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Clopay Building Products is offering AIA Continuing Education Training on Wind Load Requirements for Sectional Garage Doors online at www.aecdaily.com. AEC Daily provides access to educational resources, CAD details, building products information, industry news, discussion forums and more to architects, engineers, owners, interior designers, and construction professionals at no charge. The independent study course provides an overview of wind speed and pressure, building code requirements, wind load calculations, wind load testing, and garage door design. Design professionals can obtain one continuing education credit by successfully completing the course. Garage doors are now considered to be one of the most important parts of a building’s structure in regards to maintaining its structural integrity during a hurricane. According to a report issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Building Performance following Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the failure of garage doors caused significant damage to both homes and commercial buildings. Not only did wind/rain penetration damage building interiors, but the loss of garage doors also resulted in an uncontrolled buildup of internal, pressure, which combined with suction pressures on exterior walls to cause blowouts of major structural walls and roofs. -more- Most structures are designed on the basis the building envelope is not penetrated during a windstorm. Pressures are calculated on this assumption and the rest of the building depends on the structural integrity of all its elements. Therefore, garage doors are now taking on the added role of serving as a structural element of the building for wind loading. Hurricane Andrew as a catalyst for change After Hurricane Andrew, the general consensus among engineers and code professionals was there were deficiencies in the building code regarding wind design. FEMA recommended the entire garage door assembly should be reevaluated for strengthening to resist wind and flood loads. The code was revised to stipulate the following: 1. The specification for garage doors should be increased for all hurricane-prone regions. 2. Garage doors must be certified for wind-load performance. 3. To reduce the effects of wide spans of two-car garage doors, the doors should be manufactured to include extra reinforcements to resist wind load. 4. Tracks and track supports should be strengthened to prevent failure caused by door deflection under wind loads. The 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons provided the first real opportunities to test the effectiveness of more stringent building codes. It appears the enhancements in the garage door industry and the building codes helped reduce damage to structures in the path of the back-to-back storms. FEMA assessment reports on Hurricane Charley indicate code-compliant garage doors withstood the high winds of the Category 4 storm and stayed in place, reducing overall property damage. In contrast, doors installed before the revised code took effect suffered significant damage, or were blown out completely leading to further destruction of building integrity and property inside. The proliferation of hurricanes and subsequent media coverage in 2005 has made -more- design/construction professionals, code officials, and insurance companies increasingly aware of the potential for wind damage and more eager than ever to understand how they can better prepare structures to withstand high winds caused by hurricanes, tropical storms, and other weather events. To select the correct wind-load-rated door product, the design professional needs to know the following: • code jurisdiction; • wind speed; • exposure level; and • mean roof height (MRH). These and other considerations are explored in the course. For more information about Clopay residential and commercial doors, log onto www.clopaydoor.com, or call 1-800-225-6729.
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With four manufacturing facilities and 45 distribution centers across the U.S. and Canada, Clopay Building Products is North America’s leading manufacturer of residential garage doors and a leader in the industrial door market. Bringing more than 40 years of leadership to the garage door industry, Clopay Building Products maintains a strong family of brands including Clopay®, Holmes Garage Door Company™ and Ideal Door®.
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