Many regions of the United States are at risk of high winds from hurricanes, downbursts, and thunderstorms. When designed and constructed in accordance with modern building codes and standards, wood construction has a history of proven performance in meeting the challenges of high wind loads. For any project, a thorough understanding of the interaction between wind loads and material properties is key to the design process. This article will address design considerations and the publications in which they can be found. The article also includes a design example of a loadbearing tall wood stud wall design.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss design and resilience of wood components subject to wind and gravity loads.
2. Explain when main wind force resisting systems and component and cladding load cases should be considered.
3. Assess and accurately choose which AWC resources to utilize for guidance.
4. Conduct a standard design check for the limit states of strength and deflection for a tall wood stud wall subject to wind and gravity loads.