Skip to main content

Building Seismic Safety Council

The Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) deals with the complex technical, regulatory, social and economic issues involved in developing and promulgating building earthquake risk mitigation provisions. Established in 1979, the council’s purpose is to enhance public safety by providing a national forum that fosters improved seismic planning, design, construction and regulation in the building community.

In 1977, Congress passed the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act to protect the lives of building occupants, during an earthquake and mitigate the impact of such disasters on the national economy. The law established the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP). BSSC, under contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), develops and maintains a key resource — the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures. The Provisions are used as the primary resource for the professional design standard ASCE/SEI 7 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures.

Evaluation

To evaluate research findings, practices, and fields investigations to aid in developing seismic safety provisions

Education

To provide ongoing education for structural design professionals through training materials, webinars, workshops and colloquia; and provide education outreach on seismic design and construction to the non-technical building community and the general public

Outreach

To promote the adoption of provisions by the national standards and model building codes, and advise government bodies on their programs of research, development and implementation.

Membership

BSSC's success with the Provisions is due to the efforts of its members and volunteer experts, including engineers, seismologists, architects, academics, researchers, code officials, manufacturers and suppliers.

Officers
Chair

Kent Yu, PhD, SE

Vice Chair

Joann Browning, PhD, PE

Secretary

Dr. Iris Tien

Member at Large

Roberto Leon, P.E., PhD

Member at Large

Bill Earl, SE, PE
National Structural Engineering Program Manager, GSA

Past Chairs

Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD
President, American Institute of Steel Construction

James Cagley, PE, SE

Board of Directors Liaison

Daniel Nichols
State of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Hyde Park, NY

Staff Lead

Jiqiu (JQ) Yuan, PhD, PE, PMP
Chief Resilience Officer, National Institute of Building Sciences

2026 NEHRP PROVISIONS UPDATE COMMITTEE (PUC)

The NEHRP Recommended Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures embodies the state–of–knowledge criteria for the design and construction of buildings subject to earthquake hazards. The techniques and technologies contained in this resource document are diffused into several national standards, including the American Society of Civil Engineers ASCE–7 Design Standard for Minimum Loads that are referenced by the model building codes developed by the International Code Council (ICC).

The Provisions are developed by the Provisions Update Committee (PUC), a technical committee of seismic experts that identify and apply the most advanced seismic technology available. The committee is supported by expert Issue Teams (ITs) that address specific aspects of seismic design methodology and construction. These committee and team members ensure that lessons learned from the building performance during the earthquakes, as well as new research to improve earthquake resistance, are reflected in state–of–the–art seismic requirements. The ITs develop proposals for requirements that are balloted by the PUC according to BSSC's consensus process, and subsequently balloted by its Professional Organizations (POs).

PUC Committee Members
Member Affiliation Role
John Hooper (Chair) Magnusson Klemencic Associates Chair
Robert Pekelnicky (Vice Chair) Degenkolb Engineers Vice Chair
Kelly Cobeen Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Voting Member
Daniel Dolan Washington State University Voting Member
S.K. Ghosh S. K. Ghosh Associates LLC Voting Member
Emily Guglielmo Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers Voting Member
James Harris J. R. Harris & Company Voting Member
Jon Heintz Applied Technology Council Voting Member
John Hochwalt KPFF CONSULTING ENGINEERS Voting Member
Sandy Hohener Degenkolb Engineers Voting Member
Gyimah Kasali RUTHERFORD + CHEKENE Voting Member
Dominic Kelly Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. Voting Member
Ryan Kersting BUEHLER Voting Member
Charlie Kircher Kircher & Associates Voting Member
Abbie Liel University of Colorado Boulder Voting Member
Philp Line American Wood Council Voting Member
Bret Lizundia RUTHERFORD + CHEKENE Voting Member
Jim Malley Degenkolb Engineers Voting Member
Bonnie Manley American Institute of Steel Construction Voting Member
Debra Murphy Slate Geotechnical Consultants Voting Member
Farzad Naeim FARZAD NAEIM, INC. Voting Member
Rafael Sabelli Walter P Moore Voting Member
John Silva Hilti North America Voting Member
Greg Soules CB&I Storage Solutions Voting Member
Jonathan Stewart University of California, Los Angeles Voting Member
Paul Summers Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. Voting Member
Amit Varma Purdue University Voting Member
Reid Zimmerman KPFF CONSULTING ENGINEERS Voting Member
Robert Hanson Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA Technical Advisor
Mai (Mike) Tong Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA Project Officer and Liaison
Christina Aronson Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA Project Monitor and Liaison
Nico Luco U.S. Geological Survey USGS Liaison
Sanaz Rezaeian U.S. Geological Survey USGS Liaison
Andrew Makdisi U.S. Geological Survey USGS Liaison
Steven McCabe National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST Liaison
John (Jay) Harris National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST Liaison
Jiqiu (JQ) Yuan National Institute of Building Sciences BSSC Executive Director
Name Affiliation Role
Rahul Sharma Hohbach-Lewin Corresponding Member
Zia Zafir Kleinfelder Corresponding Member
Adam Phillips WSU Corresponding Member
Seth Thomas KPFF CONSULTING ENGINEERS Corresponding Member
Kevin Aswegan Magnusson Klemencic Associates Corresponding Member
Daniel Gaspar Degenkolb Engineers Corresponding Member
Gabriel Acero AECOM Corresponding Member
Tali Feinstein Exponent Corresponding Member
Matt Eatherton Virginia Tech Corresponding Member
Ron LaPlante CA Div. of State Arch. Corresponding Member
Erica Fischer Oregon State University Corresponding Member
Masume Dana Forell/Elsesser Engineers, Inc. Corresponding Member
Abby Enscoe Tipping Corresponding Member
Juliette Peyroux Magnusson Klemencic Associates Corresponding Member
Gary Ehrlich NAHB Corresponding Member
Gloria Faraone San Diego State University Corresponding Member
Bob Bachman Consultant Corresponding Member
2026 PUC ISSUE TEAMS

Issue team 1 will investigate several items related to soil-structure interaction and foundation design which have been broken into four primary categories. One, are there cases where it is unconservative to not model foundation flexibility and therefore should be required? Item 2, are the design forces being used to design foundations based on system ductility (i.e. R-factor) and reductions allowed in ASCE 7 12.13.4 producing the correct/conservative results. If not establish procedures for determining loads for foundation design. The third major item is to review design requirements for basement/hillside structures for design requirements such as seismic base, kinematic effects, soil pressures on walls and damping. The last item is to review the recommendations of the ATC 144 report and implement any of the recommendations not already incorporated.

