ICC-600 Addresses Building in Hurricane, High-Wind Areas
September 29, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS
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New construction guidelines developed by the International Code Council (ICC) aim to increase public safety in hurricane-prone areas and other high-wind regions.
ICC-600 - Standard for Residential Construction in High Wind Regions provides wind-resistant design and construction details for residential buildings.
The standard applies to areas where wind speeds reach 100 to 150 mph, including the hurricane-prone regions of the East and Gulf coasts, coastal Alaska and the special wind region of the Columbia River Gorge in Washington and Oregon.
"Communities that adopt this new standard will have a tool based on sound science to help them save lives and protect property," said Rick Weiland, ICC CEO.
"It's necessary if we are to reduce the billions of dollars in wind-related damage this country faces year after year," Weiland said.
ICC-600, approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as an American National Standard, uses the latest engineering knowledge to improve the structural integrity and performance of homes, ICC said.
The standard is an update to SSTD 10-99 and includes new provisions such as prescriptive designs for wind speeds up to 150 mph with three-second gusts, designs for cold-formed steel framing and exterior wall coverings for high wind.
"The high wind standard will help first preventers protect the communities they serve," Weiland said.
The standard, available in September for communities to adopt, will be considered as a referenced standard in the 2009 International Residential Code, ICC said.
Source: International Code Council (ICC).