Design of Loadbearing Tall Wood Studs for Wind and Gravity Loads

January 21, 2025; 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Pacific Time
John ``Buddy`` Showalter, P.E.

Proper design of wood structures to resist high wind loads requires the correct use of wind load provisions and member design properties. A thorough understanding of the interaction between wind loads and material properties is important in the design process. Adjustments from reference wind conditions to extreme-value peak gusts require designers to make similar adjustments to design properties to ensure equivalent and economic designs. Wind load provisions have been developed for design of major structural elements using Main Wind-Force Resisting System (MWFRS) loads and secondary cladding elements using Component & Cladding (C&C) loads. Elements and subassemblies which receive loads both directly and as part of the main wind force resisting system, such as wall studs, must be checked independently for MWFRS loads and C&C loads. A load bearing stud wall design example based on the allowable stress design methods outlined in AWC`s 2018 National Design Specification® (NDS®) for Wood Construction and 2018 Wood Frame Construction Manual along with ASCE 7-16 Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures will demonstrate standard design checks for limit states of strength and deflection.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand how to analyze wall framing as part of the MWFRS per ASCE 7-16
2. Understand why wall framing is analyzed using out of plane C&C wind pressures independent of gravity loads
3. Be familiar with various ASCE 7-16 ASD load combinations used for bearing walls
4. Be knowledgeable of standards including the 2018 NDS, 2018 WFCM, and ASCE 7-16 used for design of tall walls

Finally, the example problem we’ll be presenting, is contained in this document:
Examples: Structural Wood Design Examples 2015/2018 Edition

Speaker Bio

Buddy Showalter is a senior staff engineer with the International Code Council`s (ICC) product development group. He develops technical resources in support of the structural provisions of the International Building Code and International Residential Code. Showalter reviews publications authored by the Code Council and engineering groups, while also developing publications and technical seminars on the structural provisions of the International Codes for building departments, designers and special inspectors. He is the project lead in the development of Mass Timber Buildings and the IBC and associated education programs, jointly developed by ICC and the American Wood Council (AWC). A graduate of Virginia Tech, Showalter has also been a member of the editorial board for STRUCTURE magazine for more than 15 years. Before joining ICC, Showalter spent 26 years with AWC where he led its technology transfer program with oversight responsibility for publications, website, helpdesk, education and other technical media. He has more than 35 years of experience in the development and support of building codes and standards, publishing more than 60 technical articles for industry-related trade journals.