CHAP. 16, DIV.

III
1997 UNIFORM BUILDING CODE 1615
1621.3

Division III—WIND DESIGN

SECTION 1615 — GENERAL SECTION 1617 — SYMBOLS AND NOTATIONS

Every building or structure and every portion thereof shall be de- The following symbols and notations apply to the provisions of
signed and constructed to resist the wind effects determined in ac- this division:
cordance with the requirements of this division. Wind shall be Ce = combined height, exposure and gust factor coefficient as
assumed to come from any horizontal direction. No reduction in given in Table 16-G.
wind pressure shall be taken for the shielding effect of adjacent
structures. Cq = pressure coefficient for the structure or portion of struc-
ture under consideration as given in Table 16-H.
Structures sensitive to dynamic effects, such as buildings with a Iw = importance factor as set forth in Table 16-K.
height-to-width ratio greater than five, structures sensitive to
wind-excited oscillations, such as vortex shedding or icing, and P = design wind pressure.
buildings over 400 feet (121.9 m) in height, shall be, and any struc- qs = wind stagnation pressure at the standard height of 33 feet
ture may be, designed in accordance with approved national (10 000 mm) as set forth in Table 16-F.
standards. CHAP. 16, DIV. III
The provisions of this section do not apply to building and foun- SECTION 1618 — BASIC WIND SPEED
dation systems in those areas subject to scour and water pressure The minimum basic wind speed at any site shall not be less than
by wind and wave action. Buildings and foundations subject to that shown in Figure 16-1. For those areas designated in Figure
such loads shall be designed in accordance with approved national 16-1 as special wind regions and other areas where local records or
standards. terrain indicate higher 50-year (mean recurrence interval) fastest-
mile wind speeds, these higher values shall be the minimum basic
SECTION 1616 — DEFINITIONS wind speeds.

The following definitions apply only to this division: SECTION 1619 — EXPOSURE
BASIC WIND SPEED is the fastest-mile wind speed asso-
ciated with an annual probability of 0.02 measured at a point An exposure shall be assigned at each site for which a building or
33 feet (10 000 mm) above the ground for an area having exposure structure is to be designed.
category C.
EXPOSURE B has terrain with buildings, forest or surface ir- SECTION 1620 — DESIGN WIND PRESSURES
regularities, covering at least 20 percent of the ground level area Design wind pressures for buildings and structures and elements
extending 1 mile (1.61 km) or more from the site. therein shall be determined for any height in accordance with the
EXPOSURE C has terrain that is flat and generally open, ex- following formula:
tending 1/2 mile (0.81 km) or more from the site in any full quad- P = Ce Cq qs Iw (20-1)
rant.
EXPOSURE D represents the most severe exposure in areas SECTION 1621 — PRIMARY FRAMES AND SYSTEMS
with basic wind speeds of 80 miles per hour (mph) (129 km/h) or
greater and has terrain that is flat and unobstructed facing large bo- 1621.1 General. The primary frames or load-resisting system of
dies of water over 1 mile (1.61 km) or more in width relative to any every structure shall be designed for the pressures calculated us-
quadrant of the building site. Exposure D extends inland from the ing Formula (20-1) and the pressure coefficients, Cq , of either
shoreline 1/4 mile (0.40 km) or 10 times the building height, Method 1 or Method 2. In addition, design of the overall structure
whichever is greater. and its primary load-resisting system shall conform to Section
1605.
FASTEST-MILE WIND SPEED is the wind speed obtained
from wind velocity maps prepared by the National Oceanographic The base overturning moment for the entire structure, or for any
and Atmospheric Administration and is the highest sustained av- one of its individual primary lateral-resisting elements, shall not
erage wind speed based on the time required for a mile-long sam- exceed two thirds of the dead-load-resisting moment. For an entire
ple of air to pass a fixed point. structure with a height-to-width ratio of 0.5 or less in the wind di-
rection and a maximum height of 60 feet (18 290 mm), the combi-
OPENINGS are apertures or holes in the exterior wall bound- nation of the effects of uplift and overturning may be reduced by
ary of the structure. All windows or doors or other openings shall one third. The weight of earth superimposed over footings may be
be considered as openings unless such openings and their frames used to calculate the dead-load-resisting moment.
are specifically detailed and designed to resist the loads on ele-
ments and components in accordance with the provisions of this 1621.2 Method 1 (Normal Force Method). Method 1 shall be
section. used for the design of gabled rigid frames and may be used for any
structure. In the Normal Force Method, the wind pressures shall be
PARTIALLY ENCLOSED STRUCTURE OR STORY is a assumed to act simultaneously normal to all exterior surfaces. For
structure or story that has more than 15 percent of any windward pressures on roofs and leeward walls, Ce shall be evaluated at the
projected area open and the area of opening on all other projected mean roof height.
areas is less than half of that on the windward projection.
1621.3 Method 2 (Projected Area Method). Method 2 may be
SPECIAL WIND REGION is an area where local records and used for any structure less than 200 feet (60 960 mm) in height ex-
terrain features indicate 50-year fastest-mile basic wind speed is cept those using gabled rigid frames. This method may be used in
higher than shown in Figure 16-1. stability determinations for any structure less than 200 feet
UNENCLOSED STRUCTURE OR STORY is a structure (60 960 mm) high. In the Projected Area Method, horizontal pres-
that has 85 percent or more openings on all sides. sures shall be assumed to act upon the full vertical projected area
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TABLE 16-F 1997 UNIFORM BUILDING CODE
TABLE 16-G

