Standards · The “Why” Behind NBCC’s Snow Load Factors

If you’re a structural engineer in Canada, you’ve stared at this equation more times than you can count:

$$S = I_s[S_s(C_b C_w C_s C_a) + S_r]$$

It’s the backbone of our snow load calculations, a formula we trust to keep our buildings standing through the harshest Canadian winters. It’s important to remember this detailed formula is from NBCC Part 4; the approach for simpler structures is different, as we’ve covered in our guide to wind and snow loads in Part 4 vs. Part 9.

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Standards · Design principles · Practical applications · A Structural Engineer’s Guide to the Journey of Snow

The first heavy, wet snow of the season is plastering everything in sight, and you get that familiar call from an architect: “We’re looking at a large, flat roof on this new project. What kind of snow load do we need?”

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Standards · Design principles · Practical applications · Industry insights · A Practical Guide to NBCC 2020 Snow Loads on Modern Roofs

Solar panels, architectural sunshades, and complex multi-level rooflines are no longer the exception; they’re the norm in modern Canadian building design. While they score points for energy efficiency and visual appeal, they also create a minefield of unexpected snow and ice loads for structural engineers.

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Standards · Design principles · Practical applications · 5 Live Load Nuances in the NBCC Commentary

You’re finalizing a set of drawings, cross-checking load cases against the National Building Code, and wondering if you’ve caught every little detail. The NBCC is a dense document, and its companion, the Structural Commentaries, is packed with the “why” behind the rules. It’s in those commentaries that we find the nuances that can make or break a design, or at least save us a headache during a plan check.

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Standards · Design principles · Materials · Industry insights · Professional development · Practical applications · Navigating Wind & Snow Loads in Part 4 vs. Part 9

Canadian projects see everything from heavy snowfalls to strong winds, so our designs constantly have to stand up to the elements. The National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) gives us the rulebook, but how we apply those rules can differ significantly, especially when we’re talking about Part 4 (Structural Design) versus Part 9 (Housing and Small Buildings).

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Standards · Engineered Precision (Part 4) vs. Prescriptive Paths (Part 9)

The National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) gives us two primary structural design pathways that show up in everyday practice: the engineered requirements of Part 4 and the prescriptive provisions of Part 9. Deciding which one applies—and where they overlap—is a fundamental part of our work as structural engineers in Canada.

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