Standards · Design principles · Practical applications · Professional development · Decoding the NBCC Wind Commentary

NBCC Part 4 can be dense. When you get to wind loads in Section 4.1.7, it’s a flurry of equations, factors, and tables. You know the rules are in there, but what about the ‘why’? Why is the gust factor 2.0 for the main system but 2.5 for cladding? When do you really need to jump from the Static to the Dynamic Procedure?

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Standards · Design principles · Practical applications · Unpacking the Key Wind Design Changes in NBCC 2020

Another code cycle, another round of changes to get our heads around. Just when you think you’ve got your spreadsheets perfected, the new National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) lands on your desk. While the 2020 edition brought updates across the board, the wind load provisions in Subsection 4.1.7. have some particularly noteworthy changes that are already impacting our designs.

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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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Standards · Practical applications · Design principles · When Does Part 9 End and Part 4 Begin in the NBCC?

Let’s talk about something that trips up even seasoned engineers from time to time: figuring out exactly where National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) Part 9, “Housing and Small Buildings,” hands off the baton to Part 4, “Structural Design.” Get this wrong, and you could be heading for a world of compliance headaches, or worse, an under-designed structure. Get it right, and you’re setting your project up for success from day one.

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Practical applications · When Part 9 Leans on Part 4 – A Guide for Complex Small Buildings

You’ve got a project that, at first glance, looks like a straightforward Part 9 building – a “house or small building” as the NBCC puts it. But then you start digging into the details, the architect throws in a few “features,” or the site conditions are less than ideal, and suddenly you’re wondering if those prescriptive Part 9 solutions are going to cut it.

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