Name Affiliation Role
Seth Thomas KPFF Consulting Engineers Chair
Garrett Hagen Degenkolb Engineers Vice Chair
Jonathan Stewart UCLA PUC Liaison
Jason Bock GRI Voting Member
Jakub Valigura ARUP Voting Member
Ian McFarlane MKA Voting Member
Robert Pekelnicky Degenkolb Engineers Voting Member
Roy Lobo HCAI Voting Member
Rahul Sharma Hohbach-Lewin Voting Member
Gyimah Kasali Rutherford + Chekene Corresponding Member
C.B. Crouse AECOM Corresponding Member
Mahmoud Hachem Earthquake Solutions Corresponding Member
Amit Kanvinde UC Davis Corresponding Member
Silvia Mazzoni UCLA Corresponding Member
Trevor Carey University of British Columbia Corresponding Member
Amit Varma Purdue University Corresponding Member
Ron LaPlante CDSA Corresponding Member
Lachezar Handzhiyski SGH Corresponding Member
Zia Zafir Kleinfelder Corresponding Member
Koray Tureyen WJE Corresponding Member
David Teague ENGEO Inc Corresponding Member
Bryan Frank CDSA Corresponding Member
Ben Mason USGS Corresponding Member
John Hooper MKA PUC Chair
Jiqiu Yuan NIBS BSSC Executive Director
Bob Hanson FEMA FEMA Liaison

This issue team will focus on the design of interfaces and connections between various structural elements. Seismic design provisions will be synthesized based on the latest research and findings with focus on:

Name Affiliation Role
Amit Varma Purdue University Chair
John Silva Hilti Vice Chair
Jim Malley Degenkolb Voting Member
Rafael Sabelli Walter P. Moore Voting Member
Amit Kanvinde U.C. Davis Voting Member
Akanshu Sharma Purdue University Corresponding Member
Gloria Faraone San Diego State Univ. Corresponding Member
Soheil Shafaei Purdue Corresponding Member
Rahul Sharma Hobach-Lewin Corresponding Member
John Hooper MKA PUC Chair
Jiqiu Yuan NIBS BSSC Executive Director
Christina Aronson FEMA FEMA Liaison
Roberto Leon Virginia Tech BSSC Board Liaison

This issue team (IT #3) will work on proposals related to ground motion and geotechnical issues, mainly influencing Chapters 21 on “Site-specific ground motion procedures for seismic design” and Chapter 22 on “Seismic ground motion and long-period transition maps” of the 2026 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions. The team has identified eight sub-issues, all of which must be coordinated with each other.

Ground motion sub-issues of IT#3 include: 1) Adoption of the 2023 USGS seismic hazard models for the conterminous U.S., Hawaii, and Alaska, which among many other updates will include new ground motion models in subduction zones, implementation of a new Earthquake Rupture Forecast (ERF) model in the western U.S., and improved basin amplifications; 2) Revision of the deterministic ground motion caps, considering probabilistic alternatives that result in specified collapse risk across the U.S., and potential removal or modification of the current deterministic lower limit (DLL) to a more appropriate calculation from a geological, seismological, and engineering standpoint; 3) a Part 3 resource paper on improving upon or replacing spectral response acceleration with other ground motion intensity measures such as the inelastic spectral displacement; 4) Improving vertical ground motions by either directly providing USGS-developed values or improving the vertical to horizontal, V/H, relation in Section 11.9 which is based on western U.S. data for central and eastern U.S. and subduction zones; and 5) Improving ground motions for damping ratios other than 5% by direct implementation of newly-developed, period-dependent damping scaling factors in the USGS hazard models or by improving upon the current factors in the NEHRP provision which are based on very limited and outdated data.

Geotechnical sub-issues include: 1) New design PGA values for liquefaction analysis, using well-established probabilistic liquefaction hazard methods, resulting in consistent, liquefaction hazard-targeted design levels across the U.S.; 2) When required in potentially liquefiable soils, establish criteria in terms of thickness and depth of the liquefiable material for a site to be classified as Site Class F; and 3) Re-write of Section 21.1 on site-specific response to reflect current knowledge on ergodic versus non-ergodic site response procedures, the derivation of reference motions, the analysis of site-specific site response, the impact of uncertainties, and how site-specific site response can be implemented in probabilistic seismic hazard analysis.

In addition, this IT expects to coordinate with several other ITs and the Functional Recovery Task Committee regarding ground motion and geotechnical topics that come up there.

