Codes & standards
Eurocode vs ASCE 7 load combinations
ASCE 7 and Eurocode reach similar safety by different bookkeeping. Here is a side-by-side of the gravity combinations, the factors, and a worked comparison.
Sam Rivera··4 min
Fundamentals
How tributary areas actually work (and where hand methods go wrong)
Tributary area is the single idea that turns a floor plan into column reactions. Here is the clean mental model, the midline method, and the cases where sketching it by hand quietly fails.
Elena Marchetti··7 min
Load paths
Multi-storey load takedown explained
In a multi-storey building, loads stack down the columns floor by floor. Here is how the top-down accumulation works, how transfers fit in, and a worked three-storey column.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Load paths
How to calculate column loads
A column's load is every floor it carries, added up. Here is how to find the axial load from tributary areas, stack it through floors, and factor it.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Codes & standards
ASCE 7 load combinations explained
ASCE 7 gives the factored load combinations that size members. Here are the gravity LRFD and ASD combinations, what the factors mean, and a worked example.
Sam Rivera··5 min
Workflow & tools
Column load schedule explained
A column load schedule lists every column with its loads, level by level, down to the foundation. Here is what it contains, how to build one, and how to read it.
Elena Marchetti··5 min
Workflow & tools
Import a floor plan from DXF or PDF
Stop redrawing plans from scratch: import a DXF or PDF and trace the geometry to place supports. Here is how plan import works, the difference between the two, and how to set the scale.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Load paths
Bearing wall load takedown, explained
A bearing wall carries floor load as a line reaction per metre, not a point load. Here is how to take a wall down, what feeds its line load, and how it reaches the footing.
Elena Marchetti··5 min
Fundamentals
What is superimposed dead load (SDL)?
Superimposed dead load is the permanent weight added on top of the structure's self weight: finishes, services, ceilings and partitions. Here is what counts and typical values.
Sam Rivera··4 min
Load paths
How to calculate footing loads
A footing carries the column above it plus its own weight. Here is how to find the load for bearing and for footing strength, using service and factored values.
Elena Marchetti··4 min
Codes & standards
What is the governing load combination?
The governing load combination is the one that produces the largest design effect on a member. Here is how to find it, why it varies, and a worked example.
Sam Rivera··4 min
Fundamentals
How to calculate a wall line load
A wall's line load is its weight per metre of length: height times thickness times unit weight. Here is the method, typical material weights, and a worked example.
Sam Rivera··4 min