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Archives
AWC/ICC Publish
High Wind Guides
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AF&PA's
American Wood Council (AWC) and the International
Code Council (ICC) are pleased to announce the release
of AF&PA's newly-developed Guides to Wood Construction
in High Wind Areas.
With a tremendous need in the hurricane-prone Southeast for simple
design tools, AWC has developed a new series of easy-to-use Guides
for builders who are constructing one- and two-family dwellings
in high-wind areas of the country. This new series of publications
is co-branded with ICC and targeted at builders.
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These customized guides will be highly effective
in improving construction and safety of homes
in hurricane-prone regions. When used in conjunction
with the ICC's hurricane resistant construction
requirements, they provide simplified solutions, |
AWC and the International Code Council are pleased to announce
the release of AF&PA's newly-developed Guides to Wood Construction
in High Wind Areas. Download the Guides for free at www.awc.org. |
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increased
consistency, and improved building code compliance" said
Wally Bailey, President of ICC and Director of Development & Construction
with the City
of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Individually-published Guides
address design requirements in 90, 100, 110, 120, and 130
mph wind zones, respectively. The Guides are simplified
versions of AF&PA's building-code-recognized Wood Frame
Construction Manual (WFCM) for One- and Two-Family Dwellings
2001 Edition. Prescriptive solutions presented in the Guides
are compatible with the WFCM 2001 and in compliance with
the ICC family of building codes. For example, use of any
of the Guides will result in design solutions that prescriptively
meet the requirements of the International Residential
Code.
These Guides were developed with input from, and in cooperation with, the
National Association of Home Builders, FEMA/URS, ICC, and the Institute
for Business and Home Safety.
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Recently,
Dr. Jeffrey Stone, Southwest Senior Regional Manager
for AF&PA, presented four programs on the guides to
different areas of Louisiana. Henry H. Fry, the acting
State Fire Marshal for Louisiana, wrote: "The presentation
I personally attended was most informative, and provided
significant insight about Louisiana's new building
code. Your contribution has made the difficult task
of implementing the new code a lot easier, and is greatly
appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to present
your valuable expertise in such clear and understandable
terminology. Those of us who participated gained a
great deal from this experience." |
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To download
FREE copies of the Guides, visit the AWC website at www.awc.org.
To order printed copies, contact ICC at 1-800-ICC-SAFE
(422-7233).
For
more information, contact John "Buddy" Showalter
at buddy_showalter@afandpa.org.
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| USFA
Cooperative Agreement Concludes |
AF&PA's
American Wood Council held their final project review
meeting with representatives of the United States Fire
Administration, Department of Homeland Security at
the National Fire Academy in Emittsburg, MD. Begun
in 2003, the cooperative agreement was undertaken to
raise awareness within the fire service of wood products
used in building construction. After meeting with fire
service instructors from around the country, a series
of fire service "Awareness Guides" were developed and
are available on the www.woodaware.info website.
The site will be maintained by AWC and is dedicated
to providing current information on fire performance
of traditional and engineered wood products.
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One
of eight fire service "Awareness Guides" developed
through a cooperative agreement between AF&PA's American
Wood Council and the U.S. Fire Administration, Department
of Homeland Security. |
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Also,
as part of the project, eight
wood display cases were built
by Building Construction Technology students
at C.S. Monroe Technical Center in Leesburg, VA. Product
samples were furnished by Shelter Systems, Open Joist 2000,
and the Weyerhaeuser Company. The cases will be distributed
to the state fire academies that participated in the cooperative
agreement.
Bill Troup, Department of Homeland Security, and Dr. Kuma Sumathipala,
American Wood Council, discuss the wood product display
case that was presented to the National Fire Academy by
AF&PA.
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| For
more information, contact Kenneth Bland at 202/463-2765
or at kenneth_bland@afandpa.org. |
| In
Memoriam: Roderick Bruce Buchan |
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Retired
National Forest Products Association (NFPA) assistant
vice president, Roderick Bruce Buchan, died on November
28. Buchan worked for NFPA, the predecessor organization
to AF&PA, for 28 years in a variety of capacities,
including as regional engineer in the Los Angeles district
office and later at NFPA headquarters as head of the
field staff.
Rod began his professional building code career as a building official
for Pasadena, CA. He was a licensed professional civil engineer and
a licensed professional fire protection engineer, having graduated
from the School of Engineering at the University of Southern California. |
In World
War II, he served as a corporal in the Marine Corps, engaged
in the Pacific Theater of Operations.
