Search Results for: high wind

Preventing Roof Tiles from Becoming Wind-Borne Debris in High Wind Regions

I tend to think of designers as dealing with either wind or seismic design, yet the Southeast region contains everything that Mother Nature can throw at a building. This includes high seismic areas along the New Madrid and Charleston faults, hurricanes along the Gulf and Eastern coast, and tornado prone areas throughout the South and … Continue reading “Preventing Roof Tiles from Becoming Wind-Borne Debris in High Wind Regions”

Top 3 Roof Deck Design Considerations for High Wind Events

Was it JFK who said, “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining?” He was likely using the roof as an analogy for the economy, but I take things literally and wanted to talk about roofs.  The time to think about the design of your roof and its function in a … Continue reading “Top 3 Roof Deck Design Considerations for High Wind Events”

The Importance of a Continuous Load Path — Lessons Learned from Recent High-Wind Events

Hurricane season is in full swing, and we’ve had a record number of named storms to date. With each one, Mother Nature has taken the opportunity to remind us of her awesome power and teach us how we can improve our built environment in preparation for the next. One of the lessons we’re regularly reminded … Continue reading “The Importance of a Continuous Load Path — Lessons Learned from Recent High-Wind Events”

Developing High-Capacity Tension Straps for Mass Timber Engineering

Mass timber buildings use cross-laminated timber (CLT) or mass plywood panels to create horizontal diaphragms to transfer wind and seismic forces into the vertical elements of the lateral-force-resisting system. Spline connections resist shear forces at the panel joints, which I discussed in this blog post. I wanted to discuss several options for tension straps used … Continue reading “Developing High-Capacity Tension Straps for Mass Timber Engineering”

Questions Answered: Strong-Wall® High-Strength Wood Shearwall Webinar 

In this post, we follow up on our July webinar, Innovations in Strength and Versatility: Overview of the Strong-Wall® High-Strength Wood Shearwall, by answering some of the interesting questions raised by attendees. 

Introducing the Stronger, Simpler and More Versatile Strong-Wall® High-Strength Wood Shearwall

After years of development, we’re excited to introduce the newest member of the Strong-Wall® shearwall family – the Strong-Wall high-strength wood shearwall (WSWH).

Pandemics, Earthquakes and Windstorms: Some Thoughts on the Probability of a Compound Disaster

With the growing danger of natural disasters, the race is on to expand access to programs that safeguard lives from the human-made danger of poorly built housing. With the common mission of building safer, stronger structures, Build Change and Simpson Strong-Tie have partnered for the Simpson Strong-Tie® Fellowship for Engineering Excellence program. This year’s fellow … Continue reading “Pandemics, Earthquakes and Windstorms: Some Thoughts on the Probability of a Compound Disaster”

Choosing the Right Connections for Wind-Resistant Design

According to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “The only constant in life is change.” When the latest Wood Construction Connectors catalog (C-C-2019) was published, my colleague, Paul McEntee, PE authored an excellent blog post to announce some big changes within the catalog. He shared that Simpson Strong-Tie® was the first in the industry with updated connector … Continue reading “Choosing the Right Connections for Wind-Resistant Design”

What You Need to Know About Differences in Wind-Speed Reporting for Hurricanes

There is a great deal of good information out there to help us better understand hurricanes and their impact on people, structures and other property. To improve awareness of wind speeds and their measurement, this article will discuss a commonly misunderstood aspect of hurricane wind-speed reporting.

Changes to 2012 IBC for Wind Design

The Greek philosopher Heraclitusis credited with saying “The only thing that is constant is change.” If that applies to building codes, then it applies doubly to wind design using the 2012 International Building Code® (IBC). The wind load requirements in Section 1609 of the IBC are based on ASCE 7 and refer to this document … Continue reading “Changes to 2012 IBC for Wind Design”