ASCE 7

ASCE 7
Name	ASCE 7
Subject	Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures
Publisher	American Society of Civil Engineers
First published	1932
Latest	2016 (as of multiple editions)

ASCE 7

ASCE 7 is a widely used technical standard that establishes minimum design loads for buildings and structures, produced by the American Society of Civil Engineers and referenced by model building codes and federal agencies. It integrates criteria for dead loads, live loads, wind loads, seismic forces, snow loads, rain, ice, and flood hazards and interacts with standards and regulations from organizations such as the International Code Council, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The standard influences practice across jurisdictions from New York City to Los Angeles and is central to design decisions by firms like Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Arup.

Overview

The standard compiles load criteria addressing vertical and lateral forces, drawing on research from institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia University. It is maintained by committees within the American Society of Civil Engineers and is coordinated with documents from the International Code Council, National Fire Protection Association, and American Concrete Institute. Practitioners at firms such as Bechtel, Jacobs Engineering Group, and Thornton Tomasetti use the document alongside tools from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and data from the United States Geological Survey and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Regulatory adoption is often influenced by rulings from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and precedents set in courts such as the United States Court of Appeals and state supreme courts.

Editions and Revisions

Since its origins in the early 20th century, the standard has undergone numerous editions and updates influenced by events like the 1964 Alaska earthquake, the 1994 Northridge earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Editions have been coordinated with codes published by the International Code Council, including the International Building Code, and have incorporated standards from the American Institute of Steel Construction and American Concrete Institute. Committees reference research from the National Research Council and reports from the National Science Foundation and National Institute of Standards and Technology when revising seismic, wind, and flood provisions. Major updates often follow investigations by organizations such as the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center and the Applied Technology Council.

Scope and Key Provisions

Key provisions establish load combinations, seismic design categories, wind speed maps, and flood hazard requirements that interact with maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and seismic zonation from the United States Geological Survey. The standard addresses snow loading with climatology informed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and ice loads relevant to infrastructure impacted by agencies like the Tennessee Valley Authority. It references material-specific standards by the American Institute of Steel Construction, the American Concrete Institute, the American Wood Council, and the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association for railroad and bridge loading. Provisions are applied by licensed professionals in jurisdictions such as California, Texas, Florida, and New York and are used in projects by companies including Turner Construction, Hensel Phelps, and Fluor Corporation.

Development and Standards Process

Development occurs through volunteer committees organized under the American Society of Civil Engineers, incorporating input from academics at Princeton University, Harvard University, and Carnegie Mellon University, and industry representatives from CH2M Hill, WSP Global, and AECOM. The process includes public comment periods, task force reports, and consensus procedures similar to those used by the American National Standards Institute and the International Organization for Standardization. Research from laboratories such as the Earthquake Engineering Research Laboratory and centers like the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research informs technical changes. Legal and policy stakeholders including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and state departments of transportation participate in adoption dialogues.

Adoption and Implementation

Adoption is achieved when jurisdictions reference the standard in model codes such as the International Building Code adopted by municipalities including Chicago, Seattle, and Boston. Implementation requires coordination with permitting authorities, licensed structural engineers, and agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for construction safety. Major infrastructure owners such as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority incorporate the provisions into procurement and design requirements. Educational institutions including the United States Military Academy and Cornell University teach the standard in curricula for structural engineering and architecture programs.

Criticism and Controversies

Critiques have arisen concerning seismic provisions after events analyzed by the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center and Applied Technology Council, and wind provisions following hurricanes studied by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Hurricane Center. Controversies include debates over risk-targeted design, the cost impacts highlighted by the National Association of Home Builders, and litigation involving design failures reviewed in courts such as the United States District Courts and state appellate courts. Researchers at institutions like the University of California, San Diego and Georgia Institute of Technology have called for updates informed by climate change studies from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and flood modeling by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Category:Engineering standards