COMPARISON OF AMERICAN AND CANADIAN PRACTICES FOR WIND LOAD CALCULATIONS

Abstract

Various wind standards and building codes are available for evaluating wind loads on buildings with common shapes. International wind standards provided by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE 7-05) and National Research Council of Canada (NBC 2005) are among the most commonly used building codes in various parts of the world. This research work is mainly focused on comparing the wind loads obtained using ASCE 7-05 and NBC 2005 provisions. A sixty storey tall
building (30 m x 30 m x 220 m.) with box structure is analyzed for wind loads provided by these codes. A design wind speed of 160 km/hr has been adopted which represents the common wind speed used in coastal areas. The similarities as well as differences in the results have been discussed. A cost comparison is presented to assess the disparities in the wind loads provisions.