Includes mandatory rest breaks, heat-exposure monitoring, record-keeping injury requirement.
Codes and Standards | Sep 20, 2018
North Carolina law banning use of recent climate science could worsen Hurricane Florence impact
Policies may have undermined ability to make coastal regions more resilient.
Codes and Standards | Sep 19, 2018
AIA endorses building owner participation in cap-and-trade programs
Would spur more energy conservation in buildings and cut carbon emissions.
Codes and Standards | Sep 18, 2018
ConsensusDocs Coalition publishes new Lean Addendum
Industry-first document to facilitate lean tools without need to sign multi-party IPD agreement.
Codes and Standards | Sep 14, 2018
IAPMO seeks comments on proposals for 2021 plumbing and mechanical codes
Deadline is Jan. 3, 2019.
Codes and Standards | Sep 13, 2018
As ICC prepares to vote on codes for tall wood buildings, opposition is still strong
Influential body will vote in October on new provisions to allow 18-story wood-framed structures.
Codes and Standards | Sep 12, 2018
Saltwater incursion into Miami’s aquifer may make city uninhabitable later this century
Rising sea levels likely to claim drinking water before land is under water.
Codes and Standards | Sep 11, 2018
Smart Surfaces Coalition will help cities reduce urban heat island effect
Surfaces can reflect away heat and help prevent flooding.
Codes and Standards | Sep 7, 2018
Certified Green Buildings may have an advantage in capital markets
Research supports financial case for certification.
Codes and Standards | Sep 7, 2018
NIST releases report outlining steps to bolster disaster resiliency
Offers immediate occupancy building codes and performance standards strategies.
