VCA and SCL published a joint whitepaper regarding effects of 2010 California Building Code on Light-Frame structural design. The paper provides information on critical changes that effect the design and plancheck of common structures.
The whitepaper is titled “2010 Building Code Update: Re-tooling Your Office For Changes to the 2010 California Building Regulations That Effect Light-Frame Structures.” A snippet of the white paper is shown below, and the rest of the white paper is available after the link.
When the rules of practice change, re-tooling efforts can be dramatic for engineers engaged in plan review or production of light-frame structural designs. The repetition and volume that is common in light-frame design requires engineers to develop efficient internal work procedures in order to remain competitive. It is seldom acknowledged that a small organization may have tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars invested into internal production infrastructure including computer programs, spreadsheets, forms, standards, staff training and other items. As the code develops in complexity and length, challenges occur when seemingly benign code changes create significant impacts to established work flows.