Articles

Main Speaker - May 2016

“2015 IBC Requires Tornado Shelters in All North Texas Schools”

 Presented by: 
  Benchmark Harris, P.E. 
 Director of Engineering 
 Huckabee and Associates, Inc. 
 

The 2015 IBC requires all new schools in North Texas be constructed with tornado shelters designed for 250 mph winds in accordance with ICC 500-2014 “ICC/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters” (with some limited exceptions).  This code change was sponsored by FEMA after the Moore, OK tornado deaths but is not funded by the federal government or by the State of Texas.  Consequently, it is often desired for these shelters to be multi-purpose spaces that also function as a Gymnasium or a classroom wing, rather than a stand-alone dedicated shelter.  This 1 hour presentation will give an overview of the many Structural Engineering requirements of ICC 500.  Many of these structural requirements involve close coordination with a Local Emergency Planning Committee, the School District, Architect, Civil Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Technology Designer and even the Interior Designer.  Furthermore, ICC 500-2014 requires both an independent Structural Engineering review and an independent Architectural Review.  All this coordination elevates the significance of the structural engineer’s role during the planning of the shelter and can require a greater effort.

Benchmark Harris, P.E., is the Director of Engineering with Huckabee and Associates, Inc.  Huckabee is a 190 person Architecture and Engineering firm with offices in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Waco.  Huckabee was ranked  #1 as the 2015 Best Structural Engineering Firm to Work For in the nation by the Zweig Group.  Ben has a Bachelors in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters in Structures and Applied Mechanics from the University of Texas at Arlington.  Ben has 18 years of experience as a Structural Engineer.  He has designed many tornado shelters for schools using both the ICC 500 Standard (referenced by the 2015 IBC) as well as FEMA P-361 Guidelines.  These shelters have consisted of various construction types such as cast-in-place concrete, insulating concrete formwork, precast concrete, and hot rolled steel construction.  He has worked closely with the Architects at Huckabee to develop structural shelter solutions that fit the specific operational and aesthetic needs of schools.  This collaboration has required an adaptation of ICC 500, which was not written with the intent to be a requirement for schools.  And, he has worked with many of the members on the ICC 500 Committee to develop this adaptation and assist with development of the upcoming ICC 500 Commentary.  To share what he’s learned in this process, Ben has given many presentations around the country to Architects, Structural Engineers, Contractors and School Administrators on the application of ICC 500 for schools.  He has been actively involved in building code development through The Masonry Society for 12 years.  He currently serves as the Chair of the national TMS Disaster Investigation Program.  And, he works on numerous TMS Committees, including TMS 402/ACI 530/ASCE 5 and TMS 403 which are both referenced by the IBC for structural masonry design.  He was the Chair of the TMS403 Design Practices Committee for 5 years.