About the author  ⁄ Benchmark H. Harris, P.E., S.E.

Benchmark H. Harris, P.E., S.E., LEED AP, is the Director of Engineering for Huckabee, an Architecture & Engineering firm with six offices all over Texas. He is the Chair of the The Masonry Society (TMS) Disaster Investigation Program and the recipient of the 2015 Paul Haller Award from TMS. He is currently working with the ICC 500-2014 Committee on the development of a Commentary document. Mr. Harris can be reached at bharris@huckabee-inc.com.

Tornado Shelters in Schools

Masonry Tornado Shelter Case Study: Marshall Junior High, Marshall, TX

Section 423 of the 2015 International Building Code (IBC) has a new requirement that construction for new schools and additions to existing schools (up through high school, with some limited exceptions) have tornado shelters. These shelters must comply with ICC 500-2014 ICC/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters if the project is located in the zone where the minimum required design wind speed for a tornado shelter is 250 mph, as shown by the shaded region in the attached map. (This requirement for tornado shelters also applies to critical emergency operations such as fire, rescue and 911 call centers.) …

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Sep, 2016 By In Feature Comments 0
STRUCTURE magazine