IT Voting Members: Affiliation Role
Sanaz Rezaeian USGS Chair
Zia Zafir Kleinfelder Vice Chair
Gyimah Kasali R&C PUC Liaison
Nicolas Luco USGS Voting Member
Andrew Makdisi USGS Voting Member
Debra Murphy Slate Geotech Voting Member
Jonathan Stewart UCLA Voting Member
C.B. Crouse AECOM Voting Member
Robert Pekelnicky Degenkolb Voting Member
James Gregory Soules CB&I Voting Member
Beatriz Arostegui MKA Voting Member
Steve Kramer Univ. of Washington Corresponding Member
Robert Bachman Consultant Corresponding Member
Robert D Hanson FEMA Technical Advisor Corresponding Member
Charlie Kircher Kircher Association Corresponding Member
Hossein Mostafaei FM Global Corresponding Member
Jon Heintz ATC Corresponding Member
Mahmoud Hachem mahmoud@eqsols.com Corresponding Member
Silvia Mazzoni silviamazzoni@yahoo.com Voting Member
David Teague dteague@engeo.com Corresponding Member
Alireza Haji-Soltani Alireza.Haji-Soltani@cna.com Corresponding Member
Kari Klaboe WJE Corresponding Member
Dustin Cook NIST Corresponding Member
Jason Bock jbock@gri.com Corresponding Member
Melanie Walling mwalling@geoengineers.com Corresponding Member
Daniel Gasper Degenkolb Corresponding Member
John Hooper MKA PUC Chair
Jiqiu Yuan NIBS BSSC Executive Director
Mike Tong FEMA FEMA Liaison

Develop code change proposals, as appropriate, based on the findings and recommendations of the FEMA P-154 Project, which is currently investigating the seismic performance and increased collapse risk of buildings in very high-seismic hazard regions.

Name Affiliation Role
Charlie Kircher Kircher & Associates Chair, Voting Member
Jim Harris J.R. Harris & Co. Vice Chair, Voting Member
John Hooper MKA PUC Liaison
Emily Guglielmo Martin/Martin Voting Member
Phil Line AWC Voting Member
Bob Hanson Michigan/FEMA Voting Member
Justin Moresco ATC Voting Member
Jim Malley Degenkolb Voting Member
Sandy Hohener Degenkolb Voting Member
Ron LaPlante CA DSA Voting Member
Bhatia Hussain CA HCAI (OSHPD) Voting Member
Seth Thomas KPFF Corresponding Member
Kari Klaboe WJE Corresponding Member
Abbie Liel University of Colorado Corresponding Member
Ngai-Chi Chung Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Ins. Corresponding Member
Alireza-Haji Sultani CNA Ins. Corresponding Member
Weichiang Pang Clemson University Corresponding Member
Bibek Bhardwaj Clemson University Corresponding Member
Jeff Berman University of Washington Corresponding Member
Addie Lederman University of Washington Corresponding Member
Jiqiu Yuan NIBS BSSC Executive Director
Mike Tong FEMA FEMA Liaison
Name Affiliation Role
John Silva Hilti North America Voting members
Rafael Sabelli Walter P Moore Voting members
Larry Fahnenstock University of of Illinois Voting members
Jon Heinz ATC Voting members
John Hochwalt KPFF Voting members
Dawn Lehman University of Washington Voting members
Ian Tuttle MKA Voting members
Kelly Cobeen WJE Voting members
Emily Guglielmo Martin/Martin Voting members
Abbie Liel University of Colorado Voting members
Jim Malley Degenkolb Voting members
Gloria Faerone SDSU Corresponding Member
Marios Panagiotou Nabih Youssef & Associates Corresponding Member
Ngai-Chi Chung Berkshire Hathaway Corresponding Member
Mahmoud Hachem Earthquake Solutions Corresponding Member
Curt Haselton Haselton Baker Risk Group Corresponding Member
Bob Hanson FEMA Technical Advisor Corresponding Member
John Hooper MKA PUC Chair
Mai Tong FEMA FEMA Liaison
Jiqiu Yuan NIBS BSSC Executive Director

This objective of this issue team is to revisit, verify, and refresh as needed the ASCE/SEI 7 Section 12.2.3.2 two-stage analysis provisions to support ongoing use with wood and steel light-frame buildings over concrete podiums, as well as other structural systems and combinations of systems for which designers would look to use these provisions. It is anticipated that some numerical studies will be needed to guide and support recommended changes in provisions.

Name Affiliation Role
Kelly Cobeen Wiss Janney Elstner Chair – Voting Member
Jim Harris J. R. Harris & Co. Vice Chair – Voting Member
Kelly Cobeen, Jim Harris   PUC Liaison
Emily Guglielmo Martin Martin Voting Member
Rupa Garai SOM Voting Member
Hussain Bhatia HCAI (OSHPD) Voting Member
Omar Amini AWC Voting Member
Cody Furrow MKA Voting Member
Nathalie Boeholt City of Seattle Corresponding Member
Christina Aaronson FEMA Corresponding Member
Silvia Mazzone UCLA Corresponding Member
Alex Hu Gold Land Architects and Engineers Corresponding Member
Kari Klaboe Wiss Janney Elstner Corresponding Member
S. K. Ghosh S.K. Ghosh Associates Corresponding Member
Nik Blanchette ZFA Corresponding Member
Diogo Zignago GEI Corresponding Member
Jeremy Atkinson Kor Engineering Corresponding Member
Insung Kim Degenkolb Corresponding Member
Koray Tureyen Wiss Janney Elstner Corresponding Member
Brent Chancellor Wiss Janney Elstner Corresponding Member
John Hooper MKA PUC Chair
Jiqiu Yuan NIBS BSSC Executive Director
Bob Hanson FEMA FEMA Liaison
Mike Tong FEMA FEMA Liaison
JoAnn Browning UTSA BSSC Board Liaison

The primary focus areas for Issue Team #7 will be to reduce the limitations and inefficiencies associated with the current nonlinear analysis code requirements. Our desire is to make the use of nonlinear procedures more widespread for the design of new structures. This will allow for more efficient structural designs and provide engineers with a better understanding of how buildings will respond to major seismic events. It is anticipated that this will include review of the current requirement that buildings first be designed using the Chapter 12 linear procedures to see if this requirement can be relaxed or removed to allow engineers more flexibility in the design process, while ensuring that the structure meets the reliability targets defined by the code. Other items such as the need for consideration of accidental torsion and the current conservative limits on damping will be studied to determine if they are warranted given that nonlinear models can explicitly capture the structural behavior related to the current restrictive requirements.

