Presentation Summary:
The current working draft of ASCE 7-22 has a new Chapter for Tornado Loads as a separate load case from Wind Loads, including provisions for debris resistance. These provisions will be applicable to all Risk Category III and IV structures east of the Rockies, from Canada to Mexico. In addition, the latest revision to ICC 500 “ICC/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters” was released in December 2020 and will be referenced by the 2021 IBC. As Chair of SEAoT’s Tornado Shelter Design Practices Task Group, Ben has been actively bringing concerns from Texas Owners, Architects and the Structural Engineering community regarding the code changes to both code arenas. In this presentation, he’ll start by identifying some clarifications/changes that have been incorporated in the new ICC 500 standard, many of which SEAoT’s group requested. Then, he’ll provide some examples of how the new ASCE 7 Chapter will impact Dallas area structures. Many of these changes are significant for Structural Engineers.
About the Speaker:
Ben Harris is the Vice President of Engineering for Huckabee. Huckabee is an architecture and structural engineering firm with offices all over Texas, focusing exclusively on learning environments. Ben is also the Vice President of the National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA), a Main Committee Voting Member of ASCE 7-22, a member of all working groups for ICC 500-2020, and the Chair of SEAoT’s Tornado Shelter Design Practices Task Group. He obtained a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a M.S. in Structures and Applied Mechanics at the University of Texas at Arlington
