The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released the newly updated ASCE/SEI 7-22, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Building Loads and Other Structures. This 2022 edition supersedes ASCE/SEI 7-16 and provides up-to-date and coordinated loading provisions for general structural design. This standard prescribes design loads for hazards such as tsunami, snow, rain, atmospheric... Continue Reading →
After COVID-19 restrictions on the construction industry were put in place, the International Code Council surveyed code departments across the US to better understand their capabilities and to collect best practices that could help inform procedures in other departments. The survey results were published in a previous blog post about industry trends and emerging issues.... Continue Reading →
A study by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shows that the adoption of modern building codes is averting over a billion dollars a year in structural damage in California and Florida alone. The preliminary findings of this first-of-its-kind study are expected to be formally released in August.The study calculates how much damage has been... Continue Reading →
As you are no doubt aware, severe winter storms across much of this country have led to numerous roof collapses due to the unusual amount of snow and ice buildup. In Massachusetts alone, during one 36-hour period, there were over 70 reports of roof collapses or buildings with potential structural damage from the weight of... Continue Reading →
In most jurisdictions and with most contracts the common law professional standard of care is used to analyze the performance of services by design professionals even though those services are performed in a contractual contest. Most professional service agreements impose various duties and requirements on the professional. As long as express warranties, guarantees, or other... Continue Reading →
