flood vent requirements

[eng003]

If one can demonstrate a wall is capable of withstanding load from hydrostatic flood pressure do building codes and/or asce 24 still require flood venting?

 

[SteelPE]

What type of flood zone are you in?

 

[a2mfk]

I would think that an engineered flood wall would be acceptable by most agencies. See the attached FEMA document.

 

[SteelPE]

a2mfk

I don't believe you are correct. As I understand it, in V zones flood vents are not allowed. Even the literature you submitted says that walls below the BFE in V zones must be "non-supporting breakaway walls".

So the question is again, what flood zone are you in?

 

[a2mfk]

Steel- you are right, I agree with your original question in that it all starts with what flood zone you are in.

I have worked in different flood zones and with different types of bodies of water. Along rivers they don't want you to impede the flow at all at flood elevation. I did a project in SW FL on a bay and the structure needed to be 10+ feet above grade, 10+ feet of scour for the piles, and I think only stairs and maybe breakaway walls in the flood zone. Recently I did a couple of analysis projects of houses adjacent to lakes where you are dealing with a slow rising flood and hydrostatic forces could be designed for or you would need flood vents (or soil supported slab on grade with stem walls so that the soil counteracts the water).

 

[eng003]

Structure will actually be located in a small strip of X bordered by A on one side and V on the other so technically it is not in the flood zone altough only a few feet away in the A zone the bfe is several feet above the proposed ffe...figure that one out . I am aware of the breakaway requirements for V zones, my question is really for A zones, does fema/ibc/asce 24 presriptively require the flood vents for A zones or is there an "out" for an engineered design which considers hydrostatic flood loads?