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7/1/2005
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One of my Presidential Objectives for this year relates to improving ACI's relationships with other technical societies. My objective is to expand our working relationship with these groups. A number of these types of organizations exist both domestically and internationally. It is my intention for the purpose of this memo to address only those within the United States. In several President's Memos this year, I intend to discuss ACI's international activities. Hopefully, you will allow me to include not only the technical societies, but also trade organizations that have technical activities. An example of a technical society would be the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and its structural institute, the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI). An example of a trade organization that has technical activities would be the Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI). For instance, when I became Chair of ACI Committee 318 in 1995, we knew that the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) was the primary resource for technical information related to structural engineering for the Uniform Building Code (UBC). The new merged organization of the three model code groups was named the International Code Council (ICC). Their proposal for including concrete provisions in the proposed International Building Code (IBC) was to use ACI 318-95 by reference, but with 64 amendments. We understood that most of the pressure for these amendments came from the UBC group and SEAOC. We caused a small task group to be formed that included three representatives from SEAOC and three from ACI Committee 318. The result was a reduction in the number of amendments in the 2000 IBC to 12 from 64 and the reference of ACI 318-99 instead of ACI 318-95. Another example of cooperation that has been going on for the last year is the formation of a task group of ACI Committee 318 members and representatives from SEI/ASCE 7, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, which is published by SEI. This small group has had two meetings and now has a much better understanding of each other's perspective on the content of the two standards as it relates to concrete provisions. Both ACI 318 and SEI/ASCE 7 are used by reference in IBC 2003, so it's extremely important that the two groups work together. The National Council of Structural Engineers' Associations (NCSEA) has taken the lead as the building code advisory group for the structural engineering community with the IBC. NCSEA is an advocate of referencing standards and supports the concept that each standards development group should take care of its own area of expertise for the general building code. This is in lieu of having the IBC or some other body transcribing standards instead of using them by reference. NCSEA will be appealing to the standards developing organizations to work together. It is to the benefit of all, and ACI intends to participate. We also have opportunities to work with the Applied Technology Council (ATC) in the areas of disaster mitigation, as well as establishing evaluation criteria for concrete structures that are damaged in natural disasters and terrorist activities. Another current activity with ASCE/SEI is a task group that is studying the operation of our joint ACI/ASCE (SEI) technical committees. We currently have nine such committees. The task group has been functioning for the last 7 or 8 months and is attempting to develop items including a Memorandum of Understanding between SEI and ACI and a set of operating procedures. ACI has an opportunity to have a continued working relationship with PTI, the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), and The Masonry Society (TMS), as well as others such as the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC). It is my opinion that if we get in the same room and talk with these organizations, everybody wins. Most of the professional members of all of these organizations belong to ACI. Many ACI members are also members of the other organizations. The leaders of these organizations, including ACI, are generally interested in working together. As I mentioned, we all belong to a number of these organizations. We are them and they are us. Let's make the most of our opportunity. James R. Cagley, PresidentAmerican Concrete Institutejim@cagley.com Back to Past-Presidents' Memo List
One of my Presidential Objectives for this year relates to improving ACI's relationships with other technical societies. My objective is to expand our working relationship with these groups. A number of these types of organizations exist both domestically and internationally. It is my intention for the purpose of this memo to address only those within the United States. In several President's Memos this year, I intend to discuss ACI's international activities.
Hopefully, you will allow me to include not only the technical societies, but also trade organizations that have technical activities. An example of a technical society would be the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and its structural institute, the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI). An example of a trade organization that has technical activities would be the Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI).
For instance, when I became Chair of ACI Committee 318 in 1995, we knew that the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) was the primary resource for technical information related to structural engineering for the Uniform Building Code (UBC). The new merged organization of the three model code groups was named the International Code Council (ICC). Their proposal for including concrete provisions in the proposed International Building Code (IBC) was to use ACI 318-95 by reference, but with 64 amendments. We understood that most of the pressure for these amendments came from the UBC group and SEAOC. We caused a small task group to be formed that included three representatives from SEAOC and three from ACI Committee 318. The result was a reduction in the number of amendments in the 2000 IBC to 12 from 64 and the reference of ACI 318-99 instead of ACI 318-95.
Another example of cooperation that has been going on for the last year is the formation of a task group of ACI Committee 318 members and representatives from SEI/ASCE 7, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, which is published by SEI. This small group has had two meetings and now has a much better understanding of each other's perspective on the content of the two standards as it relates to concrete provisions. Both ACI 318 and SEI/ASCE 7 are used by reference in IBC 2003, so it's extremely important that the two groups work together.
The National Council of Structural Engineers' Associations (NCSEA) has taken the lead as the building code advisory group for the structural engineering community with the IBC. NCSEA is an advocate of referencing standards and supports the concept that each standards development group should take care of its own area of expertise for the general building code. This is in lieu of having the IBC or some other body transcribing standards instead of using them by reference. NCSEA will be appealing to the standards developing organizations to work together. It is to the benefit of all, and ACI intends to participate.
We also have opportunities to work with the Applied Technology Council (ATC) in the areas of disaster mitigation, as well as establishing evaluation criteria for concrete structures that are damaged in natural disasters and terrorist activities.
Another current activity with ASCE/SEI is a task group that is studying the operation of our joint ACI/ASCE (SEI) technical committees. We currently have nine such committees. The task group has been functioning for the last 7 or 8 months and is attempting to develop items including a Memorandum of Understanding between SEI and ACI and a set of operating procedures.
ACI has an opportunity to have a continued working relationship with PTI, the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), and The Masonry Society (TMS), as well as others such as the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).
It is my opinion that if we get in the same room and talk with these organizations, everybody wins. Most of the professional members of all of these organizations belong to ACI. Many ACI members are also members of the other organizations. The leaders of these organizations, including ACI, are generally interested in working together.
As I mentioned, we all belong to a number of these organizations. We are them and they are us. Let's make the most of our opportunity.
James R. Cagley, PresidentAmerican Concrete Institutejim@cagley.com
Back to Past-Presidents' Memo List
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