Building codes & standards

News and Updates

A view of rubble in the central business district of Christchurch, New Zealand, following a devastating earthquake.

New Report Charts Path Toward Superior Earthquake Recovery

January 27, 2021

For the last century, seismic building codes and practices have primarily focused on saving lives by reducing the likelihood of significant damage or structural

A fire test of an office building floor replica occurring in a fireproof compartment.

How Fire Causes Office-Building Floors to Collapse

March 24, 2020

Engineers and technicians at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) spent months meticulously recreating the long concrete floors supported

NIST Details Steps to Keep Buildings Functioning After Natural Hazards

August 21, 2018

After an earthquake, hurricane, tornado or other natural hazard, it’s considered a win if no one gets hurt and buildings stay standing. But an even bigger

Projects and Programs

Collapse Assessment of Buildings under Seismic Loading

NIST recently completed a multi-year study of three structural steel framing systems to evaluate the correlation between ASCE/SEI 7 (ASCE 2010) and ASCE/SEI 41

Sustainable Engineered Materials

To develop and deploy measurement science tools that enable the manufacturing, construction, and transportation industries to reliably assess the performance of

National Fire Research Laboratory: Research Development and Operations Project

At present, there is no research facility in the world that allows scientists and engineers to conduct research on the response of real-scale structural systems

Assessment of Available Collapse Simulation Methods for Use in Performance-Based Seismic Engineering Project

While it is a key aspect of structural analyses that support current Performance-Based Seismic Engineering (PBSE), "structural collapse" is not clearly defined

Publications

Structural Performance of Nuclear Power Plant Concrete Structures Affected by Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) - Task 1: Assessing In-Situ Mechanical Properties of ASR-Affected Concrete

February 8, 2021

Author(s)

Fahim Sadek, Travis E. Thonstad, Sorin Marcu, Jonathan M. Weigand, timothy J. barrett, Hai S. Lew, Long T. Phan, Adam L. Pintar

This report describes the results of Task 1 of a five-task comprehensive research program being conducted at the National Institute of Standards and Technology

Structural Performance of Nuclear Power Plant Concrete Structures Affected by Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) - Task 2: Assessing Bond and Anchorage of Reinforcing Bars in ASR-Affected Concrete

February 3, 2021

Author(s)

Travis E. Thonstad, Jonathan M. Weigand, Fahim Sadek, Sorin Marcu, timothy J. barrett, Hai S. Lew, Long T. Phan, Adam L. Pintar

This report describes the results of Task 2 of a five-task comprehensive research program being conducted at the National Institute of Standards and Technology

Learning from Hurricane Maria's Impacts on Puerto Rico: A Progress Report

January 19, 2021

Author(s)

Joseph A. Main, Maria K. Dillard, Erica D. Kuligowski, Benjamin Davis, Jazalyn D. Dukes, Kenneth W. Harrison, Jennifer Helgeson, Katherine J. Johnson, Marc L. Levitan, Judith Mitrani-Reiser, Scott J. Weaver, DongHun Yeo, Luis D. Bermúdez, Joel Cline, Thomas Kirsch

On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated much of Puerto Rico, damaging buildings that its communities relied upon for medical care, safety

Aprendiendo de los impactos del huracán María en Puerto Rico: Un informe de progreso

January 19, 2021

Author(s)

El 20 de septiembre de 2017, el huracán María tuvo un impacto devastador en gran parte de Puerto Rico, dañando edificios de los que dependían sus comunidades

Tools and Instruments

The National Fire Research Laboratory

The National Fire Research Laboratory (NFRL) is a unique experimental facility dedicated understanding fire behavior and structural response to fire. The