The American Concrete Institute (ACI), an organization whose mission is to develop and disseminate consensus-based knowledge on concrete and its uses, officially released the completely reorganized ACI 318-14: Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete. The 2015 International Building Code will reference 318-14.
Now published and available for use, the reorganized 318-14 is organized from an engineer’s perspective. By focusing on member design, ACI 318 requirements flow more intuitively and have fewer cross-references. Significant highlights include: greater ease of use, improved logic and flow of information, member-based organization to quickly locate relevant code information and construction requirements centralized in one chapter
“ACI 318 is one of the most essential and valuable standards with respect to the design of concrete structures, and the reorganization is designed to meet the needs of users in the modern design and construction environment,” said Randall W. Poston, chairman of the ACI Committee 318, 2008-2014.
This publication is the first major reorganization of ACI 318 since 1971 and represents nearly a decade of work, he noted. The publication features improved language and style consistency, more expansive use of tables and charts and is organized so that engineers have increased confidence they have satisfied all necessary code requirements.
Other updates include new chapters on structural systems and a consistent structure for each member chapter. Poston stated, “The new format will more easily accommodate new topics well into the future. The new code not only encourages better structural concrete design, but also supports better communication among designers, engineers, contractors, and construction professionals. Additionally, the code is much easier for students and new engineers to learn and apply, and, because of the member-based organization, the user is assured that a design is complete and has met all code requirements. ”
The United States and more than 22 countries around the world base their national building codes on all or part of ACI 318. 318-14 is available in various electronic formats for access on desktop, tablet and mobile devices, plus the traditional printed copy. The manual will also appear in Spanish, Chinese and other languages.
There are many tools available to supplement knowledge of ACI 318-14. Approximately 50 seminars are being scheduled for 2015 in various locations for professionals who wish for more information about the reorganized 318-14. ACI’s Reinforced Concrete Design Manual will be updated and published in accordance with the reorganized 318-14, and will be available in 2015.
“To aid engineers in transitioning to the member-based ACI 318-14, the American Concrete Institute has published transition keys that map provisions in ACI 318-11 to their location in ACI 318-14. I encourage everyone to take advantage of these keys, available for free download from concrete.org,” said Poston. “Using these keys along with the Reinforced Concrete Design Manual, an invaluable companion to the 318-14, will ensure a smooth conversion.”
Additional resources are available at concrete.org. To learn more about ACI 318-14 and to purchase, visit concrete.org/ACI318.
