1. Code & Standards Watch
Stay informed of newly released codes and standards; keep current on updates and errata; and let your voice be heard through working sessions, public comments, and balloting on standards under development.
Updates & New Releases:
Nothing new this week!
Working Sessions, Public Comment, & Balloting:
NFPA 5000-2024 & Proposed 2027 Editions: Proposed Tentative Interim Amendment (TIA) No 1870 Seeking Public Comments through Apr 24, 2026
AISC Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges (AISC 303): Draft available for public review & comment March 6th through April 20th
TMS 405 “Mini Summit”: Existing Masonry Standards Committee formal working session as part of the 2026 TMS Spring Meeting, April 21-23 in Denver
2026 ICC Leadership Week + Hearings: 2027 I-Code development
Public Comment Hearings – Groups A & B
April 18 – 24
Connecticut Convention Center | Hartford, CT
Errata:
ISPC 2024 Chapter 3 Erratum: Minor update to single reference, just a rebranding, really.
2. Research Snapshot
Effect of electric vehicle fire hazard on the fire design of contemporary timber-framed house garage in Australia
Researchers subjected typical timber-framed wall panels to twelve different electric vehicle fires and showed that the fire resistance level of the walls attached to the garage decreased rapidly within 15 minutes. These fires burn hotter, faster, and accelerate more rapidly than ordinary internal combustion engine vehicle fires.
Why it matters: Fire codes are based on outdated assumptions of vehicle types, leaving garages as a weak point in all our structures. Electric vehicle fires can quickly punch through many conventional fire-resistant assemblies.
3. Tools & Workflow
Python Package of the Week: Pynite is a full 3D finite element analysis library available on GitHub, capable of many of the same basic features of commercial software like RISA or VisualAnalysis. But it comes free and ready for your modifications/alterations.
4. Case Study of the Week
Fire resistance misunderstandings in light-gauge steel frame walls
Light-gauge steel framing walls rely heavily on their sheathing for fire performance, and without it, they lose capacity fast. That’s why misclassifying a load‑bearing LGSF wall as a partition is so dangerous—and CROSS has seen it happen repeatedly in buildings with poor or incomplete records. Remodels with poor or missing documentation are especially prone to this.
Engineers need to treat these assemblies with the seriousness they deserve: document load‑bearing walls clearly, protect them appropriately, and when the paperwork doesn’t answer the question, open the wall. Exploratory demolition is sometimes the only way to determine whether an existing interior wall is actually carrying load.
5. Upcoming Free Live PDH
1.0 PDH, Tuesday, March 10 @ 11 am Central
1.0 PDH, Wednesday, March 11 @ 12 pm Central
1.0 PDH, Friday, March 27 @ 11 am Central
One of the presenters is Alan Humphreys, a real treat of a materials expert!
6. Quick Hits
ASCE 2027 extended the Call for Content deadline to March 18
NCEES is seeking input from Nuclear Engineers to help shape the next revision cycle of the PE Nuclear exam
ACI published a new workbook/study guide for their Nondestructive Testing Specialist—Concrete Strength certification exams
👋 From the Editor
I’m Eric, the engineer behind StructEd Brief. I dig through stacks of journal articles and software patch notes to find useful information for practicing engineers and keep an eye on the scattered code updates & errata for you. I’m just getting started, so if you find this useful, the best way to support the newsletter is to share it with a colleague or post it on LinkedIn. It helps more than you’d think!
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