Can America learn from the Australian experience? The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association has established the P2P (Prescription to Performance) initiative to promote the move to performance specification of concrete. This point of view article points out the negative consequences of prescriptive requirements and the benefits to the design and construction communities of using performance specifications

This article compares the American, Canadian, British, and Australian masonry code philosophies and test methods for determining the compressive strength of masonry. Compressive strength tests of concrete and brick masonry prisms were conducted using each country’s test methods. The test values are compared to tabulated code values to demonstrate the need for further research to improve the estimate of masonry compressive strength based on unit strength and type of mortar

College courses cover fire resistance requirements briefly, if at all, leaving new engineers with little knowledge of methods used to calculate the fire endurance of structures. This article in the Practical Design series provides an introduction to the effects of fire on reinforced concrete. Two of the most common methods of calculating fire resistance to satisfy code requirements are also discussed