Additional topics for study include review of the current drift requirements to see if they are in alignment with the code reliability targets, clarifications and guidance on nonlinear modeling of elements, and consideration of the valid range of modeling. Issue Team #7 will work closely with many other Issue Teams, specifically Issue Team #3 Ground Motions and Geotechnical to consider changes to the current requirements for number of motions, scaling of motions, and modifications to the spectral matching requirements.

We will also develop long-term study ideas that will likely span into the next cycle, including consideration of material and component strength variability in the analysis process, and expanded probabilistic approaches to meet the code reliability targets.

Name Affiliation Role
Russ Berkowitz Forell | Elsesser Engineers Chair
Kevin Aswegan Magnusson Klemencic Associates Vice Chair
Bob Pekelnicky Degenkolb Engineers PUC Liaison
Wassim Ghannoum University of Texas, San Antonio Voting Member
Silvia Mazzoni UCLA Voting Member
Insung Kim Degenkolb Engineers Voting Member
Andrew Sen Marquette University Voting Member
Jordan Jarrett Colorado State University Voting Member
Kristijan Kolozvari California State Fullerton University Voting Member
Daniel Gaspar Degenkolb Engineers Voting Member
Mahmoud Hachem Earthquake Solutions Voting Member
John Hooper MKA PUC Chair
Jiqiu Yuan NIBS BSSC Executive Director
Mike Tong FEMA FEMA Liaison
JoAnn Browning UTSA BSSC Board Liaison

This Issue Team will bring to culmination work that was started in the 2015 NEHRP Provisions cycle and continued through the 2020 NEHRP Provisions cycle.

NAME AFFILIATION Role
S. K. Ghosh S. K. Ghosh Associates LLC Chair
Kelly Cobeen Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc Vice Chair
Nick Blanchette ZFA Consulting Voting Member
Matthew Eatherton Virginia Tech Voting Member
Ron LaPlante Division of the State Architect Voting Member
John Lawson Architectural Engineering Cal Poly Voting Member
David McCormick Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Voting Member
Thomas Meyer Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle Voting Member
Ben Schaeffer Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD Voting Member
Christina Aronson Federal Emergency Management Agency Corresponding Member
Pat Bodwell Verco Deck Corresponding Member
Scott Breneman WoodWorks – Wood Products Council Corresponding Member
Jared E. Brewe Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Corresponding Member
J. Daniel Dolan Washington State University Corresponding Member
Ngai-Chi Chung Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Corresponding Member
Jeff Dragovich DeSimone Consulting Engineers Corresponding Member
Erica C. Fischer School of Civil and Construction Engineering
Oregon State University
Corresponding Member
John M. Hochwalt KPFF Consulting Engineers Corresponding Member
Ihsan Keckin Bogazici University Corresponding Member
Brian Kehoe Wiss Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Corresponding Member
Dominic J. Kelly Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Corresponding Member
Dawn Lehman University of Washington Corresponding Member
Philip Line American Wood Council Corresponding Member
Mahsa Mahdavian ASC Steel Deck Corresponding Member
Bonnie Manley American Iron and Steel Institute Corresponding Member
Dion Marriott Holmes Structures Corresponding Member
Andrew W. Taylor KPFF Consulting Engineers Corresponding Member
Mai (Mike) Tong Federal Emergency Management Agency Corresponding Member
Shahab Torabian Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Corresponding Member
Robert Tremblay   Corresponding Member
Alex W. Wilson, PE Magnusson Klemencic Associates awilson@mka.com
John Hooper MKA PUC Chair
Jiqiu Yuan NIBS BSSC Executive Director
Roberto Leon Virginia Tech BSSC Board Liaison

Develop general guidance for design that is non-material dependent to harmonize the design approach to building utilizing rocking structural systems (walls and frames) to reduce seismic demand or increase resiliency. Provide guidance for the design of material specific structural and non-structural systems for designers and standard writing organizations to consider.

Name Affiliation Role
J. Daniel Dolan Washington State University Chair
Jim Malley Degenkolb Engineers Vice Chair
Dan Dolan Washington State University PUC Liaison
Mohammad ElGawady Missouri S&T Voting Member
Brian Bogh Nucore (Vulcraft/Verco Group) Voting Member
Constantin Christopoulos University of Toronto Voting Member
Jeff Berman University of Washington Voting Member
Jakub Valigura ARUP Corresponding Member
Mike Montgomery Kinetica Corresponding Member
Shiling Pie Colorado School of Mines Corresponding Member
John Wallace University of California- Los Angeles Corresponding Member
Reid Zimmerman KPFF Engineers Corresponding Member
Matthew Speicher NIST Corresponding Member
David Mar Mar Structural Design Corresponding Member
Matthew Eatherton Virginia Tech Corresponding Member
Tal Feinstein Exponent Corresponding Member
Brent Chancellor WJE Corresponding Member
John Hooper MKA PUC Chair
Greg Deierlein Stanford University Voting Member
Marcus Freeman MKA Corresponding Member
Jiqiu Yuan NIBS BSSC Executive Director
Bob Hanson FEMA FEMA Liaison
Mike Tong FEMA FEMA Liaison
Tobias Smith PTL Structural Consultants Corresponding Member

Develop provisions for engineers to use to design buried structures such as tunnels, buried tanks, or parking garages. This is currently missing in ASCE 7. (potential new sections in Ch 12 and Ch15). The IT chair is still working on the IT membership.