Rod's outstanding contributions to the wood industry included his success
in influencing International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) activities
while he was the NFPA representative in that region. His position on ICBO
and Council of American Building Officials (CABO) advisory committees provided
a valuable means for industry input into those organizations. His participation
on the National Institute of Building Sciences' Consultative Council helped
that organization maintain an important watchdog role over development
of codes and standards that might adversely affect the wood industry. And
his efforts were seen as being influential in convincing the city of Washington,
DC to adopt a national model building code. In 1978, Rod was honored by
ICBO with the John Fies Award, in recognition of his substantial contribution
to ICBO as a member of industry. He retired from NFPA in 1989.
Surviving are his wife, Janice L. Buchan; his son, James, daughter Susan,
and two grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial
donations be made to the American Heart Association, Memorial Processing
Center, P.O. Box 5216, Glen Allen, VA 23058, or the American Diabetes Association,
Maryland Affiliate, 800 Wyman Park Drive, Suite 110, Baltimore, MD 21211.
Online condolences can be made at http://www.hardestyfuneralhome.com.
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| WTCA
Updates Load Guide |
WTCA
recently introduced The Load Guide (TLG), v1.02 Beta, a Guide
to Good Practice for Specifying & Applying Loads to Structural
Building Components. This update is a significant revision
from past versions. In addition to a large number of general
improvements, TLG v1.02 adds code requirements from the International
Building Code (IBC) 2006 and International Residential Code
(IRC) 2006, along with loading requirements from ASCE 7-05,
Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures.
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"The
Load Guide is a great tool to help explain to customers
or technical staff that trusses require more information
than pitch, span and fascia details to design correctly," said
Bob Dayhoff, Chair of WTCA's Engineering & Technology
Committee and Director of Technical Operations at Shelter
Systems Limited in Westminster, MD. |
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Focusing on
floor, roof and dead loads, TLG is a series of Microsoft® Excel
spreadsheets, free to the public, designed to help users
understand, define
and specify all the loads that should be applied to the
design of structural building components. In addition to
allowing users to calculate loads specific to a given building
project, the spreadsheet includes reference materials and
commentary so that determining the applied loads is easier
to understand. The guide also provides three valuable load
calculation worksheets that define all the loading criteria
that have been agreed upon for loading a specific building
component-one each for roof loads, floor loads, or a summary
of dead loads. These sheets can be printed out or saved
in an electronic portable document format (pdf) and added
to the construction project documentation.
TLG provides the code and/or standards-based requirements for determining
design loads specifically for metal plate connected wood trusses and related
structural building components. The document offers industry consensus
positions on the application of code requirements for loading structural
building components, with particular emphasis given to those code provisions
that have been found to suffer from inconsistent interpretation within
the construction industry. This resource provides industry consensus interpretations
and commentary using examples that are industry specific, along with practical
interpretations of some of the more unique structural building component
loading situations. TLG is in no way intended to supersede an architect's
or engineer's judgment and design specification for the loads that should
be applied to a specific building; rather, it serves as a guide and the
basis for coming to an agreement on the loads that should be applied.
A cooperative development between the Truss Plate Institute (TPI) and WTCA,
TLG is available at www.sbcindustry.com/loads.php.
Please be sure to save the document locally for reviewing.
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| NCASI
Report Released |
The
National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI)
just released a report titled Energy and Greenhouse Gas Impacts
of Substituting Wood Products for Non-Wood Alternatives in
Residential Construction in the United States. In this study,
NCASI received USDA Forest Service funding from the Resources
Planning Act (RPA) Assessment Program to estimate the effects
of using wood-based building materials on national energy
use and greenhouse gas emissions. Data developed by the Consortium
for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM) were
used in an analytical framework that allowed carbon in forests
and forest products to be tracked over large areas and long
time frames. In addition, NCASI developed a module to follow
the fate of carbon in discarded building materials. To ensure
that short-term and transient effects did not bias the findings,
a time horizon of 100 years was used.
The results indicate that houses with wood-based wall systems required
approximately 15 to 16% less total energy for non-heating/cooling purposes
than thermally-comparable houses employing alternative steel- or concrete-based
building systems. The results for non-renewable energy consumption were
essentially the same as those for total energy, reflecting the fact that
most of the displaced energy was in fossil fuels.
Net greenhouse gas emissions associated with wood-based houses were 20
to 50% lower than those associated with thermally-comparable houses employing
steel- or concrete-based building systems. Only a small fraction of the
building materials need to be changed to accomplish these improvements.
In an Atlanta-based example, the additional wood used in the wood-based
house represented only 2.3% of the mass of the house, while in the Minneapolis-based
example, the additional wood used in the wood-based house represented 7.7%
of the mass.
On an annual basis, assuming 1.5 million housing starts a year, the difference
between wood and non-wood building systems is about 9.6 million tons of
CO2 equivalents per year, and the corresponding energy benefit associated
with wood-based building materials is approximately 132 million GJ per
year. These figures represent approximately 22% of the embodied energy
and 27% of the embodied green house gas emissions in the residential sector
of the economy.
