Seismic Compliance Certification per GSA

[RacingAZ]

Is anyone here done this before for an existing building?I'm looking for a complete list of standards that can be used to do this. I know about FEMA 310 + the current building code used in the jurisdiction. Any other standards I need to be aware of? How extensive should the review / analysis needs to be?

I went to the GSA website looking for a standard form / guidelines and came up empty. Thanks!

 

[strucguy]

FEMA 310 was replaced by ASCE 31-03. You should be able to call GSA and get a copy of their standard seismic compliance certificate. Also, ASCE 41-06 is another great reference for projects involving seismic rehabilitaion work. This standard replaces FEMA 356. Hope this is helpful. Good luck!

 

[RacingAZ]

thanks strucguy!

Also wondering if there's any research done that is readily available online with regards to the ROI for buildings that went through the certification.

I'm sure a building is more valuable after a certification but I don't have hard numbers to use. I'm trying to justify my fee as owners typically just see the expense.

 

[lsmfse]

How about FEMA 178?

 

[lsmfse]

strucguy is right. When the GSA agreed to the lease, FEMA 178 was still in use, however, by the time GSA signed the lease, FEMA 310 was in place. GSA gave us the option to use either.

 

[dcStrucEng]

There are a ton of useful design guidance documents on this website,

http://www.wbdg.org

including GSA, FEMA, DOD, etc. They are free downloads and include archived documents. I recently analyzed a DOD building which was designed using the Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) and many FEMA guidelines and found the site extremely helpful.

If you are dealing with a GSA building, there is a strong possibility that progressive collapse and blast protection requirements are needed. Good luck.