Building standards are used by architects, engineers, interior designers, constructors and safety inspectors. These are rules that must be followed and enforced by local governing bodies.
Each state and municipality sets its own code, but most start with common draft language known as a model code. Then they tighten or loosen the requirements to meet their specific conditions.
Concrete
Concrete is a vital building material that requires compliance with specific standards and codes to ensure its proper design, mixing, placement and testing. NCMA participates on a wide range of code and standards-making bodies to advocate for and advance the ready mixed concrete industry’s interests.
Concrete used in highways and streets must comply with the special requirements of ACI 318, Sections 1904.4.1 and 1904.4.2. Nonstructural concrete that will be exposed to freezing and thawing or to chlorides in the form of deicing chemicals, salt, brine, seawater or spray shall be air-entrained as required by ACI 318, Sections 19.3.3.1 and 19.3.3.2.
All concrete shall be sampled and tested on a regular basis to ensure that the mix designs are being followed. The registered design professional of record shall provide mill certificates for the aggregates proposed for use and the cementitious materials in accordance with ACI 117.
All strength tests of molded and standard-cured concrete cylinders performed at the construction site shall be conducted by an approved agency. The agency shall provide the results of the cylinders to the commissioner and the registered design professional of record.
Masonry
Masonry is a construction material that offers many options for both load-bearing walls and veneers and claddings. Brick, stone, decorative concrete block, and other types of masonry materials provide a range of aesthetics and environmental benefits. Modern masonry materials offer durability, safety, and fire resistance.
TMS 402 and 602 represent the design, specification, and minimum construction requirements for masonry structures. These standards are developed under the sponsorship of The Masonry Society (TMS), American Concrete Institute (ACI), and Structural Engineers Institute/American Society of Civil Engineers (SEI/ASCE) through their Masonry Standards Joint Committee.
These codes contain several provisions for quality assurance and inspection of masonry construction. For example, special inspectors are trained to look for unobstructed grout spaces and the proper placement of reinforcing bar. The inspectors also watch masonry construction to ensure that contractors are following the standards correctly. These provisions are designed to promote more balanced designs that will enhance life safety and property protection for building occupants. They are also intended to increase redundancy in structural systems to help protect against future seismic events.
Steel
In the construction industry, meticulous adherence to codes and regulations is crucial. These standards protect a building’s integrity, safety, and energy efficiency. They also help ensure that structures are built to last, so they can serve their intended purpose for as long as possible.
Steel buildings are particularly durable, which is why they’re often preferred over other types of structures. For example, they’re often built to withstand hurricane-force winds and earthquakes. They’re also more environmentally sustainable than other types of construction because they don’t rely on wood or drywall that can rot or burn.
To ensure that the building materials used in steel structures meet high-quality standards, AISI committees, forums, and teams formulate proposals and positions to advance the steel industry in the construction marketplace. In addition to providing research and development, AISI’s Construction Technical Program offers a variety of educational tools including seminars, webinars for PDH credit, on-demand resources, and expert assistance through Ask an Engineer. AISI’s cold-formed steel framing standards include a bundle of documents (design manual, specifications with commentary, and a referenced test standard), a specification and test manual for open web steel joists, and a North American Standard for determining thermal transmittance through building envelopes with cold-formed steel framing.
Wood
Wood has an amazing tensile strength that helps it resist gravity-based stresses. Its relative lightness also allows it to be used to reduce the volume of foundations for buildings. This is especially useful in areas with seismic activity. It also provides good acoustic properties in living spaces or offices, buffering sound rather than amplifying it as is the case with structures made of other materials.
It has good moisture resistance that protects against the risk of structural damage from high humidity. It is also a great insulator and keeps heat in and cold out better than other building materials such as concrete or steel.
Most importantly, wood is a renewable resource and stores carbon as it grows. This results in less energy consumption than concrete or steel, lowering the overall environmental footprint of a structure. This is why it’s popular with biophilic architects, as seen in Clay Creative’s timber post-and-beam office building in Portland. It’s also being used in schools as part of a growing movement to integrate nature and indigenous culture into the classroom, fostering learning and connections between students.
Metals
Many people are aware that any buildings that they use for housing, commercial or other purposes must meet the provisions of local building codes. Less well-known is the process by which these code provisions are developed. The process involves thousands of individuals and organizations that are involved in construction, design, engineering and enforcement. It is designed to provide an open, transparent, and unbiased method for considering the experiences and expertise of various individuals and groups.
Metal composite materials (MCM) are becoming increasingly popular because of their versatility. They are made by bonding metal sheets to a thermoplastic core. They can be made with natural metals such as copper, aluminum and stainless steel or with industrial plastics like phenolic or polypropylene.
When constructing metal buildings, engineers consider forces like wind, snow, earthquakes, and crane loading. The code provisions require that the structure be able to resist these loads. Because metal is a good conductor of heat, these structures must be properly insulated. MBMA regularly sponsors research to study the structural behavior of these materials in order to better understand and address issues that affect them. The result of this work is often a set of standards that are referenced by the code requirements.