The American Wood Council (AWC) has developed a free series of Guides to Wood Construction in High Wind Areas based on provisions contained in AWC’s 2015 Wood Frame Construction Manual (WFCM). “AWC published a similar series last year based on the 2012 WFCM,” AWC Vice President of Engineering Bradford Douglas said. “The 2015 Guides are a continuation of our mission to develop tools to make it as easy as possible for designers, code officials, and builders to design, approve, and use wood products.”
The Guides are directed toward ensuring structural integrity to resist wind loads. The WFCM is the referenced document for high-wind wood-frame construction in the International Building Code. Use of the high-wind provisions of the WFCM Guides provide design solutions that are intended to meet the applicable requirements of the WFCM, IRC, and IBC.
Separate Guides address wind design requirements for 115-, 120-, 130-, 140-, 150- and 160-miles-per-hour (Exposures B and C) wind zones. The Guides can be found on the AWC website.