2017 will be a year of reflection and planning with respect to codes and standards. This is because 2016 marks the end of the current cycle of updates that take place every three years for the International Codes, and every six years for most material standards and specifications.
There were some significant changes in the codes and standards that will impact construction in general and metal construction when the 2018 International Building Code (IBC) is eventually adopted. Some changes will fill needed voids, some changes are based on more recent research, and some are unfortunately just changes for the sake of change. We are all still evaluating the impact of all of the changes and overcoming our discouragement where the outcome didn’t reflect our desired position.
MBMA, along with other cosponsors such as the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), American Institute of Steel Construction
(AISC) and the Metal Construction Association (MCA) funds several research projects every year to address code needs. Some of these projects take a year to complete, while some take several years. But the target is to get the research completed and proposed changes submitted to the code bodies for consideration in the upcoming cycle, to be effective with the 2024 IBC.
It always seems like there is ample time as a new cycle begins, but major changes can take several years to work through the process. This process will begin in 2017 with committee meetings that will look at unfinished business as well as new and anticipated proposals. Unfortunately, we start this process without having any experience in using the newly completed codes and standards in actual design practice. This is a significant disadvantage of our code development process and helps explain why we see so many irrational changes that seem to reverse directions in the codes every other cycle.
The following are some of the research projects that we are sponsoring that we hope will positively impact future codes and standards:
- Wind Load Research: One of the biggest changes that will impact design comes into play when the 2018 IBC is adopted locally, thus invoking ASCE 7-16 and its associated increases in roof wind pressures. Many groups, including MBMA, think the changes produce overly conservative design wind loads for roofs and we are taking the lead in sponsoring wind load research in several areas to address this.
- Seismic Research: MBMA and AISI have been engaged in studying the behavior of metal buildings subjected to earthquakes for several years (see Metal Construction News cover story from October 2015 for more information). This work should be completed in 2018 and provide the rationale for introducing a more appropriate seismic design procedure for metal buildings in the upcoming code cycle.
- Bolted End Plate Connection Research: Metal buildings utilize bolted connections for the efficient and rapid construction of primary moment frames. MBMA continues to sponsor research to expand these capabilities. Full-scale testing is underway that will lead to the acceptance of new end-plate configurations, some that can be used to satisfy high seismic requirements.
- Fire Testing: Fire testing of photovoltaics on metal roofs will continue to be an issue. Through the UL Non-Combustible Roof Group, MBMA, solar panel manufacturers and others are working toward adding testing exemptions in UL Standards and the International Building Code.
- Green Building: Energy and green building provisions highlighted in the codes, standards and rating systems continue to drive many of the MBMA projects and education initiatives into 2017. The energy compliance methods offered in the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ASHRAE Standard 90.1 continue to provide the prescriptive U-factor and R-value methods, along with the building envelope trade-off method. However, there there has been an increased focus in offering alternatives that addresses the whole building. We are receiving more questions when the 2015 IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2013 versions are adopted due to an increase in building envelope stringency. As result, MBMA recently released the second edition of the “Energy Design Guide for Metal Building Systems.”
- Acoustical Research: There is an increased interest in incorporating acoustical measures and the attempt to define and include resilience as a green building feature. MBMA is in the process of researching the acoustical values of metal building wall and roof assemblies that meet insulation levels prescribed in the latest energy codes, while pairing them with a few of MBMA fire-rated assemblies.
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W. Lee Shoemaker, Ph.D., PE, is the director of research and engineering for the Metal Building Manufacturers Association, a position he has held for 23 years. He is responsible for the development and administration of the metal building industry’s research programs. To learn more, visit www.mbma.com.