Use of Predictive Tools and Software in a Building Regulatory Environment.
Use of Predictive Tools and Software in a Building
Regulatory Environment.
(174 K)
Bukowski, R. W.
CIB 2004;
CIB World Building Congress 2004 (CIB 2004): Building
for the Future in conjunction with Indoor Air Quality,
Ventilation and Energy Conservation in Buildings, 5th
International Conference (IAQVEC 2004) and Multipurpose
High-Rise Towers and Tall Buildings, 6th International
Conference (HTB). Proceedings. CIB T5S5 Performance
Evaluation Tools. May 1-7, 2004, Toronto, Canada, 1-8
pp, 2004.
Keywords:
regulations; computer programs; validation; verification
Abstract:
The ubiquitous nature of computers in modern society has
resulted in the widespread development and use of
software to automate previously manual procedures.
Further, advancements in the technical understanding of
even highly complex phenomena such as fire have been
embodied in predictive tools and models that can be used
in engineering analysis of the performance of materials
and systems in their context of use. The ability to
predict structural and fire performance has enabled
performance-based building regulation now in place or
being developed in many countries. The growing use of
these (often proprietary) software products in regulated
environments raises a number of issues that need to be
addressed to avoid legal challenges and to limit
liability of regulators and standards developers. These
include mandatory references to proprietary software;
validation, documentation, and version control of
software used in design; engineering design methods as
Standards of Practice; and professional qualifications
of software users. The paper also addresses the design
of software to identify key assumptions that represent
bounding conditions on regulatory approval and to
quantify uncertainties and appropriate safety factors to
be applied. The purpose of this paper is to identify
these issues and to present some suggestions on how they
may be addressed to meet the needs of regulators.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899