The estimates developed in this study were found to be very sensitive to
assumptions about carbon accumulation in forests and about the fate of
carbon in forests no longer needed for production of wood building materials.
Future studies would benefit from a more refined analysis of these issues
as well as an analysis of the benefits of producing energy from forest
biomass under a variety of scenarios. In addition, the estimates would
be improved if data were available for houses representative of regions
not included in the CORRIM Phase I work.
For access to the report visit: http://www.ncasi.org/publications/Detail.aspx?id=2923
Other co-sponsors included the Canadian Wood Council and APA-The Engineered
Wood Association. |
| Adopt-a-University
Program: iLevel + Clemson |
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iLevel,
a New Weyerhaeuser Business, has donated 25 copies
of the 2005 Wood Design Package to Clemson University's
Civil Engineering Department for their Spring Wood
Design course. "Again, thanks for providing our students
with the NDS package. I believe it is invaluable for
our students to be able |
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to
use these documents directly. Knowing what information is
provided in these documents and where to find the information
within the many pages is very important. Most of the students
taking this Wood Design course plan to practice structural
engineering and they will want to be comfortable with these
documents and using them now will give them a heads-up. Once
our students learn of the gift, they will also be quite appreciative
of the support from iLevel and the AWC," said Professor Scott
Schiff, Ph.D., Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator,
Clemson University.
For more information on how your company can sponsor AF&PA |
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2006 ICC Code
Development Hearings
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The
International Code Council (ICC) held their 2006 code development
hearings in Orlando, FL from September 16-30, 2006. AWC
staff, along with over 500 jurisdictions and government
agencies from the United States, Japan, Puerto Rico, Canada,
and Australia, attended the hearings. It was reported that
nearly 1,600 individuals participated in the process.
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For more information, contact Kenneth
Bland at 202/463-2765. |
| 2005
Wood Design Package Available |
The 2005
Wood Design Package is now available. Most importantly, along with a number of
other design guides
contained in the Package, it specifically includes the building
code-referenced National Design Specification® (NDS)
for Wood Construction (2005 Edition) and both the NDS
Commentary and NDS Supplement: Design
Values for Wood Construction.
Called
the “2005” Wood Design Package because of
the adoption date of the included standards, the
Package brings together
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all required
elements for design of wood structures in
one comprehensive set. Design information and examples
for wind and seismic conditions, sawn lumber, structural glued
laminated timber, structural-use panels, shear walls and diaphragms,
poles and piles, I-joists, structural composite lumber, structural
connections (nails, bolts, and screws), metal plate connected wood
trusses, and pre-engineered metal connectors are all provided.
More than 1,000 pages are included in the four-volume set.
The Wood Design Package includes:
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2005
National Design Specification® (NDS®)
for Wood Construction with 2005 NDS Commentary, and 2005
NDS Supplement - Design Values for Wood Construction |
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Special
Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic (SDPWS), 2005
Edition, with Commentary |
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ASD/LRFD
Manual for Engineered Wood Construction, 2005 Edition |
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Structural
Wood Design Solved Example Problems, 2005 Edition. |
The 2005 NDS and the 2005
Wind & Seismic standards are both referenced
for use in the 2006 International Building Code®, 2006 International
Residential Code®, and 2006 NFPA 5000®: Building Construction
and Safety Code®. “Several state and local jurisdictions
are already adopting the 2006 model codes,” stated Kenneth
Bland, AF&PA’s Senior Director of Building Codes and Standards. “Regardless,
the codes have provisions which allow for the use of newer standards
even if they are not referenced in the older edition of the building
code, especially those developed through a consensus process like
the NDS,” he added.
Electronic versions of the NDS Commentary, Wind & Seismic, and
ASD/LRFD Manual are also available for download from the AWC website.
The remaining documents in the set are being incorporated onto the
AWC Standards and Design Tools CD Rom and will be available
for purchase in electronic format later this year.
The price for the entire package is $80, plus shipping. Note that
AWC Design Professional Members and students receive a 50% discount.
Volume discounts are also available. To order, visit the AWC website
at http://www.awc.org or call 1-800/890-7732.
Also available, and related to the 2005 Wood Design Package, is a
web-based eCourse titled STD104 - ASD and LRFD with the 2005
National Design Specification for Wood Construction. This eCourse, and several
technical articles which have appeared in various trade journals
outlining new provisions of the NDS, are all available on the AWC
website at www.awc.org.
For more information, contact Buddy Showalter at
buddy_showalter@afandpa.org. |
| North American Professors Conference |
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This
two-day event was the first conference of its kind, providing
a forum for educators of timber engineering, design, and
other wood topics. Participating educators at this
conference came from a wide variety of
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educational
sectors, including architecture, engineering, construction management,
trades training,
and fine arts.
