A new standard, “Prescriptive Design of Exterior Concrete Walls for One- and Two-Family Dwellings,” the first by the Portland Cement Association using an ANSI accredited process, is now available.

The new standard, also known as PCA 100-07, facilitates the use of cast-in-place concrete wall systems built with either removable or stay-in-place forms, such as insulating concrete forms (ICFs). It applies to the construction of detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses. In most cases, it eliminates the need for builders to hire an engineer for the projects, saving thousands of dollars, the association claims.

It was approved by PCA’s National Standards Development Committee utilizing the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited voluntary consensus process.

“Through a cooperative agreement between PCA and the American Iron and Steel Institute, we have expanded the scope to include prescriptive details for connections between concrete walls and floor and roof systems of cold-formed steel framing. In addition, we have updated the connection details between wood framing and concrete walls,” said Steve Szoke, PCA’s director of code and standards.

PCA 100-07 provides prescriptive designs for the construction of cast-in- place concrete footings, foundation walls, and above-grade concrete exterior walls, both load-bearing and nonload-bearing. The designs are based on the requirements of ASCE 7-05, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, ACI 318-05, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete, and tests results.

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