Residential Foundation Designs in Coastal Areas - a PDH Online Course for Engineers, Architects and Surveyors

Residential Foundation Designs in Coastal Areas

Course Outline

This 15 Hour online course discusses detailed foundation designs and construction methods for residential coastal construction in accordance with the Second Edition of FEMA 550.

The Second Edition of FEMA 550 contains a new foundation style Case H, which incorporates an elevated concrete beam for improved structural efficiency. The Second Edition of FEMA 550 has also been updated for consistency with the 2006 and 2009 editions of the IRC and IBC, and the 2005 Edition of ASCE 7 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

Will understand the structural hazards of high winds;
Will understand the structural hazards of storm surge;
Will understand hydrostatic forces on structures;
Will understand hydrodynamic forces on structures;
Will understand wave forces on structures;
Will understand foodborne debris forces on strictures;
Will understand how to design foundations for erosion and scouring;
Will be able to identify various types of foundations in coastal areas;
Will be familiar with open foundations using piles;
Will understand Diagonal Bracing of Piles;
Will understand Knee bracing of piles;
Will be familiar with various Wood-Pile-to Wood-Girder Connections;
Will be familiar with Grade Beams in Pile/ Column Foundations;
Will understand Field preservative treatment for wood members;
Will be familiar with open foundations using piers;
Will be familiar with closed foundations using perimeter walls;
Will be familiar with closed foundations using slab-on-grade;
Will understand Design Flood and DFE;
Will understand Design Stillwater Flood Depth (ds );
Will understand Design Wave Height (Hb );
Will understand Design Flood Velocity (V);
Will understand design of Case A Timber Pile foundations;
Will understand design of Case B Steel Pipe pile foundations using concrete column and grade beams;
Will understand design of Case C Timber pile foundations using concrete column and grade beams;
Will understand design of Case E Crawlspace Closed/ shallow masonry foundations;
Will understand design of Case F Stem wall Closed/ shallow masonry foundations;
Will understand design of Case H Timber pile foundations using concrete columns, elevated beams, and grade beams;
Will understand design of Case D and G Open shallow foundations with concrete column, and grade beams with slabs;
Will understand Critical Factors affecting Foundation Design;
Will understand foundation design types;
Will understand cost estimation of foundations;
Will understand drag coefficient based on width to depth Ratio;
Will understand how Local Scour depth is a function of soil type;
Will Understand Building category and corresponding dynamic pressure Coefficient (Cp );
Have an understanding of the Saffir-Simpson Scale;
Understand how various pile installation methods;
Have an understanding of the “T”, “Z”, or “L” shaped modular design concept;
Understand the definition of a Captive-Clamped Beam (CCB);
Will be able to determine required size and reinforcement for concrete grade beams, based on height and wind speed;
Will be able to determine required size and reinforcement for concrete columns, based on height and wind speed;
Will be able to determine minimum footing thickness to resist uplift on a Case E foundations;
Will be able to determine vertical bar reinforcement for closed foundation walls;
Will know which type of foundation is prohibited in a V zone;
Will have an understanding of the storm surge heights used in the SLOSH model;
Will have an understanding about the typical wave periods and repetitive loading to structures;
Will have an understanding on pile installation methods;
Will have a better understanding of the relationship between wind speed and wind pressure;
Will have a better understanding of the relationship between the Drag coefficient based on width to depth ratios when calculating hydrodynamic loads;
Will have an understanding of the chemicals used for timber field applications of bored holes in a marine environment; and
Will know the maximum notching that is allowed in a pile to provide a bearing surface for a wood girder.

Intended Audience

This course is designed for Engineers or Architects involved with the design of residential structures in coastal areas.

Benefit to Attendees

Attendees of this course will understand the detailed foundation design concepts which are commonly used with coastal residential structures.

Course Introduction

This 15 Hour online course discusses detailed foundation designs and construction methods for residential coastal construction in accordance with the Second Edition of FEMA 550.

The intent of this course is to provide design professionals with a series of recommended foundation designs that will help create safer and stronger buildings in coastal areas. The designs are intended to help support rebuilding efforts after coastal areas have been damaged by floods, high winds, or other natural hazards.

The foundations may differ somewhat from traditional construction techniques; however, they represent what are considered to be some of the better approaches to constructing strong and safe foundations in hazardous coastal areas.

The focus of this course is on the foundations of residential buildings. The assumption is that those who are designing and building new homes will be responsible for ensuring that the building itself is designed according to the latest building code (International Building Code® [IBC®], International Residential Code® [IRC®], and FEMA guidance) and any local requirements.

Although this additional information is not required to complete the quiz, various links are provided with suggested references that would enhance the student’s understanding of the topics presented.

Note: The cost data provided in Appendix E of this course was developed in 2006 for the First Edition of FEMA 550 for select communities along the Gulf of Mexico. Costs presented herein should not be construed to represent actual costs to the homebuilder, but should be utilized as an order of magnitude estimate only.

Course Content

This course is based on the FHWA document, Recommended Residential Construction for Coastal Areas; Building on Strong and Safe Foundations FEMA P-550, Second Edition/December 2009

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.

Course Summary

The purpose of this course is to provide recommended foundation designs and guidance for rebuilding homes destroyed by hurricanes in coastal areas. In addition, the manual is intended to provide guidance in designing and building safer and less vulnerable homes to reduce the risk to life and property. While good design and construction cannot totally eliminate risk, every storm has shown that sound design and construction can significantly reduce the risk to life and damage to property.

This course is based on the FEMA P-550 manual which was designed to help design professionals in rebuilding homes destroyed by hurricanes, and designing and building safer and less vulnerable new homes.

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.