Standards Governing Glazing Design in Hurricane Regions

Abstract

The latest editions of model building codes in the United States mandate protection of glazed openings in hurricane regions, unless the buildings are designed for the higher pressures of partially enclosed buildings. The codes include direct references to ASTM Standards E1886 and E1996, as well as indirect references through ASCE 7, which also includes references to these ASTM standards. This paper describes the development of the two ASTM standards, as well as subsequent and ongoing modification made to them. It also discusses specific references to these standards in the model codes and ASCE 7, and points out certain current inconsistencies among these documents.