Building Loads

Commercial buildings must be designed to accommodate a wide range of "loads." This lesson outlines the various requirements for a commercial building imposed by economic and environmental demands, codes and regulations, and the laws of physics.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Describe the range of "loads" imposed on a commercial building
• Identify various static and dynamic loads that a commercial building must resist
• Differentiate between live and dead loads
• Describe the fundamental requirements of commercial fire codes
• Explain the different effects on a building caused by seismic and wind loads

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