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Canada

Wind Loads NBCC 2020

Run the calc
Establish design wind loads to NBCC 2020. Select the site location to pull the reference wind pressure and climatic data from the NBCC 2020 tables (Appendix C, Table C-2) as the basis for the pressure build-up.

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Method & scope

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Calculation method

This calculator establishes wind loads on a structure to the National Building Code of Canada 2020. The template supplied for this page is an early build, so the description below covers only what the template confirms; the full pressure coefficient and load-case detail is not yet present in it.
Site location and climatic data
The calculation starts from the site location. Selecting the geographic location of the structure populates the reference wind pressure and other site-specific climate data from the NBCC 2020 climatic data tables (Appendix C, Table C-2). Locations are provided from the NBCC 2020 climatic data set, with Toronto (City Hall) as the default, and both metric and imperial unit systems are supported. This reference wind pressure is the site value that the NBCC 2020 wind pressure build-up is based on. Further inputs and checks (for example exposure, gust, and pressure coefficient factors, and the resulting design pressures on the main structural system and on cladding) were not present in the template provided for this page and have been omitted rather than assumed. This section should be regenerated once a fuller template is available.

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How to use it

1

Open the calculator

Open it from Run calc in the About this calculator panel above.
2

Enter your inputs

Work through the input sections from top to bottom. Click any input label to see its reference explanation, clause, conditions and assumptions. See Checks, References, Conditions and Assumptions.
3

Review the results and export

Check the utilization of each governing check in the summary, then export a PDF report. See Views and Export.

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Common questions

It establishes wind loads to the National Building Code of Canada 2020. The site location drives the reference wind pressure and associated climatic data drawn from the NBCC 2020 climatic data tables (Appendix C, Table C-2).
You select the geographic location of the structure, and the calculator populates the reference (hourly) wind pressure and other site-specific climate data for that location from the NBCC 2020 climatic data tables, rather than requiring the values to be looked up and entered by hand.
Locations are taken from the NBCC 2020 climatic data set (for example, Toronto (City Hall) is the default). Selecting a location sets the reference wind pressure used as the starting point for the design pressure calculation.
Wind loads to NBCC 2020 are used for both the main structural system and for cladding and components. Confirm the specific pressure coefficients and load cases for your element against NBCC 2020 Subsection 4.1.7 when applying the results.
Yes. The location and site data support both metric (MKS) and imperial (FPS) unit systems, so the reference wind pressure and results can be reported in the units used on your project.

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Next steps

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