Fema

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

FEMA 356 / November 2000

PRESTANDARD AND COMMENTARY FOR THE SEISMIC REHABILITATION OF BUILDINGS

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

FEMA 356 / November 2000

PRESTANDARD AND COMMENTARY FOR THE SEISMIC REHABILITATION OF BUILDINGS

NOTICE: This report was prepared under a cooperative agreement between the Federal Emergency Management Agency andthe American Society of Civil Engineers. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Additionally, neither FEMA, ASCE, nor any of their employees make any warranty, expressed or implied, nor assumes any legal liabilityor responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or process included in this publication. Users of information from this publication assume all liability arising from such use. For further information concerning this document or the activities of the ASCE, contact the American Society of Civil Engineers, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, Virginia,20191, (703) 295-6000.

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

FEMA 356 / November 2000

PRESTANDARD AND COMMENTARY FOR THE SEISMIC REHABILITATION OF BUILDINGS

Prepared by AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS Reston, Virginia

Prepared for FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY Washington, D.C.

November 2000 Federal Emergency Management Agency Washington, D.C.

ASCE Standards Program andthe Structural Engineering Institute
The Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) was created in 1996 as a semiautonomous organization within ASCE to focus on serving the needs of the broad structural engineering community. The mission of SEI is to advance the profession of structural engineering by enhancing and sharing knowledge, supportingresearch, and improving business and professional practices. SEI is comprised of three divisions: Technical Activities, Business and Professional Activities, and Codes and Standards Activities. The standards activities of SEI operate under the umbrella of ASCE’s standards program. ASCE has over 125,000 members worldwide. More than 7,000 of these members participate on over 500 technical committees, 44 ofwhich are active Standards Committees that have resulted in over 30 published standards, to date. In addition to individual participation, ASCE's standards program actively encourages participation by representatives of affected organizations, thereby expanding the input into the standards developing process well beyond ASCE’s 125,000 members to ensure a high level of exposure and participation.ASCE’s standards program, and hence SEI’s activities, are governed by the Rules for Standards Committees (referred to herein as ASCE Rules). These Rules are reviewed and approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which accredits ASCE as a standards developing organization (SDO). Membership and participation in ASCE's standards program is open to both members and non-members ofASCE. Standards committees are required to publicize their activities through ASCE News and to distribute meeting agendas at least 30 days in advance, to afford all interested parties the opportunity to participate. To further extend beyond its membership, ASCE distributes press releases on new standards activities, and to announce when a standard progresses into the public ballot phase. ASCE’sPublic Relations Department maintains a list of over 400 civil engineering related publications, and it is common for 40 to 50 press releases to be distributed, thereby notifying and soliciting comments from several hundred thousand individuals. An ASCE standards committee must have a minimum of 12 members, though, current committees range in size from 12 to over 200 members. To join a standards...