How do buildings stand up? Why don’t they fall down? What is “racking”? How do you resist it? Can you size a floor joist? How is “deflection” different from “bending”? What are the strengths and weaknesses of different materials? What is “balloon framing”? What is it good for? This semi-technical class will cover loads, forces, basic structural mechanics, engineered lumber, connections, hurricane and seismic forces, various ways of building foundations, floors, walls, and roofs, rules-of-thumb, simple beam calculations, and computer programs such as BeamCheck. Students will create a structural design for a simple building and discuss their own questions and issues. This two day session won’t make you an engineer, but it will enable you to decide when to hire one. Familiarity with algebra and geometry is assumed. For a refresher, sign up for Math for Builders.
- Competency Level: Intermediate to Professional
- AIA credits: 14 -- Qualifies for HSW requirements.
Course Objectives
To provide an introductory overview of common structural systems, materials, design issues, and calculation/sizing methods and resources.
Suggested Reading
No prior reading required. Handouts and a bibliography will be provided during class.
Materials to Bring
- Foot-inch calculator with square root and trig functions.
Course Outline
SATURDAY Morning - Forces & Loads
- Introduction to the forces acting on buildings (horizontal, vertical, wind, earthquake, racking, tension, compression, etc).
- Live, dead, uniform, and point loads.
- Introduction to beam behavior.
- Simple, multiple, cantilevered, and sloped spans.
- Bracing, large openings, headers.
- Introduction to properties of common materials (wood, concrete, unit masonry, steel, and sheet goods.
Lunch - campus tour to see examples of various structural systems.
Afternoon - Building Systems Overview. Conventional and alternative methods of building for:
- Foundations & slabs (including reinforcement)
- Floors - joists, trusses, plank-and-beam, subflooring, adhesives and fasteners.
- Walls & Columns - stick-built, post-and-beam, racking and bracing.
Evening - Bldg Systems continued.
- Roofs - types, outward thrust, hips & valleys, rafters, trusses, sheathing.
- Other - arches, thin shells, folded plates, surface-bonding and other unconventional techniques.
SUNDAY
Morning - Design Practicum
- Rules-of-thumb for sizing joists for simple spans and cantilevers.
- Use of span tables and manufacturer's catalogs.
- Discussion of Code provision re structural design.
- Formulas for simple beams.
- Introduction to BeamChecktm computer program.
Afternoon - Class Design Problem
- Students will each create a structural design for a simple structure.
- Individual Q & A.
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