Name Affiliation Role
Bret Lizundia R&C Chair
Sandy Hohener Degenkolb Engineers Vice Chair
CB Crouse AECOM Voting Member
Mahmoud Hachem Earthquake Solutions Voting Member
Marty Hudson Turner Construction / UCLA Voting Member
Gyimah Kasali RUTHERFORD + CHEKENE Voting Member
Eric Lidquist Brierley Associates Voting Member
Greg Soules CB&I Storage Solutions Voting Member
Paul Summers Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. Voting Member
Jon Stewart UCLA Voting Member
John Tehaney Stantec Voting Member
Benan Naji Zahawi Stantec Voting Member
Amit Varma Purdue University Voting Member
Bob Bachman Consultant Corresponding Member
Josh Gebelein Parsons Corresponding Member
John Hochwalt KPFF Corresponding Member
Ishan Keskin Bogazici University Corresponding Member
Neal Simon Kwong USGS Corresponding Member
Rahul Sharma Hohbach-Lewin Corresponding Member
Prakash Singh Univ. of British Columbia Corresponding Member
Seth Thomas KPFF IT1 Liaison
John Hooper MKA PUC Chair
Jiqiu Yuan NIBS BSSC Executive Director
Christina Aronson FEMA FEMA Liaison

The current ASCE 7-22 Chapter 17 provisions for seismically isolated structures have not been robustly benchmarked to the risk targets/probabilities of collapse contained in Chapter 1. Furthermore, as currently written, the ASCE 7-22 Chapter 17 provisions do not significantly distinguish between Risk Categories II, III and IV. Issue Team 11 will perform analytical studies and convene expert opinions to propose modifications, if appropriate, to the ASCE 7-22 Chapter 17 provisions to align the design of seismically isolated structures with the standard’s stated risk targets/probabilities of collapse. The results of this work will also inform recommendations for changes to ASCE 7-22 Chapter 18 provisions for structures with damping (potentially to be addressed in future cycles).

Name Affiliation Role
Andrew Whittaker SUNY Buffalo Chair
Reid Zimmerman KPFF Consulting Engineers Vice Chair, PUC Liaison
Ian Aiken SIE Inc. Voting Member
Charlie Kircher Kircher and Associates Voting Member
Robert Pekelnicky Degenkolb Voting Member
Robert Bachman Robert Bachman Consulting Corresponding Member
Tracy Becker University of California Berkeley Corresponding Member
Geoff Bomba Forell Elsesser Engineers Corresponding Member
Nico Luco USGS Corresponding Member
Keri Ryan University of Nevada Reno Corresponding Member
Andrew Taylor KPFF Consulting Engineers Corresponding Member
Aaron Yung SGH Corresponding Member
John Hooper MKA PUC Chair
Jiqiu Yuan NIBS BSSC Executive Director
Bob Hanson FEMA FEMA Liaison

There are scenarios where it would be beneficial to have a seismic design pathway that employs only strength requirements and does not include ductile detailing and capacity design requirements. Such a design pathway would aim to provide reliable earthquake performance through elastic structural response. This issue team will examine structural design for strength vs. ductility and evaluate the potential for implementing an elastic design pathway. Considerations include: lateral systems and structure types where elastic design could be used, appropriate design strength level, uncertainty in seismic hazard, proportioning of diaphragms and collectors, and implications for nonstructural components. Prior research and current practice that are pertinent to this topic will be studied and used to develop a code change proposal or a background document describing additional research needed to support a future code change proposal.

Name Affiliation Role
Larry Fahnestock University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chair
Rupa Garai Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Vice-Chair
Robert Bachman Bachman Consulting Voting Member
Irfan Baig LeMessurier. Voting Member
Timothy Cullen Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Voting Member
Jeff Dragovich DeSimone Consulting Engineers Voting Member
Josh Gebelein Parsons Voting Member
Thomas Heausler Heausler Structural Voting Member
John Hochwalt KPFF Consulting Engineers Voting Member, PUC Liaison
Brian Kehoe Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Voting Member
Roberto Leon Virginia Tech Voting Member
Silvia Mazzoni University of California, Los Angeles Voting Member
Matthew Speicher National Institute of Standards and Technology Voting Member
Andrew Stark Uzun + Case Voting Member
Seth Thomas KPFF Consulting Engineers Voting Member
Gloria Faraone San Diego State University Corresponding Member
Emily Guglielmo Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers Corresponding Member
Bob Hanson Federal Emergency Management Agency Corresponding Member, FEMA Liaison
Jim Harris J.R. Harris & Company Corresponding Member
Bonnie Manley American Iron and Steel Institute Corresponding Member
Rafael Sabelli Walter P Moore Corresponding Member
Robert Tremblay Polytechnique Montreal Corresponding Member
John Hooper MKA PUC Chair
Jiqiu Yuan NIBS BSSC Executive Director
Mai Tong FEMA FEMA Liaison
JoAnn Browning UTSA BSSC Board Liaison

There are some who argue that despite the large number of systems currently defined in the building code, there are still too many limitations on what a responsible structural engineer can do. From this point of view, one just has moment frames, braced frames, and shear walls, each of which comes with many prescriptive requirements. How can we encourage creativity and maintain safety, but not trigger a full alternative means of compliance and peer review when something a bit different is desired?

The IT membership is to be updated.

