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Instructors: 
Terrence Paret
Gwenyth Searer, P.E., S.E., M.ASCE

Course Length: 1.5 Hours

Purpose and Background

Historic buildings pose significant challenges to engineers: they are often built of materials that are not used in modern construction; they often do not conform to building code requirements for the construction new buildings; and they were built prior to the development of modern seismic codes and detailing. A significant temptation for engineers is to discard or ignore the existing structural elements and insert new elements that the engineer knows how to design. This approach, while simple, often can result in the destruction of the very elements that make the structure historically relevant. This webinar provides insight in how building codes deal with historic buildings and is intended to convey appropriate goals for engineers and architects who may be dealing with historic buildings for the very first time, as well as design professionals who deal with historic buildings on a more frequent basis.

Primary Discussion Topics

• Definition of “Historic Building”
• Philosophical approach to dealing with historic buildings
• Balancing risk to occupants versus the need to maintain the character-defining features that make the building historic
• Discussion of codes and standards related to historic buildings
• Discussion of where engineers often deviate from the intent of the building code

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Recognize what constitutes a historic building
• Discuss what constitutes appropriate goals when dealing with historic buildings
• Gain an understanding of how one balances risk to occupants versus maintaining the character-defining features that make the building historic
• Find available resources for engineers who want to learn more about historic buildings
• Know what codes and standards govern the treatment of historic buildings
• Answer how existing codes and standards can be improved to better protect historic buildings

Webinar Benefits

• Learn how buildings qualify as historic
• Learn how building codes differ in the treatment of historic and non-historic buildings
• Avoid common pitfalls when dealing with historic buildings
• Develop ways to communicate to the various stakeholders (including owners, building officials, architects, and the community) the differences between how historic buildings and non-historic buildings should be treated
• Understand alternative ways that historic buildings can be evaluated based on their having withstood the “test of time” as opposed to strict numerical analysis

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).

Intended Audience

• Civil and structural engineers who deal with existing buildings on a fairly regular basis
• Building officials
• Architects who work on projects involving historic buildings

Webinar Outline

• Introduction to historic buildings
• Discussion of general philosophy regarding how historic buildings should be treated
• Weighing protection of character-defining elements versus protection of occupants
• Review of code requirements and exemptions for historic buildings
• Discuss “test of time” philosophy
• Discuss how to evaluate and leverage a building’s strengths as opposed to focusing on weaknesses and nonconformance with modern building codes
• Case studies of historic buildings and how the fact that they are historic influenced the final outcome

How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion

To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.

How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?

1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]