Home Inspector Monthly Newsletter #75 November 2014

     

The objectives in designing a building's lateral resistance to wind and earthquake forces are:

• to provide a system of shear walls, diaphragms, and interconnections to transfer lateral loads and overturning forces to the foundation;
• to prevent building collapse in extreme wind and seismic events; and
• to provide adequate stiffness to the structure for service loads experienced in moderate wind and seismic events.

InterNACHI has provided an article for inspectors that focuses on methods for evaluating the lateral resistance of individual subassemblies of the lateral force-resisting system LFRS (i.e., shear walls and diaphragms) and the response of the whole building to lateral loads (i.e., load distribution). Traditional design approaches as well as innovative methods, such as the perforated shear wall design method, are integrated into the designer's toolbox. While the code-approved methods have generally worked, there is considerable opportunity for improvement and optimization. Therefore, the information and design examples presented in this article provide a useful guide and resource that supplement existing building code provisions. More importantly, the article is aimed at fostering a better understanding of the role of analysis versus judgment, and promoting more efficient design in the form of alternative methods.

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