TABLE 16-F—WIND STAGNATION PRESSURE (qs ) AT STANDARD HEIGHT OF 33 FEET (10 058 mm)
Basic wind speed (mph)1 (
1.61 for km/h) 70 80 90 100 110 120 130
Pressure qs (psf) (
0.0479 for kN/m2) 12.6 16.4 20.8 25.6 31.0 36.9 43.3
1Wind speed from Section 1618.

TABLE 16-G—COMBINED HEIGHT, EXPOSURE AND GUST FACTOR COEFFICIENT (Ce )1

HEIGHT ABOVE AVERAGE LEVEL OF
ADJOINING GROUND (feet)

304.8 for mm EXPOSURE D EXPOSURE C EXPOSURE B
0-15 1.39 1.06 0.62
20 1.45 1.13 0.67
25 1.50 1.19 0.72
30 1.54 1.23 0.76
40 1.62 1.31 0.84
60 1.73 1.43 0.95
80 1.81 1.53 1.04
100 1.88 1.61 1.13
120 1.93 1.67 1.20
160 2.02 1.79 1.31
200 2.10 1.87 1.42
300 2.23 2.05 1.63
400 2.34 2.19 1.80
1Values for intermediate heights above 15 feet (4572 mm) may be interpolated.

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1997 UNIFORM BUILDING CODE TABLE 16-H
TABLE 16-H

TABLE 16-H—PRESSURE COEFFICIENTS (Cq )

STRUCTURE OR PART THEREOF DESCRIPTION Cq FACTOR
1. Primary frames and systems Method 1 (Normal force method)
Walls:
Windward wall 0.8 inward
Leeward wall 0.5 outward
Roofs1:
Wind perpendicular to ridge
Leeward roof or flat roof 0.7 outward
Windward roof
less than 2:12 (16.7%) 0.7 outward
Slope 2:12 (16.7%) to less than 9:12 (75%) 0.9 outward or 0.3 inward
Slope 9:12 (75%) to 12:12 (100%) 0.4 inward
Slope > 12:12 (100%) 0.7 inward
Wind parallel to ridge and flat roofs 0.7 outward
Method 2 (Projected area method)
On vertical projected area
Structures 40 feet (12 192 mm) or less in height 1.3 horizontal any direction
Structures over 40 feet (12 192 mm) in height 1.4 horizontal any direction
On horizontal projected area1 0.7 upward
2. Elements and components not in areas of Wall elements
discontinuity2 All structures 1.2 inward
Enclosed and unenclosed structures 1.2 outward
Partially enclosed structures 1.6 outward
Parapets walls 1.3 inward or outward
Roof elements3
Enclosed and unenclosed structures
Slope < 7:12 (58.3%) 1.3 outward
Slope 7:12 (58.3%) to 12:12 (100%) 1.3 outward or inward
Partially enclosed structures
Slope < 2:12 (16.7%) 1.7 outward
Slope 2:12 (16.7%) to 7:12 (58.3%) 1.6 outward or 0.8 inward
Slope > 7:12 (58.3%) to 12:12 (100%) 1.7 outward or inward
3. Elements and components in areas of Wall corners6 1.5 outward or 1.2 inward
discontinuities2,4,5
Roof eaves, rakes or ridges without
overhangs6
Slope < 2:12 (16.7%) 2.3 upward
Slope 2:12 (16.7%) to 7:12 (58.3%) 2.6 outward
Slope > 7:12 (58.3%) to 12:12 (100%) 1.6 outward
For slopes less than 2:12 (16.7%)
Overhangs at roof eaves, rakes or ridges, and 0.5 added to values above
canopies
4. Chimneys, tanks and solid towers Square or rectangular 1.4 any direction
Hexagonal or octagonal 1.1 any direction
Round or elliptical 0.8 any direction
5. Open-frame towers7,8 Square and rectangular
Diagonal 4.0
Normal 3.6
Triangular 3.2
6. Tower accessories (such as ladders, conduit, Cylindrical members
lights and elevators) 2 inches (51 mm) or less in diameter 1.0
Over 2 inches (51 mm) in diameter 0.8
Flat or angular members 1.3
7. Signs, flagpoles, lightpoles, minor structures8 1.4 any direction
1For one story or the top story of multistory partially enclosed structures, an additional value of 0.5 shall be added to the outward C . The most critical combination
q
shall be used for design. For definition of partially enclosed structures, see Section 1616.
2C values listed are for 10-square-foot (0.93 m2) tributary areas. For tributary areas of 100 square feet (9.29 m2), the value of 0.3 may be subtracted from C , except
q q
for areas at discontinuities with slopes less than 7 units vertical in 12 units horizontal (58.3% slope) where the value of 0.8 may be subtracted from Cq . Interpolation
2 2 2
may be used for tributary areas between 10 and 100 square feet (0.93 m and 9.29 m ). For tributary areas greater than 1,000 square feet (92.9 m ), use primary
frame values.
3For slopes greater than 12 units vertical in 12 units horizontal (100% slope), use wall element values.
4Local pressures shall apply over a distance from the discontinuity of 10 feet (3048 mm) or 0.1 times the least width of the structure, whichever is smaller.
5Discontinuities at wall corners or roof ridges are defined as discontinuous breaks in the surface where the included interior angle measures 170 degrees or less.
6Load is to be applied on either side of discontinuity but not simultaneously on both sides.
7Wind pressures shall be applied to the total normal projected area of all elements on one face. The forces shall be assumed to act parallel to the wind direction.
8Factors for cylindrical elements are two thirds of those for flat or angular elements.

