Building codes & standards

News and Updates

The Joplin Tornado: A Calamity and a Boon to Resilience, 10 Years On

May 21, 2021

In 2011, a vicious tornado wreaked havoc on the city of Joplin, Missouri. The tragic event spurred NIST and others into action to improve the country’s

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

Events

2021 Disaster Resilience Symposium

Tue, Jul 20 2021, 11:00am - Wed, Jul 21 2021, 3:30pm EDT

The Engineering Laboratory at NIST, Gaithersburg, will be hosting its fourth annual symposium as a virtual only event on

Projects and Programs

Community Resilience Program

Community resilience has emerged as a way to reduce the direct and indirect costs due to natural, technological, and human-caused hazard events. There continues

Validation of ASCE 41 Procedures in PBSE

Structural engineers are increasingly using Performance-Based Seismic Engineering (PBSE), instead of building code-based prescriptive procedures, in the design

Performance-Based Seismic Engineering (PBSE) for New Buildings Project

Structural collapse demand and capacity are not clearly defined or directly simulated in current Performance-Based Seismic Engineering (PBSE) methodology

National seismic hazards maps display earthquake ground motions for various probability levels across the United States.

Earthquake Risk Reduction in Buildings and Infrastructure Program

Over 40 states in the United States are subject to risk from earthquake, facing potential serious loss of life and injury to citizens, damage to the built

Publications

Energy Price Indices and Discount Factors for Life-Cycle Cost Analysis – 2021 Annual Supplement to NIST Handbook 135

April 12, 2021

Author(s)

Priya Lavappa, Joshua Kneifel

This is the 2021 edition of energy price indices and discount factors for performing life-cycle cost analyses of energy and water conservation and renewable

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 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 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

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

January 19, 2021

Author(s)

Joseph 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

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