The
event included an overview
of the industry, available teaching tools, and specialty topics
such as green buildings, state-of-the-art design, and timber
supply. A building project tour of an explemary structure was
included. AWC provided an overview of the codes and standards
process and
discussed
design
standards
and educational resources, including AF&PA’s eCourse and eQuiz materials.
Other co-sponsors included the Canadian Wood Council and APA-The Engineered Wood
Association.
For more information, contact Dr. Robert Taylor at robert_taylor@afandpa.org or
202/463-2771. |
Eric Jones Receives
Lifetime Achievement Award from AF&PA |
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Eric
Jones recently retired from the Canadian Wood Council
(CWC) after 30 years of service to the wood industry.
He first came to work for CWC in 1976 as the Assistant
to the Director of Education and became the Director
of Technical Services in 1986. In 1995, Eric became
head of the Codes and Engineering Group at the Council
and was active with housing and engineering codes and
standards, development of wood design software tools,
producing numerous design manuals related to wood construction,
and the analysis and implementation of in-grade lumber
testing. AF&PA awarded Eric a Lifetime |
Achievement
Award at the AF&PA TAC 2006 Meeting in Leesburg, VA in
July. CWC’s Peggy Lepper accepted the award on his behalf. |
ASTM
International Honors Wood
Industry Fire Scientist with Highest Award |
Leslie
R. Richardson, Senior Fire Research Scientist for Forintek
Canada Corp. (retired), was honored recently by ASTM International
with their highest award, the Award of Merit, at the Main
Session of the meeting of Committee E05 on Fire Standards.
The American Wood Council extends its congratulations to
Les Richardson for this well-deserved award. He has provided
leadership and expertise to the wood industry through participation
in AWC’s Fire Subcommittee and related activities over
the years.
The Chairman of ASTM International’s Board of Directors,
Anthony E. Fiorato, presented Mr. Richardson with the Award
of Merit “for leadership in the development and standardization
of structural fire performance methods related to wood …” within
the E05 Committee. Richardson achieved this through the various
positions that he has held, including Chairman of Committee
E05 from 1998 to 2001.
The Award of Merit was established in 1949 by the ASTM International
Board of Directors and is the highest society award granted
to an individual member for distinguished service and outstanding
participation in ASTM International committee activities. Recipients
also receive the honorary title of Fellow of ASTM International.
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Dave
Gromala (at right) of Weyerhaeuser and Chairman of
the AWC Technical Committee presents Leslie Richardson
(at left) with a Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf
of AF&PA. In addition, Mr. Richardson was honored
by ASTM International with the Award of Merit. |
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| AWC
Launches CAD Details |
Responding
to user requests, AWC has launched a new section on its website
which allows designers to download electronic computer-aided
design (CAD) details found in many of AWC’s popular
standards and publications. The most requested details have
been figures from AF&PA’s Wood Frame Construction
Manual (WFCM) for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, 2001 Edition.
The building code-referenced WFCM has gained widespread
acceptance among the building design community, especially
in high wind and high seismic regions. As a result, users have
begun incorporating many of the design and construction figures
from the WFCM into their documents and drawings. Having
these figures in various electronic formats allows users the
flexibility to import and customize them for their specific
needs.
On the webpage, electronic file formats provided are GIF, DXF,
DWF, and DWG. Access to the CAD files is available via an icon
in the upper right side of the AWC homepage at www.awc.org,
from the menu bar on any page, or directly at: http://www.awc.org/CAD/index.html.
Designers visiting the AWC website have commented on the vast
array of resources available. One California structural engineer
wrote, “AWC…has done more than most professional
sites I have been on to help improve the quality of construction
and understanding of the various methods they support.”
Work is underway to incorporate more drawings onto the website,
including those from Details for Conventional
Wood Frame Construction - WCD No. 1 and the various fire
assemblies from DCA No. 3 - Fire Rated Wood Floor and Wall
Assemblies.
For more information, contact Buddy Showalter at buddy_showalter@afandpa.org. |
| WABO
Award to Jim Bowman |
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AWC’s
Northeast Regional Manager, Jim Bowman, was awarded
the “Associate Member of the Year Award for
2006” by the Washington Association of Building
Officials in recognition of “continued outstanding
contributions and leadership to the association and
to the building industry.” |
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| AF&PA
Announces New President & CEO |
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Michael
E. Case, President and CEO of The Westervelt Company
and Chairman of the Board for the American Forest & Paper
Association (AF&PA), announced on July 14 that
Juanita D. Duggan has been selected to be AF&PA’s
new President and CEO. Ms. Duggan will assume her duties
on October 25, 2006, replacing W. Henson Moore, who
last October announced his intention to retire in 2006.
