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Constructing Residential Structures in Coastal Areas

Jeffrey Havelin, P.E.


Course Outline

Construction of residential buildings in coastal zones presents challenges to the designer or builder not usually found in more inland locations. For all coastal residential buildings, these challenges may include the following:

This course discusses the construction aspects of the above challenges, as well as the basic aspects of the coastal construction process, and it is divided into the following sections

This course is based entirely on the Chapter 13 Constructing the Building of the FEMA Publication Coastal Construction Manual (FEMA-55). This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials. You will be quizzed on the subject document in its entirety.

 

Learning Objective

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:


Intended Audience

This course is intended for engineers or architects involved in design or construction of residential structures.


Benefit for Attendee

This course was intended to provide valuable information and design guidance for engineers or architects involved in design or construction of residential structures located specifically in high-wind or coastal areas.


Course Introduction

This course will provide valuable design information and guidance, which can be incorporated into future designs to prevent potential problems at residential structures located in coastal areas. These structures are often subjected to high winds, flooding and sometimes wave forces. Specific suggestions, procedures, and methods are introduced in this course, which are based on previous problems, which were identified to be inherent at specifically at coastal sites. Many examples and photographs of structural damage are illustrated in this course to demonstrate the potential problems that could have been prevented or reduced by using the suggested methods.


Course Content

This course is based entirely on the Chapter 13 Constructing the Building of the FEMA Publication Coastal Construction Manual -Third Edition (FEMA-55).

The link to the course materials is as follows:

Chapter 13 Constructing the Building of the FEMA Publication Coastal Construction Manual -Third Edition (FEMA-55)

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Course Summary

At the completion of this course the student will have completely reviewed the design process required for residential buildings to withstand hurricanes and other severe natural hazard events. The specific case examples which were evaluated in detail during the course, explained each procedure with example calculations and complete diagrams, should be very helpful for the design professional.


Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.


DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.