Name Affiliation Role
David Mar Mar Structure Design Chair
Rafael Sabelli Walter P. Moore Vice Chair, PUC Liaison
Greg Deierlein Stanford Voting Member
Rupa Garai SOM Voting Member
Greg Luth GPLSE Voting Member
James Malley Degenkolb Voting Member
Justin Marshall Durafuse Voting Member
Laura Rendos MKA Voting Member
Geoff Bomba Forell Elsesser Corresponding Member
Larry Fahnestock UoI Corresponding Member
Daniel Gaspar Degenkolb Corresponding Member
Charlie Kircher Kircher Associates Corresponding Member
Dawn Lehman UW Corresponding Member
Bonnie Manley AISI Corresponding Member
Sean McGowan FEMA Corresponding Member
Adam Phillips WSA Corresponding Member
Barbara Simpson Stanford Corresponding Member
Jakub Valigura Arup Corresponding Member
Amit Varma Purdue Corresponding Member
Jordan Jarrett Colorado State University Corresponding Member
Jose Restrepo UC San Diego Corresponding Member
John Hooper MKA PUC Chair
Jiqiu Yuan NIBS BSSC Executive Director
Christina Aronson FEMA FEMA Liaison
2026 BSSC PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (TO BE FORMED AND UPDATED)
2015-2020 NEHRP PROVISIONS CYCLE
Functional Recovery Task Committee (FRTC)

The Functional Recovery Task Committee is charged with developing technical proposals and other resources regarding design of new buildings to meet post-earthquake functional recovery performance objectives within the context of the 2026 NEHRP Provisions. These technical proposals and other resources will also serve as source material for proposals for possible adoption and use in other codes and standards for new buildings such as ASCE/SEI 7 Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures and the International Building Code. The Functional Recovery Task Committee oversees Topic Subcommittees (TS) established to study particular topic areas, including at least the five topic subcommittees described below, which will each develop proposals and other resources relevant the given topic area and its relationship to functional recovery objectives.

The Functional Recovery Task Committee and its Topic Subcommittees consist of members selected to create a depth of expertise in the subject matter and a breadth of experience across the industry stakeholder groups, including practicing engineers, researchers, architects, owners, planners, business continuity experts, public policy advocates, those active in development of applicable codes and standards. Members also include liaisons to other related federal activities or agencies including BSSC, NIBS, PUC, FEMA, NIST, and USGS, and members involved in the efforts of other organizations including, but not limited to, ASCE/SEI, ATC, EERI, and SEAOC.

A Steering Committee provides support to subcommittee leadership, assists with coordinating activities of the subcommittees, and facilitates collaboration among the subcommittees. The Steering Committee consists of the chair and vice-chair of the FR TC, the chair and vice-chair of each TS, a liaison from the PUC, and a liaison from the ATC-138 project team.

Name Affiliation Role
Ryan Kersting Buehler Engineering Chair
Abbie Liel Univ. of Colorado - Boulder Vice Chair
Bob Pekelnicky Degenkolb Engineers PUC Liaison
Lucy Arendt St. Norbert's College - School of Business Voting Member
David Bonowitz Private Consulting Voting Member
Jonathan Buckalew Nabih Youssef Structural Engineers Voting Member
Phil Caldwell Schneider Electric (ret.) Voting Member
Dustin Cook NIST Voting Member
Emily Guglielmo Martin/Martin Voting Member
Ron Hamburger Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Voting Member
Curt Haselton CSU-Chico & Haselton Baker Risk Group Voting Member
Jon Heintz Applied Technology Council Voting Member
Carlos Molina Hutt Univ. of British Columbia - Vancouver Voting Member
Anna Lang Zylient Voting Member
Bret Lizundia Rutherford + Chekene Voting Member
Kevin Moore Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Voting Member
Jon Siu Private Consulting (ret. building official) Voting Member
Jeff Soulages Intel Voting Member
Greg Soules CB&I Voting Member
Jakub Valigura Arup Voting Member
Steve Winkel The Preview Group Voting Member
Daniel Zepeda Degenkolb Engineers Voting Member
Reid Zimmerman KPFF Consulting Engineers Voting Member
Christina Aronson FEMA Voting Member (FEMA)
Siamak Sattar NIST Voting Member (NIST)
Nico Luco USGS Voting Member (USGS)
Tamika Bassman Arup Corresponding Member
Karyn Beebe International Code Council Corresponding Member
Alice Chang-Richards University of Auckland, New Zealand Corresponding Member
Jon-Paul Cardin American Iron and Steel Institute Corresponding Member
Gary Ehrlich National Association of Home Builders Corresponding Member
Erica Fischer Oregon State University Corresponding Member
Julie Furr Smith Seckman Reid Corresponding Member
SK Ghosh SK Ghosh & Associates Corresponding Member
Nathan Gould ABS Consulting Corresponding Member
Jennifer Goupil ASCE/SEI Corresponding Member
Laurie Johnson Private Consulting Corresponding Member
Maha Kenawy Oklahoma State University Corresponding Member
Charlie Kircher Private Consulting Corresponding Member
Ron Larsen U.S. General Services Administration Corresponding Member
Jay Larson American Iron and Steel Institute Corresponding Member
Mike Mahoney Private Consulting Corresponding Member
Bonnie Manley American Institute of Steel Construction Corresponding Member
Therese "Terri" McAllister NIST Corresponding Member
Keith Porter Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction Corresponding Member
Don Scott Private Consulting Corresponding Member
Tommy Sidebottom ZFA Structural Engineers Corresponding Member
John Van de Lindt Colorado State University Corresponding Member
Kent Yu SEFT Consulting Corresponding Member
Bob Hanson FEMA FEMA Technical Advisor
Mai Tong FEMA FEMA Project Officer and Liaison
John Hooper Magnusson Klemencic Associates PUC Ex Officio
JQ Yuan NIBS / BSSC PUC Ex Officio

This Topic Subcommittee will begin with the definition of Functional Recovery provided in FEMA P-2090 / NIST SP-1254 and will continue to define key terms and concepts in order to develop and implement functional recovery provisions for the design of new buildings and other structures. This effort will also leverage work currently being conducted under the ATC-138 project to identify requirements and pre-requisites for achieving re-occupancy and for achieving functional recovery, including consideration of what is considered basic intended function for various building occupancy types; what amount of damage is acceptable to still occupy or be able to reoccupy a building and to maintain or restore basic intended function; and when and what types of temporary repairs and other alternatives may be appropriate in order to achieve functional recovery more quickly.