“We are very excited to have Juanita lead our industry’s public policy
efforts,” said Case. “She is eminently |
qualified
and has the skills and experience to make a major impact on
behalf of our industry. The industry is eternally grateful
for Henson’s contributions over the past eleven years,
and we look forward to having Ms. Duggan continue to lead our
efforts to create an environment in the U.S. and abroad in
which the U.S. forest products industry can flourish.”
Ms. Duggan is currently the President and CEO of the Wine and
Spirits Wholesalers of America, and has served in that capacity
since 1998. |
| Bland
Elected Vice-Chair of ICC-IAC |
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Kenneth
E. Bland, AF&PA Senior Director of Codes and Standards,
was elected to serve a two-year term as vice-chair
of the International Code Council's (ICC) Industry
Advisory Committee (IAC). The IAC is comprised of 94
organizations representing professional, labor, trade,
voluntary standards, public interest organizations,
and public agencies. The IAC provides a forum for industry
to develop and make recommendations for consideration
by the ICC Board of Directors.
Additionally, the IAC voted to recommend that the ICC
Board not |
develop
technology to allow for building officials to vote on code
change proposals from sites remote from the actual hearings.
The proposal was developed to provide an opportunity for greater
building official participation in the code development process.
Although not unanimous in its negative recommendation, many
IAC members were fearful that proper safeguards could not be
put in place to ensure that a person voting from a remote location
would have the benefit of the meeting testimony.
At the meeting, ICC staff also reported on a broad range of activities occurring
within ICC, including standards development and hearings scheduled for the upcoming
code development forum in Orlando, FL. Of primary interest was the announcement
of an agreement in principle to develop a single plumbing code with the International
Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO). The IAPMO Uniform
Plumbing Code continues to compete with ICC’s International Plumbing
Code (IPC), primarily in the western United States. While met with considerable
reservation by many IAC members, the relationship is seen by ICC as removal of
the final barrier to being the undisputed leader in code promulgation and adoption
in the United States.
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| Wood
Engineering Achievement Award |
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John “Buddy” Showalter
(right), AWC Director-Technical Media, presents the
2006 FPS Wood Engineering Achievement Award to Dr.
Greg Foliente (left), Team Leader, Commonwealth Scientific
and Industrial Research Organization and Forest and
Wood Products Research and Development Corporation
of Australia. |
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| As
co-sponsor, AWC presented the 2006 Wood Engineering Achievement
Award at the 60th International Convention of the Forest
Products Society (FPS) to the Manufacturing and Infrastructure
Technology division of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organization (CSIRO) and Forest and Wood Products
Research and Development Corporation of Australia (FWPRDC).
The CSIRO/FWPRDC team has developed engineering models and
software called TimberLife – Service Life Prediction
of Wood Construction, which are intended to provide
standardized methods for assessing durability issues in buildings.
Dr. Gregory C. Foliente, team leader for this project at
CSIRO, accepted the award on behalf of his team.
One award nomination stated, “…these first generation
serviceability/durability models for wood construction exposed
to environments conducive to above-ground decay, ground-contact
decay, termite attack, marine-borer attack, or corrosion
will be viewed as a milestone for wood engineering in the
not-so-distant future. Engineers in every structural material
around the world are now demanding that serviceability and
durability be given equal consideration as structural integrity.
The vision and resourcefulness of this CSIRO/FWPRDC team
over this 10-year research and development project has led
to the first major step within the wood engineering community
to specifically address this demand. As such, this project
exemplifies the true meaning of engineering innovation that
is the theme of this year’s award.”
For
more information, contact Buddy Showalter at 202/463-2769
or at buddy_showalter@afandpa.org.
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| Adopt-a-University
Program |
Boise Corporation is supporting Virginia Tech
students by providing 50 copies of the 2005 NDS and NDS
Supplementfor its fall timber
engineering course. The course is being taught by Daniel Hindman,
an Associate Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department. “I sincerely appreciate the help of the American
Wood Council and Boise in making this donation. This has quite
an effect on the students in the class when they realize that the
NDS has been supplied to them. With the rising cost of textbooks,
it is very refreshing to see this gift,” said Professor Hindman.
Similarly, iLevel, a New Weyerhaeuser Business, has donated 20
copies of the 2005 NDS and NDS Supplement to the University of
Alabama’s Wood Design course being taught by Professor Michael
Triche. “Industry support is beneficial to all involved.
Students not only have part of their book costs defrayed, but they
are able to interact with design professionals, which improves
student interest. Professors’ interaction with industry professionals
helps to keep us up-to-date and leads to improved teaching and
ideas for research. The Civil, Construction & Environmental
Engineering program at The University of Alabama is very appreciative
of the continued support provided to our program by iLevel in donating
materials, giving guest lectures, and in hiring our graduates,” says
Professor Triche.
iLevel also donated design manuals for Timber Design Classes at Washington
State University. The Design of Timber Structures and Advanced Wood
Engineering courses are expected to have a total enrollment of 60
students. "The students and faculty at Washington State University
have benefited from the generous support of iLevel for a number of
years. iLevel provides design manuals, class lectures, and project
advice to our students. Our close association with industry generates
strong interest among our students to pursue careers in the engineered
wood products industry. Thank you iLevel!" said Don Bender,
Weyerhaeuser Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the WSU
Wood Materials & Engineering Laboratory.