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TABLE 16-I 1997 UNIFORM BUILDING CODE
TABLE 16-K

TABLE 16-I—SEISMIC ZONE FACTOR Z

ZONE 1 2A 2B 3 4

Z 0.075 0.15 0.20 0.30 0.40

NOTE: The zone shall be determined from the seismic zone map in Figure 16-2.

TABLE 16-J—SOIL PROFILE TYPES

AVERAGE SOIL PROPERTIES FOR TOP 100 FEET (30 480 mm) OF SOIL PROFILE
SOIL PROFILE SOIL PROFILE NAME/GENERIC Shear Wave Velocity, v s Standard Penetration Test, N [or NCH for Undrained Shear Strength, s u psf
TYPE DESCRIPTION feet/second (m/s) cohesionless soil layers] (blows/foot) (kPa)
SA Hard Rock > 5,000
(1,500)
— —
SB Rock 2,500 to 5,000
(760 to 1,500)
SC Very Dense Soil and Soft Rock 1,200 to 2,500 > 50 > 2,000
(360 to 760) (100)
SD Stiff Soil Profile 600 to 1,200 15 to 50 1,000 to 2,000
(180 to 360) (50 to 100)
SE 1 Soft Soil Profile < 600 < 15 < 1,000
(180) (50)
SF Soil Requiring Site-specific Evaluation. See Section 1629.3.1.
1Soil Profile Type S
E also includes any soil profile with more than 10 feet (3048 mm) of soft clay defined as a soil with a plasticity index, PI > 20, wmc w 40 percent
and s u < 500 psf (24 kPa). The Plasticity Index, PI, and the moisture content, wmc , shall be determined in accordance with approved national standards.

TABLE 16-K—OCCUPANCY CATEGORY

SEISMIC SEISMIC WIND
IMPORTANCE IMPORTANCE1 IMPORTANCE
OCCUPANCY CATEGORY OCCUPANCY OR FUNCTIONS OF STRUCTURE FACTOR, I FACTOR, Ip FACTOR, Iw
1. Essential Group I, Division 1 Occupancies having surgery and emergency treatment 1.25 1.50 1.15
facilities2 areas
Fire and police stations
Garages and shelters for emergency vehicles and emergency aircraft
Structures and shelters in emergency-preparedness centers
Aviation control towers
Structures and equipment in government communication centers and other
facilities required for emergency response
Standby power-generating equipment for Category 1 facilities
Tanks or other structures containing housing or supporting water or other
fire-suppression material or equipment required for the protection of Category
1, 2 or 3 structures
2. Hazardous Group H, Divisions 1, 2, 6 and 7 Occupancies and structures therein housing or 1.25 1.50 1.15
facilities supporting toxic or explosive chemicals or substances
Nonbuilding structures housing, supporting or containing quantities of toxic or
explosive substances that, if contained within a building, would cause that
building to be classified as a Group H, Division 1, 2 or 7 Occupancy
3. Special Group A, Divisions 1, 2 and 2.1 Occupancies 1.00 1.00 1.00
occupancy Buildings housing Group E, Divisions 1 and 3 Occupancies with a capacity
structures3 greater than 300 students
Buildings housing Group B Occupancies used for college or adult education
with a capacity greater than 500 students
Group I, Divisions 1 and 2 Occupancies with 50 or more resident incapacitated
patients, but not included in Category 1
Group I, Division 3 Occupancies
All structures with an occupancy greater than 5,000 persons
Structures and equipment in power-generating stations, and other public utility
facilities not included in Category 1 or Category 2 above, and required for
continued operation
4. Standard All structures housing occupancies or having functions not listed in Category 1.00 1.00 1.00
occupancy 1, 2 or 3 and Group U Occupancy towers
structures3
5. Miscellaneous Group U Occupancies except for towers 1.00 1.00 1.00
structures
1The limitation of I for panel connections in Section 1633.2.4 shall be 1.0 for the entire connector.
p
2Structural observation requirements are given in Section 1702.
3For anchorage of machinery and equipment required for life-safety systems, the value of I shall be taken as 1.5.
p

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