Get the latest changes to California Building Code (CBC) 2022 and understand how they impact your work as a structural engineer.

As a structural engineer, staying current with the relevant building codes and standards can be challenging, but it is an important part of the job.

With California Building Code (CBC) 2022 on the horizon, join our North American Structural Lead, Laurent Gérin on Wednesday, January 25th 2023, 1 pm Eastern Time (ET) to unpack the latest code changes in CBC 2022 relevant to the structural aspect of residential design and workflow (e.g. did you know the shear provisions for concrete have changed drastically with this new edition?).

What we will cover

 
• An overview of California Building Code (CBC) 2022
• The latest updates and changes to structural design in CBC 2022
• Setting up your projects to CBC 2022 in ClearCalcs
 

Webinar Summary

The transcript is from a webinar on California Building Code 2022 for residential structural design. The webinar was hosted by ClearCalcs Director of Customer Success, Connor Conzelman, and presented by Laurent Gérin, P.Eng., ClearCalcs' North America Engineering Team Lead. The webinar covers recent updates to ClearCalcs, seismic loads, and the removal of shear walls from beta testing.

Laurent Gérin discusses the California Building Code (CBC) and its importance as the law of the land for building structures in California, with local jurisdictions having the ability to pass more conservative amendments. He also provides an example of how to check for local amendments in a specific jurisdiction.

Gérin explains that the California Building Code is based on the International Building Code and is typically released one year after the ABC, with a 45-day public review period for upcoming changes. He also discusses some general changes to the CBC, including updates to load calculations and the requirement to show the locations of wind zones on drawings.

Other updates to the California Building Code 2022 include requirements for special inspection during structural observation, site-specific analysis for seismic loads, and frost protection for exits without facing doors. The code also has stricter requirements for precast piles, particularly in high seismic zones.

The current segment discusses the Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic in the US, which have been updated in the 2021 version of the code. There have been some reductions in strength for wood panels and stricter rules for weak stories in high seismic categories. Additionally, there are now provisions for steel to shear walls and diaphragms using cross-laminated timber. The most significant change is the update to concrete shear capacity, which has a new formula resulting in about half the shear strength as in the previous version.

The current segment focuses on the changes to shear strength requirements in the California Building Code 2022, which have been drastically reduced for footings and walls. This means designers will need to use more concrete in their footings and may need to have awkward conversations with clients about thicker footings and slabs. The lambda s factor, which further reduces shear strength for certain structures, is also discussed.

Gérin explains that the Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic in the US have been updated in the 2021 version of the code, with some reductions in strength for seismic loads. He also discusses updates to ClearCalcs' popular calculators, including spread footings and concrete beams, and upcoming additions such as wall footings, concrete columns, pure footings, and a general calculator conforming to ECI three 1819.

the Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic in the US have been updated in the 2021 version of the code, with reductions in strength for concrete and changes to seismic loads. The engineering team at ClearCalcs is considering adding seismic overstrength factors to their software and is interested in hearing from users about their experiences with this.