Additionally, iLevel is sponsoring a graduate level timber engineering
course at the University of Texas at Arlington this fall by donating
12 copies of the 2005 NDS. Professor John Matthys, Director
of the Construction Research Center, says, “Every two years the Civil
Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Arlington offers
a graduate Structural Timber Design class. That class uses the latest
NDS and NDS Supplement. I contacted the American
Wood Council and was delighted to find that a sponsor was available.
The NDS and Supplement were provided
to each student by Weyerhaeuser. My students and I are grateful for
the educational support. Please continue this vital
program.”
For more information on how your company can sponsor AF&PA publications
for students, contact Buddy Showalter at 202/463-2769 or at buddy_showalter@afandpa.org. |
| AWC Launches
eQuiz System |
|
Culminating
two years of development, the American Wood Council
(AWC) is pleased to announce the launch of its online
eQuiz system. A link on the AWC homepage directs
users to the eCourses webpage at http://www.awc.org/
HelpOutreach/eCourses/index.html. When used with
AWC’s online “eCourses,” the eQuiz
system provides users with the additional feature of
accredited continuing education credit. Many users
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have
expressed appreciation for the convenience of earning valuable continuing
education credits in the comfort of their own surroundings
on their own schedule.
Registration for eQuizzes is straightforward and is required
for participation. The system is designed so that eCourse
materials and eQuizzes can be displayed in separate windows,
much like an open-book test, as permitted by the accreditors.
Taking the eCourses and tests is free of charge and provides
an informative and integrated learning experience. For each
eCourse, users are queried on the subject matter with feedback
immediately provided for all answers.
The eQuiz system boasts some novel features, including a
variety of question formats such as multiple choice, true/false,
and matching. Every eQuiz is entirely unique for each user,
and among users, with questions and their order of presentation
posed differently with each test. The bottom line is that
no two eQuizzes are ever alike and every test experience
is unique, preserving the integrity of the system. Once a
learner has successfully completed an eQuiz, an option is
provided to purchase and print a continuing education certificate
if desired. Pricing varies among courses based on their length
(1.0 to 4.0 CEU’s), but typically cost about $25 for
2.5 CEU’s.
Continuing education certificates are honored by any agency
accepting AIA (American Institute of Architects), IACET (International
Association for Continuing Education and Training), and the
AIBD (American Institute for Building Design) protocols for
online training. As required, AWC reports awarded continuing
education credits to registering agencies at the beginning
of each month for the previous month’s online activity.
For more information about the eQuiz system, contact Dr.
Robert Taylor at 202/463-2771 or robert_taylor@afandpa.org.
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| AWC/ICC Sign
Agreement on High Wind Guides |
AWC
and the International Code Council (ICC) are pleased
to announce an agreement to have ICC print and distribute
AF&PA’s newly-developed Guides to Wood
Construction in High Wind Areas.
“The agreement recognizes AF&PA’s technical ability to provide
easy-to-understand design solutions for wood-frame homes subject to high wind
and ICC’s ability to get the Guides to designers, builders, and the code
enforcement community quickly and efficiently,” stated Kenneth Bland, AWC’s
Senior Director for Building Codes and Standards.
With a tremendous need in the hurricane-prone Southeast
for simple design tools, AWC has developed a new series
of easy-to-use Guides for builders who are constructing
one- and two-family |
|
AWC
has developed a new series of easy-to-understand guides
for designing wood-frame homes in high wind areas such
as the Southeast. See a sample page below. |
dwellings
in high-wind areas of the country. Under the agreement,
this new series of publications will be co-branded with ICC
and targeted at builders.
Separate documents will address design requirements in 100,
110, 120, 130, 140, and 150 mph wind zones. These Guides are
simplified versions of AF&PA's building-code-recognized Wood
Frame Construction Manual (WFCM) for One- and Two-Family Dwellings
2001 Edition. Prescriptive solutions presented in the
Guides are compatible with the WFCM 2001 and are in
compliance with building codes. Use of the Guides will result
in design solutions that prescriptively meet the requirements
of the International Residential Code.
These Guides are being developed with input from, and in cooperation
with, the National Association of Home Builders, FEMA/URS,
ICC, and the Institute for Business and Home Safety.
