Are you looking for a useful solution to streamline your seismic design process for buildings in low seismic risk locations?  Seismic design references often focus on the more complex high risk regions of the country, and lack design examples for low risk regions which comprise a majority of the United States.  A new design guide is available which aims to assist all engineers to enhance their knowledge and improve their workflow for low seismic design regions.

In the January 2026 SEU Session, Thomas Heausler, PE, SE, from Heausler Structural Engineers, presented Seismic Design for Low Seismic Risk Locations – Seismic Design Categories A, B, and C.  Tom identified the design requirements unique to Seismic Design Category (SDC) A, B, and C buildings and systems compared to SDC D.  He reviewed how to design steel buildings through example calculations and introduced a workflow and calculation format which serves as a checklist and minimizes errors.

In 2025, NCSEA published a new design guide, Basic Seismic Design Workflow with Examples for Low Seismicity, which can be purchased by clicking on the link provided.  Tom was the primary author of the design guide and reviewed the basic workflow presented in Chapter 1 of the design guide.  Detailed examples follow in subsequent chapters which can be used to implement the workflow for various building materials.  To hear Tom review the basic workflow, click here to watch this short video:

Using the workflow, engineers can then select the applicable subsequent chapter to apply the various code provisions to their building, depending on their seismic force resisting system selected and material type.  Example chapters include steel braced frames,steel and concrete moment frames, short and tall concrete shear walls, and wood frame construction.  This document was specifically developed for East-of-the-Rockies, low seismic risk locations and is useful for engineers in both high and low seismic regions to confirm knowledge and provide consistency to their design process.  It is especially useful for engineers at the beginning of their career and engineers looking for a more coherent design process to follow on a daily basis to eliminate errors or oversights.