In March 2012, the International Code Council (ICC) published the first edition of the International Green Construction CodeTM (2012 IGCCTM). The need for the development of a code-enforcable set of green building requirements arose from the fact that, throughout the U.S., LEED® certification of buildings was increasingly mandated by government. …
When designing a column, structural engineers must evaluate the impact of second order or P-∆ effects to determine if loads applied to a structure in its deformed position significantly increase internal forces (i.e. by more than 5%). Typically, second order effects of this magnitude occur when a column is slender; that is, when its height-to-width ratio is greater than approximately 10. …