For more information, contact Buddy Showalter at buddy_showalter@afandpa.org.
| Click
on the image right to see a sample page full-size of
the Guide to Wood Construction in High Wind Areas—130
MPH Wind Zone. |
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| New
NDS Commentary Available |
A
new Commentary on the 2005 National Design Specification® (NDS)
for Wood Construction was recently posted on AWC’s
website at http://www.awc.org.
The new Commentary is intended to respond to user needs for
background information and interpretive discussion of the
provisions of the building-code-referenced 2005 NDS.
For ease of use, the Commentary follows the same subject matter
organization as the NDS. Discussion of a particular NDS provision
is identified in the Commentary with the same section
or subsection number for that provision in the NDS.
Commentary on each provision consists of background information,
interpretation, or example. References containing more detailed
information on the subject are included. Interpretive discussion
of how a provision should be applied is also provided where
the specific intent of a requirement may be ambiguous.
Adopted in all model building codes in the United States, the NDS is
used to design wood structures worldwide. Release of the 2005
Wood Design Package, which will include the NDS, NDS
Commentary, and other design documents, is expected this
summer.
The first Commentary
on the 1991 National Design Specification for Wood Construction,
prepared by renowned wood expert Dr. Edward King, was published
by AF&PA in 1993. It contains extensive background information
concerning provisions of the NDS, complete with historical
development, example problems, and tables comparing the 1991
design provisions with earlier editions of the standard. An
addendum to the Commentary was later published corresponding
to the 1997 NDS. Both the 1991 and 1997 NDS Commentaries are
still available on the AWC website.
For more information about the NDS Commentary, contact
Buddy Showalter at buddy
showalter@afandpa.org. |
| Wood
Design & Building Revamps Magazine |
Since
1997, Wood Design & Building (WD&B) magazine
has showcased leading architectural design in wood
from North America and overseas while publicizing and
demonstrating the significance of good design and construction
to the construction community.
2006 signifies a new beginning for WD&B.
Several new ideas are being considered and will be implemented
to improve the magazine. This will result in a reinvigorated
publication that will continue to better educate and
inspire its readers.
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The
first installment of the new enhanced magazine will be
published in summer, 2006. An additional issue will be
added for subscribers at the end of the current term.
AWC
Design Professional Members (DPM) receive WD&B as
a benefit of membership. DPMs should see the magazine in their
mailboxes again in the third quarter of 2006.
For more information, contact the Wood Design & Building Magazine Management Team at 613/747-5544 or go to www.wooddesignandbuilding.com. |
| AWC
Blog Launched |
Podcasting,
Blogs, and Wikis—Can New Technology
Lead to More Efficiency?
(Reprinted from
the June 2006 issue of Structure Magazine, written
by AWC’s John “Buddy” Showalter, P.E.)
|
I
certainly don’t claim to be a technology guru. However,
part of my job involves trying to determine the most effective
ways to communicate technical information to engineers, architects,
and building officials. I also constantly try to learn new
ways to be more efficient and effective in my own work environment.
So, can technology’s new communications tools lead
to more efficiency, or are podcasting, blogs, and wikis just
another passing technology fad? And, what do any of these
have to do with structural engineering? Here are some possible
ideas to consider.
Podcasting
Is
podcasting the future for continuing education? Did you know
that 60% of all vehicles manufactured today are iPod compatible?
If continuing education material is developed in 20-30 minute
podcasts, would engineers take advantage and listen to CEU
material on their commute?
|
Definitions*
podcast
A
non-music audio broadcast that has been converted
to an MP3 file or other audio file format for playback
on a digital music player. Developed by former
MTV VJ and Internet businessman Adam Curry in 2004,
the term was coined from Apple's iPod. Using the
RSS 2.0 syndication format, podcasts are made available
to subscribers just like news feeds. The client
program that captures the audio feeds and synchronizes
them with the music player is a “podcatcher.”
blog
(WeBLOG)
A Web site that contains dated entries in reverse
chronological order (most recent first) about a
particular topic. Functioning as an online newsletter,
blogs can be written by one person or a group of
contributors. Entries can contain commentary and
links to other Web sites, and images as well as
a search facility may also be included. A blog
with video clip entries instead of text is called
a “video Weblog” or “vlog.”
wiki
A
Web site that can be quickly edited by its visitors
with simple formatting rules. A Wiki was first
developed by Ward Cunningham in the mid-1990s to
provide collaborative discussions. “Wiki
wiki” means “quick” in Hawaiian.
*Definitions
provided from Answers.com
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How
about podcasts of technical articles, like those in Structure magazine?
Imagine the opportunity to “catch up on your
reading” on your commute home, listening to articles
recorded in MP3 format? There might be a commercial
or two involved to help defray the cost to the publisher,
but it certainly could be an efficient way of keeping
up with some of those stacks on our desks that we’d
like to “get to someday.”
