INSTRUCTOR: William L. Coulbourne, P.E., F.SEI, F.ASCE 

Course Length:  90 minutes

Sponsored by ASCE Continuing Education and the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI).

ASCE webinars are great for us. We are in a remote location and it is difficult to get quality training for our staff without much expense. - Anonymous Attendee

Purpose and Background

This webinar will provide technical information important to the design of pier and beam foundations using the wind load and flood load provisions of ASCE 7-10 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures and ASCE 24 Flood Resistant Design and Construction. Foundation design information is largely missing from the building codes yet prescriptive wind design is provided for many wind speeds for elevated buildings. Guidance is not available on how to design floor support systems on either continuous perimeter walls or individual footings and piers to resist wind pressures when the foundation also experiences flood forces, scour and flood-borne debris impacts.

Learning Outcomes

You will learn how to apply the wind and flood load provisions in ASCE 7-10 to properly design pier and beam foundations. The level of instruction is appropriate for engineers who have pier and beam foundation design issues or are waiting to include this foundation style into their current practice. The primary audience is structural engineers who have some experience at performing designs for buildings or geotechnical engineers who provide foundation design as part of their service. The newly revised sections in ASCE 7-10 are referenced as strength design issues are important in component design.

Webinar Benefits

• Gain an understanding of how to apply current wind and flood design methodologies to pier and beam foundation issues
• Gain an understanding of where the prescriptive provisions of the building code stop when designs for foundations are considered and where the building code is not clear about how to apply the code provisions as it relates to foundations
• Learn what the limitations are for prescriptive solutions to the pier and beam foundation design problem that can help the practitioner know what important design issues must be thoroughly analyzed

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

The level of instruction is appropriate for engineers who have pier and beam foundation design issues or want to include this foundation style into their current practice. The primary audience is structural engineers who have some experience at performing designs for buildings or geotechnical engineers who provide foundation design as part of their service.

Webinar Outline

• Defining design conditions and material specifications
• Beginning the foundation iterative process
• Wind load considerations
• Flood load considerations
• Pier solutions
• Connections