Page 173 - Structural Steel Designers Handbook AISC, AASHTO, AISI, ASTM, and ASCE-07 Design Standards

Brockenbrough_Ch04.qxd 9/29/05 5:09 PM Page 4.1

Source: STRUCTURAL STEEL DESIGNER'S HANDBOOK

CHAPTER 4

BUILDING CODES, LOADS,
AND FIRE PROTECTION*

Nestor R. Iwankiw, Ph.D., P.E.
Senior Engineer
Hughes Associates, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois

Building designs generally are controlled by local or state building codes. In addition, designs must
satisfy owner requirements and specifications. For buildings on sites not covered by building codes,
or for conditions not included in building codes or owner specifications, designers must use their
own judgment in selecting design criteria. This chapter has been prepared to aid in understanding
current codes and to provide information that will be useful to the designer. It summarizes the
requirements of model building codes, particularly regarding wind loads, seismic loads, and fire
protection. (See also Chap. 8.)

4.1 BUILDING CODES

A building code is a legal ordinance enacted by public bodies, such as city councils, regional plan-
ning commissions, states, or federal agencies, establishing regulations governing building design and
construction. Building codes are enacted to protect public health, safety, and welfare.
A building code presents minimum requirements to protect the public from harm. It does not
necessarily indicate the most efficient or most economical practice.
Building codes specify design techniques in accordance with generally accepted theory. They
present rules and procedures that represent generally accepted engineering practices and present
knowledge for common conditions.
A building code is a consensus document that relies on information contained in other recognized
codes or standard specifications, e.g., national model building codes promulgated by building officials
associations and the standards of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the American
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Information in a building code generally addresses all
aspects of building design and construction, e.g., fire protection, mechanical and electrical installa-
tions, plumbing installations, design loads and member strengths, types of construction and materials,
and safeguards during construction. For its purposes, a building code adopts provisions of other codes

*Revised and updated from “Building Design Criteria” by R. A. LaBoube, P.E., with contributions from Delbert F. Boring,
P.E., Sec. 6 in the Third Edition.

4.1
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