Manitoba has long been considered a region of low seismic risk, however since the adoption of the 2015 National Building Code of Canada, designers in areas such as Winnipeg are no longer exempted from considering earthquake loads and effects altogether.

This presentation will provide an overview of seismic design requirements that can come into play when designing masonry in Manitoba, in accordance with the current 2020 NBCC. This includes provisions requiring all buildings to have a defined seismic force resisting system (SFRS), and for partition walls to be laterally supported and isolated from that system. Among other topics, the seminar will cover the various categories of SFRS referenced by the Building Code, in Table 4.1.8.9, and for which requirements are presented in CSA S304-14: Design of masonry structures. Although the use of conventional reinforced masonry construction is now standard practice across Canada, unreinforced masonry systems such as URM shear walls and masonry infill shear walls may be permitted and worth considering for certain buildings in low-seismicity regions such as Manitoba. However, for high-important buildings, a moderately ductile SFRS may be required by the code regardless of how low seismic demands may be.

Do not let these requirements intimidate you! There is plenty of guidance within the current edition of the masonry design standard. This seminar will help you understand key clauses and requirements and apply them in your everyday engineering practice.