The American Concrete Institute (ACI) recently published The Reinforced Concrete Design Manual, a companion to its ACI 318-14, Building Code Requirements for Structural Commentary. This two-volume manual provides guidance and assistance for those engaged in the design of reinforced concrete structures. By giving numerous examples of various reinforced concrete...

Abuse-resistant and impact-resistant gypsum panel products are designed for application in high-traffic areas such as gymnasiums, hospitals, loading docks and stairwells. The new guidance documents from the Gypsum Association (GA) provide knowledge concerning the composition of the material, cover the appropriate ASTM tests and classification levels, and clarify the...

The American Wood Council (AWC) has revised its Technical Report (TR) 12, General Dowel Equations for Calculating Lateral Connection Values. Changes to the report include more options for connecting wood members and information on using stainless steel, aluminum fasteners, and connectors. This report allows designers to determine the effects...

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has published a new book, Building Information Modeling: Applications and Practices. This comprehensive overview of recent advances in the architectural/engineering industry includes the use of building information modeling (BIM) as a framework for structural design, as well as in cost estimation, adaptive...

The 2015 update of the International Fire Code (IFC) has been published by the International Code Council (ICC) to include several critical changes designers and developers need to incorporate when planning a new structure. The publication is intended as an easy-to-use resource to assist in the application and explanation...

Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) has released its first edition of, Architectural Sheet Metal Quality Assurance Guide. This manual is intended to act as an evaluating and inspection tool for exterior sheet metal components for both owners and professional inspectors.  Additionally, the publication contains explanations...

Released by the American Concrete Institute (ACI), Manual of Concrete Practice is the most comprehensive source for concrete information, containing ACI documents on code requirements, specifications, tolerances, concrete proportions, construction methods, and evaluation of test results.  The new edition also contains a reorganized 2014 version of ACI 318, Building...