Standards Development

Scope

The document will provide complimentary design support and codified information for robustness of structures, building and expanding on existing and widely accepted information and state-of-the-art guidelines.

Purpose

Appropriate robustness of structures is one of the central societal demands on engineers, the standards they employ and the designs they propose. Provisions for robustness are regulated in each European member state and nations across the world. When undermined, the resulting loss of life and damage is significant.

Currently provisions for considering robustness in design are spread amongst a number of Eurocode parts, including EN 1990 and EN 1991 but also material-specific Eurocodes. In most parts provisions are generic in nature, outlining principles, defining terms and describing typical actions to be considered by designers. A number of approaches are available to designers, which are not uniform in their assumptions and presentation and are not easily accessible. In addition, strong national provisions are in existence in each member state, determining the designers’ duty of care expectation in relation to robustness of structures.

This proposal is to bring together principles of design, available approaches and state-of-the-art knowledge into one place, creating a go-to document for designers to find all relevant provisions and considerations, cross-referenced and linked to a comprehensive background document (to be published in 2023). In addition, it is to provide material-independent design clauses, which interlink with provisions in material Eurocodes. This will enable provisions to be reviewed and updated regularly and ensure that liaison can be maintained and brought to bear when changes are required.

The work will be based on work completed as part of the M/515 mandate (PT1 and 2) and be accompanied by detailed background document (JRC, expected in 2023). The aim is to bring the substantial amount of material and effort into standardised/ codified text format in support of more unified design approaches across Europe, various structural materials and forms. This will enhance competitiveness of the sector and bring efficiencies and convergence to the work of the sub-committees, optimise future developments and support the work towards increased National alignment.

The timing of this work is opportune. The mandated work of WG6, forming the basis of this proposal, has concluded on time and in scope, bringing this supporting information to the user aligned with the wider publication of the Eurocodes from 2025 onwards. This will ensure maximum impact and usefulness for the sector and delivering on the M/515 aim of providing expanded and more userfriendly design provisions and standardised material to the European construction industry.