In completing these tasks, the subcommittee is expected to leverage work already completed by other groups that has been documented in available publications, including the FEMA-NIST report, FEMA P-2055, RP-1 from Part 3 of 2020 NEHRP Provisions, the ATC-138 project, a paper in the 2020 SEAOC Convention Proceedings by Buckalew and Lang, and other publications. Significant interaction, and some iteration, is expected to be necessary between all subcommittees as TS #1 develops defines the terms, describes these concepts, and establishes related criteria. Additional subject matter experts will be engaged for discussion of specific topics.

Name Affiliation Role
Jon Heintz Applied Technology Council TS Chair
Jonathan Buckalew Nabih Youssef Structural Engineers TS Vice Chair
David Bonowitz Private Consulting Primary Member
Susan Dowty International Code Council Primary Member
Ron Hamburger Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Primary Member
Curt Haselton CSU-Chico & Haselton Baker Risk Group Primary Member
Mike Mahoney Private Consulting Primary Member
Therese "Terri" McAllister NIST Primary Member
Kevin Moore Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Primary Member
Don Scott Private Consulting Primary Member
Jon Siu Private Consulting (ret. building official) Primary Member
Jeff Soulages Intel Primary Member
Steve Winkel The Preview Group Primary Member

This Topic Subcommittee will further explore the concept and use of Functional Recovery Categories discussed in FEMA P-2090 / NIST SP-1254 as a tool for identifying groups of occupancies or services with similar functional recovery time objectives for the purpose of implementing appropriate design provisions. This effort will specifically focus on developing a proposal for an appropriate number of categories and an appropriate range of performance metrics for each category. The performance metrics could consider multiple parameters that define performance. For example, one metric might be the type and amount of damage that can be allowed relative to a certain targeted functional recovery time. While TS #2 will propose the number of categories and associated performance metrics, the assignment of certain occupancies/services to those categories will be the focus of TS #3 based on understanding the implication of the performance metric on a particular occupancy or service. The results from the ATC-138 project will inform this work in terms of providing an understanding of the level of accuracy and precision that is available in the current methodology for determining expected functional recovery time of a particular building (thus, also relating to the scope of TS #4 regarding development of design provisions to meet functional recovery objectives for each category).

In completing these tasks, the subcommittee is expected to leverage work already completed by other groups that has been documented in available publications, including the FEMA-NIST report, FEMA P-2055, RP-1 from Part 3 of 2020 NEHRP Provisions, the ATC-138 project, the NIST CRPG, efforts by SPUR, current NIST projects, and other publications. Collaboration, and some degree of iteration, is expected to be needed between TS #2, TS #3, and TS #4 regarding these concepts. Additional subject matter experts will be engaged for discussion of specific topics.

Name Affiliation Role
Jakub Valigura Arup TS Chair
Siamak Sattar NIST TS Vice Chair
Tamika Bassman Arup Primary Member
David Bonowitz Private Consulting Primary Member
Curt Haselton CSU-Chico & Haselton Baker Risk Group Primary Member
Kevin Moore Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Primary Member
Keith Porter Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction Primary Member
Tommy Sidebottom ZFA Primary Member
Daniel Zepeda Degenkolb Engineers Primary Member

This Topic Subcommittee will be focused on exploring and assigning the functional recovery time objectives based on types of occupancies and services. This effort will build from the public workshops held for the FEMA P-2090 / NIST SP-1254 report development, including the additional detailed results reported in NIST SP-1269, and will leverage additional work conducted by NIST and others on the topic of acceptable functional recovery times. Understanding that these topics are less about the engineering side of performance and more about the impacts of performance on the basic needs and services within a community, the members of TS #3 will need to have expertise in a breadth of topics like community planning, economics, business continuity, emergency management, and other social sciences. This subcommittee will assign occupancies and services to the functional recovery categories developed by TS #2 based on the target functional recovery time assigned to each category and when a community needs that occupancy or service to be available after an earthquake. TS #3 is also expected to collaborate with TS #1 and TS #2 on other metrics and terms being used to describe performance, particularly for the way those metrics and terms will be communicated to the general public so that they can understand the performance that should be expected from buildings designed for functional recovery performance. This subcommittee will also provide input to TS #2 as it develops definitions of key terms and concepts, particularly regarding basic intended functions of various occupancy types, and the related design provisions developed by TS #4 that considers the impact of component behavior on being able to provide basic intended function. Another important role for TS #3 is to discuss whether the target functional recovery time would be consistent or might vary depending on the different hazard levels being considered by TS #5.

In completing these tasks, the subcommittee is expected to leverage work already completed by other groups that has been documented in available publications, including the FEMA-NIST report, FEMA P-2055, NIST SP-1269, the ATC-138 project, the NIST CRPG, efforts by SPUR, current NIST projects, and other publications. Significant interaction, and some iteration, is expected to be necessary between all subcommittees as TS #3 develops target functional recovery times for various occupancies and services. Additional subject matter experts will be engaged for discussion of specific topics.

