Multi-Hazard Resistant Residential Buildings Research Thrust

A building’s structural load-bearing systems, such as walls, floors, foundations, and roofs, are vulnerable to overload conditions and subsequent failure. In addition to structural systems, building envelope systems considered non-structural may also be subject to damage due to natural hazard conditions, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes. While following the building code for their design protects structural and nonstructural residential building components, sometimes laboratory testing will also be needed, in particular for building envelope systems. Accordingly, full-scale or small-scale mockup testing of various components of residential buildings may be necessary to ensure adequate protection with respect to serviceability and safety design criteria. The major safety-related testing on exterior and interior wall panels includes performance of mockups of the wall panels and windows under simulated earthquake (in-plane) and/or wind (out-of-plane) loading conditions. For safety against storms, tests such as simulated wind pressure testing and missile impact testing may also be required.

Standard test protocols are outlined by associations or societies such as the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) for different systems and materials. In most cases, the need for testing is based on building code requirements where satisfactory load resistance or performance under applicable loading conditions must be established through testing, in particular in cases where the system is not recognized by the building code. While structural wall panels must be designed to resist building code prescribed gravity, wind, and seismic-induced loads, systems that are not recognized by the code need to be tested to establish their adequacy.