Course Description:
Rooftop equipment, wall-mounted appurtenances, and freestanding structures routinely govern wind design outcomes in real projects, despite being treated as secondary elements during analysis. In practice, plan review comments, permit delays, and post-construction retrofits are far more likely to originate from these components than from primary structural framing.
Post-event investigations and forensic evaluations consistently reveal the same pattern. Failures of rooftop units, equipment screens, canopies, and sign supports are rarely the result of inadequate material strength. They arise from procedural deficiencies: misapplied pressure coefficients, incorrect enclosure classification, improper roof zone identification, inconsistent velocity pressure application, or incomplete translation of wind pressures into anchorage and connection forces. Individually minor, these oversights collectively govern liability exposure and structural performance under extreme wind events.
This course is developed specifically for practicing structural engineers who design, review, and verify wind-loaded components under ASCE 7-22. It establishes a disciplined, code-based methodology for evaluating wind demands on rooftop units, parapets, solar arrays, louvers, wall-mounted supports, canopies, and freestanding sign structures. Emphasis is placed on procedural consistency, load-path verification, and anchorage design in accordance with ASCE 7-22 and ACI 318-22.
Wind pressures are carried systematically from velocity pressure determination through coefficient selection, enclosure effects, tributary area definition, and final design forces governing anchors and supporting members. Integrated worked examples reflect conditions routinely encountered in commercial, industrial, and infrastructure projects across the United States, with focused treatment of edge and corner amplification, partial enclosure behavior, and combined uplift and torsional effects.
The material is structured as a professional desk-side reference rather than a conceptual overview. It is intended for direct application in active design projects, peer reviews, jurisdictional responses, and forensic assessments. Each analytical step is aligned explicitly with governing code provisions to ensure technical defensibility during plan review and construction verification.
Upon completion, engineers will not only compute wind pressures, but confirm load-path continuity, substantiate anchorage decisions under governing load combinations, and address wind-related review comments with documented procedural clarity. The objective is disciplined application of ASCE 7-22, reduced redesign cycles, and greater reliability in wind-critical structural decisions.
Once you complete your course review, you need to take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of forty (25) questions to earn 5PDH credits. The quiz will be based on the entire file.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this course, practicing structural engineers will be able to:
1. Determine velocity pressure in accordance with ASCE 7-22 Chapter 26, including proper selection of exposure category, topographic factor, directionality factor, and height-dependent coefficients using consistent SI units.
2. Correctly distinguish between Main Wind-Force-Resisting System (MWFRS) and Components & Cladding (C&C) behavior, and select the appropriate design procedure under ASCE 7-22 Chapters 27, 29, or 30 based on actual load-path mechanics.
3. Classify buildings as enclosed, partially enclosed, or open in accordance with ASCE 7-22, and evaluate the influence of internal pressure on net uplift and lateral wind demands.
4. Select and apply external pressure coefficients (GCp) and force coefficients (Cf) for rooftop equipment, parapets, solar arrays, louvers, wall-mounted supports, canopies, monopoles, and freestanding sign structures, including edge and corner zone amplification effects.
5. Perform complete, start-to-finish wind load calculations through fully developed numerical design examples that mirror real engineering office practice — beginning with velocity pressure determination and continuing through coefficient application, tributary area evaluation, and final governing design forces.
6. Convert calculated wind pressures into resultant design forces and systematically verify load-path continuity from equipment or appurtenance through anchors, brackets, supporting members, and foundations.
7. Design and verify anchorage in accordance with ACI 318-22 Chapter 17, including checks for steel strength, concrete breakout, pullout, pryout, edge distance reductions, and combined tension–shear interaction.
8. Apply governing load combinations from ASCE 7-22 Chapter 2 under both LRFD and ASD methodologies, including uplift-controlled stability combinations such as 0.9D + 1.0W.
9. Analyze eccentric anchor groups and torsional effects in rooftop, wall-mounted, and freestanding configurations.
10. Determine wind loads on circular poles, monopole-supported signs, and other freestanding structures using the ASCE 7-22 Chapter 29 force coefficient procedure.
11. Recognize situations where serviceability limits, dynamic response, or slenderness effects may influence the design of freestanding structures.
12. Identify and correct common wind design errors observed in professional practice and plan review, including misclassification of enclosure, improper zoning application, inconsistent velocity pressure evaluation, and incomplete anchorage verification.
13. Confidently reproduce the demonstrated worked examples independently and apply the same methodology to real projects immediately after completing the course.
