2012 International Building Code - Structural Design - a PDH Online Course for Engineers and Architects

2012 International Building Code - Structural Design

Course Outline

The International Building Code has been adopted by all 50 states and the District of Columbia. While most state building codes are based on the IBC 2009, some states have already adopted the IBC 2012. This course highlights the structural provisions contained in Chapter 16 of the 2012 International Building Code, and is designed to help engineers get familiar with the latest building code requirements and the significant changes in the IBC from 2000 to 2012. Detailed answers to some of the frequently asked questions are provided in the quiz section along with a free downloadable Excel spreadsheet. Besides live and snow loads, this spreadsheet is programmed to calculate wind and sesmic loads for various types of structures. This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials. procedure and the equivalent lateral force procedure for comparison purpose.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

Be familiar with the terminology used in structural design;
Be familiar with the required minimum live loads for different types of buildings;
Be familiar with the basic load combinations;
Be familiar with the classification of seismic risk categories and design categories;
Be familiar with the required design loads for handrails, grab bars and vehicle barriers;
Be familiar with the required load increase to include allowance for impact conditions;
Be familiar with the required minimum roof live loads for special roof structures;
Be familiar with the allowable story drift under the seismic loads;
Understand the permitted live load reduction;
Understand the exceptions to live load reduction;
Understand the alternate floor live load reduction;
Understand the live load posting requirement;
Understand the deflection limits under different types of loads;
Understand the anchorage requirements for concrete and masonry walls;
Understand the permitted load reduction under different load combinations;
Be able to determine the importance factors for buildings and other structures;
Be able to calculate roof design live loads;
Be able to determine ground and roof snow loads;
Be able to calculate snow drift and the amount of sliding snow;
Be able to determine wind and snow exposure category;
Be able to calculate wind loads for main windforce-resisting systems;
Be able to calculate wind loads for components and cladding;
Be able to determine the required lateral soil loads for earth retaining structures;
Be able to identify the most significant differences between the 2009 IBC and the 2012 IBC;
Be able to explain the differences between the current and previous edition; and
Have a better understanding of the structural design requirements contained in the IBC 2012.

Background Information

The International Code Council (ICC) was founded in 1994 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing a single set of comprehensive and coordinated national model construction codes. The founders of the ICC are Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc. (BOCA), International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO), and Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc. (SBCCI).

The first draft of the International Building Code was prepared in 1997. The first edition of the International Building Code (IBC 2000) was officially published in March 2000, following several public hearings in 1998 and 1999 and a public comment forum in 1997. Since then, IBC has been updated once every three years. Currently, all fifty states and the District of Columbia have adopted the IBC.

Course Content

The purpose of this course is to help engineers and architects get familiar with the structural design provisions in the IBC 2012. In this course, you are required to study Sections 1601 through 1615 of the 2012 International Building Code. Because the IBC makes numerous references to ASCE-7, it is also necessary for you to have a copy of the ASCE 7-2010. If you or your office do not have these two publications, you may order a copy from the Online Store of ICBO. You may also access the free online version of the IBC 2012 through the following link:

eCodes - 2012 International Building Code

The live loads, wind loads and snow loads in the IBC 2012 are primarily based on the 2010 ASCE 7. To assist practicing engineers in wind load calculations, the IBC 2012 contains a simplified wind design provision and tabulated wind pressures for low-rise buildings (Section 1609.6).

Once you purchase this course, you can download the following documents within the quiz section of the course.

1. Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
2. IBC 2006-2012 Significant Changes Matrix (PDF)
3. IBC2012 Excel Spreadsheet program (a zipped file)

You are required to study the above contents for better understanding of the building code provisions.

The following contains the outline of Chapter 16 of the IBC 2012:

Chapter 16 - Structural Design

Table of Contents

Section 1601 - General
Section 1602 - Definitions and Notations
Section 1603 - Construction Documents
Section 1604 - General Design Requirements
Section 1605 - Load Combinations
Section 1606 - Dead Loads
Section 1607 - Live Loads
Section 1608 - Snow Loads
Section 1609 - Wind Loads
Section 1610 - Soil Lateral Load
Section 1611 - Rain Loads
Section 1612 - Flood Loads
Section 1613 - Earthquake Loads
Section 1614 - Atmospheric Ice Loads
Section 1615 - Structural Integrity

Course Summary

To protect the safety and welfare of the public, all professional engineers must get familiar with the latest building code requirements. This course and its quiz questions highlight the important structural provisions in the IBC 2012.

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 PDHonline.org 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 professional engineer. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.