Blogs
Blogging,
using or participating in a blog, could be used by a
company to obtain customer feedback. What if you were
able to get this feedback instantaneously, in a format
your customers were comfortable providing? Whether you
admit it or not, your customers are talking about you.
Some may not tell you directly, but they are talking
to fellow customers or talking with their wallet (going
elsewhere). And while I am sure that most customers are
saying good things about you, a few may be criticizing
aspects that you need to know about. Instead of all that
going on behind your back, why not use the power of the
Web to put it all in a format that benefits you—both
the good and the bad? A blog could also be used for project
management. It could be set up as an Intranet accessible
only to certain users. Instead of following discussions
in a folder in your e-mail system, a blog allows the
thread to be organized and searchable using a Web browser.
Just to demonstrate how easy it is to set up a blog,
I created one myself. If you’d like to check it
out, visit:
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http://www.awc.org/wood-design//index.html where
I’ve begun to blog some of the frequently asked questions
(FAQs) to our helpdesk. Perhaps you have your own FAQs
from architects and builders. A blog might be a way for
your company to provide a forum for your customers to ask
questions and receive feedback. For those of you worried
about “liability,” comments can be actively
moderated to keep offensive or questionable content from
being posted.
Wikis
Have you ever worked
on a document with a
group of people and had several drafts floating around? You’re
not always sure which one is current and if someone forgets
to turn on “track changes,” you’re not even
sure what changes were made. Enter the “wiki,” a
type of web site that allows users to add and edit content
in real time.
Similar
to Lotus Notes, a wiki is far less expensive, while offering
80% of the functionality of a full-blown collaboration tool.
So far, only a few big time companies such as Best Buy®,
Yahoo!®, and Walt Disney® have
adopted this technology, but predictions are that by 2009,
fifty percent of companies will have adopted wikis as a collaboration
tool.
Probably the most familiar wiki is
Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki).
Their welcome page touts, “Welcome to Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia that anyone
can edit.” The beauty of this technology is the ability
to “roll back” pages to previous edits if erroneous
or poorly written content is added.
Applications for your organization
might be development of specifications and other documents
requiring collaboration. Similar to a blog, it could be set
up as an Intranet, with password protection.
Keeping Up
Are
you keeping up with technological advances? It seems to be
advancing at a blazing pace. Consider these statistics:
| |
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Processing power doubles every 18 months |
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Storage capacity doubles every 12 months |
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Bandwidth throughput doubles every 9 months |
Conclusion
So, can new technology
lead to more efficiency, or are podcasting, blogs, and wikis
just another passing technology fad? The only way I know how
to find out is to try it. We’ve all done it—from
calculator to computer, from typewriter to word processor,
from snail mail to e-mail and then instant messaging, from
desk to cell phones, from desktops to laptops…what’s
next? Ask your kids. They’ll “text message” the
answer to you. |
| AF&PA Presents
Wood Design Seminar in Idaho |
Furthering
its mission of providing quality education to designers,
AWC staff was invited to present an all-day program
to the Structural Engineers Association of Idaho
(SEAI) on building code requirements for various
types of building materials, design methodologies,
the 2005 NDS®, fire-rated assemblies,
and design of wood connections. The group’s
newsletter article which followed the event
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noted:
“SEAI officers continually strive to provide highly relevant information
to our membership and the Idaho engineering community through our meetings and
seminars. Judging by the seminar turnout last month, it’s apparent that
wood remains an important building material in Idaho… With that in mind,
SEAI was proud to have sponsored the Wood Design Seminar last month.
“SEAI would like to thank Robert Taylor and James Bowman for their presentations,
and all those that attended the seminar.”
For more information, contact Robert Taylor at 202/463-2771
or robert_taylor@afandpa.org.
|
| Illinois Task
Force Recommends Adoption of Statewide Building Code |
The
Illinois Task Force on a Uniform Building Code recommended
overwhelmingly that the Illinois General Assembly adopt a
uniform, comprehensive, statewide building code. The task
force was created in 2005 to study the issue. AWC staff has
been involved in the effort since the beginning.
In its review, the task force believed that the adoption of
a uniform, comprehensive, statewide code creates greater protection
for the health, safety and welfare of Illinois residents, businesses
and property owners.
The task force investigated and discussed every aspect of the
built environment, as well as areas related to or affected
by the design and construction industries. This resulted in
a lengthy list of reasons why a statewide uniform code is of
critical importance for Illinois and its citizens.
For further information, contact David Tyree at 719/633-7471
or david_tyree@afandpa.org. |
| Louisiana
Homes Must Be Raised |
| Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines just released
are meant to help Louisiana residents rebuild in compliance
with drafts of new flood maps showing how high water would
rise during a once-in-a-100-year storm. These flood advisories
also detail how well the city’s levees would protect
residents. The guidelines recommend that thousands of homes
and businesses in the area be raised at least three feet. |
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