Name Affiliation Role
Anna Lang Zylient TS Chair
Lucy Arendt St. Norbert's College - School of Business TS Vice Chair
Meg Ackerson Arup Primary Member
David Bonowitz Private Consulting Primary Member
Mary Comerio University of California, Berkeley Primary Member
Julie Furr Rimkus Consulting Group Primary Member
Laurie Johnson Private Consulting Primary Member
Siamak Sattar NIST Primary Member
Jon Siu Private Consulting (ret. building official) Primary Member
Brian Strong City of San Francisco Primary Member
Steve Winkel The Preview Group Primary Member

This Topic Subcommittee will work to develop design provisions for new buildings to meet the functional recovery time objective assigned to each functional recovery category and will therefore be in close coordination with TS #2 and TS #3 in particular. This effort will use the functional recovery time methodology developed by the ATC-138 project to quantify functional recovery time expectations for various buildings designed to current code provisions and then explore ways to revise those provisions, when/if needed, to improve functional recovery time for certain buildings to meet the intended objectives. This group will also consider design approaches already implemented voluntarily by certain designers, owners, and jurisdictions, as well as strategies identified in other work including FEMA P-2090 / NIST SP-1254, current NIST projects, and the “Resilience-based Design” Resource Paper from the 2020 NEHRP Provisions. TS #4 will also work closely with TS #5 regarding setting performance objectives relative to hazard level, as discussed in more detail below.

In completing these tasks, the subcommittee is expected to leverage work already completed by other groups that has been documented in available publications, including the FEMA-NIST report, the ATC-138 project, RP-1 from Part 3 of 2020 NEHRP Provisions, current NIST projects, and other publications. Significant interaction, and some iteration, is expected to be necessary between all subcommittees as TS #4 develops design provisions for each Functional Recovery Category. Additional subject matter experts will be engaged for discussion of specific topics.

Name Affiliation Role
Reid Zimmerman KPFF Consulting Engineers TS Chair
Carlos Molina Hutt Univ. of British Columbia - Vancouver TS Vice Chair
Ibbi Almufti Arup Primary Member
Dustin Cook NIST Primary Member
Tim Hart Berkeley Lab Primary Member
Curt Haselton CSU-Chico & Haselton Baker Risk Group Primary Member
Tara Hutchinson University of California, San Diego Primary Member
Bret Lizundia Rutherford + Chekene Primary Member
Roy Lobo CA HCAI (formerly OSHPD) Primary Member

This Topic Subcommittee will explore the hazard level(s) applicable for functional recovery performance objectives. The FEMA P-2090 / NIST SP-1254 report includes a discussion about hazard level for functional recovery and mentioned three options: a uniform-hazard approach, a risk-based approach similar to the approach used for safety-based objectives in current codes, or a scenario-based approach for regions with well-defined risk on a known fault. These options were explored further during FEMA’s Functional Recovery Workshop in August, 2022. The participants in the workshop were interested in exploring a risk-based approach for functional recovery with the understanding that a singular design hazard could be used and that additional discussion may be needed to understand what functional recovery times are provided at certain hazard levels by a risk-based approach. On these topics, TS #5 will need to work closely with TS #3 and TS #4. The collaboration with TS #3 will be focused on understanding whether a risk-based approach needs to explicitly address risk associated with meeting or exceeding specific functional recovery time targets at different hazard levels, or whether a risk-based approach could instead address risk of meeting or exceeding a functional recovery time target over the life of the building given the probabilities of being subjected to different earthquake ground motion intensities, whether or not that still, but implicitly, provides specific functional recovery times at different hazard levels. Once the risk-based performance targets are understood, TS #5 will likely be iterating with TS #4 regarding the selection of a singular design ground motion parameter that will result in an acceptable level of risk when used in combination with other design criteria being established by TS #4.

In completing these tasks, the subcommittee is expected to leverage work already completed by other groups that has been documented in available publications, including the FEMA-NIST report, the ATC-138 project, current NIST projects, USGS expertise, and other publications. Significant collaboration, and some degree of iteration, is expected to be needed between TS #5, TS #4, and TS #3 regarding these concepts. Additional subject matter experts will be engaged for discussion of specific topics.

Name Affiliation Role
Dustin Cook NIST TS Chair
Nico Luco USGS TS Vice Chair
Jack Baker Stanford University & Haselton Baker Risk Group Primary Member
Phil Caldwell Schneider Electric (ret.) Primary Member
Emily Guglielmo Martin/Martin Primary Member
Ron Hamburger Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Primary Member
Omar Issa Stanford University - Blume EERC Primary Member
Charlie Kircher Private Consulting Primary Member
Ron Larsen U.S. General Services Administration Primary Member
Yolanda Lin University of New Mexico Primary Member
Greg Soules CB&I Primary Member
Reports

Introduction to 2024 Edition of the IRC/IBC Seismic Design Category Maps and FEMA’s Building Code Strategy Implementation to Advance National Building Code Adoption
Seismic design maps illustrate the varying earthquake demands considered in the design of buildings and other structures across the U.S. and territories. These maps also provide general earthquake hazard information and informing earthquake risk reduction projects. Learn more

FEMA/BSSC 2020 NEHRP Provisions Design Examples Webinar Series
The webinar series is organized by the eight chapters in the 2020 NEHRP Recommended Provisions: Design Examples, and serves as part the FEMA NEHRP/BSSC outreach and education effort. Registration for the webinar series is free (space is limited). CEUs (for AIA and ICC) and certificates of attendance for PDHs and will be provided to those who attend the live webinars. Learn more

BSSC COUNCIL MEETING AND SYMPOSIUM ON 2020 NEHRP PROVISIONS
Developed by the National Institute of Building Sciences Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) Provisions Update Committee (PUC) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures (NEHRP Provisions) help translate new knowledge and recent research results for improving national standards and codes. The Provisions are a state-of-art resource and reference document for design professionals and standard and code-development organizations. Learn more

Should you have any additional questions about the Building Seismic Safety Council or would like to know more about the council's activities, please contact:

Staff Lead

Jiqiu (JQ) Yuan, PhD, PE, PMP
Chief Resilience Officer
National Institute of Building Sciences

37
Companies & Organizations
130
National Subject Matter Experts
50
Technical Proposals

View the BSSC Council Retrospective

Latest BSSC Publications