Qualifications Needed by Certified Verification Agents - Structural Integrity of Offshore Wind Turbines - page 109

Qualifications Required for Performance-Based
Design Peer Review
Standard building codes and industry practice use a prescriptive design
approach that does not always lend itself to the design of atypical or
unusual structures such as high-rise buildings or buildings with unique
architectural features. As noted in Chapter 4, building codes and indus-
try practice generally do allow the use of alternative means and methods,
one of which is performance-based design (PBD). A peer-review process
in support of PBD approaches is used as a means of determining whether
a design meets the intent of basic code requirements, is equivalent in
terms of safety to a code-compliant structure, and meets project-specific
design criteria and performance expectations for the facility.
A peer review is not intended to be a critique of the design concept
developed by the engineer of record. In some cases, such as for structures
in areas of high seismic activity, especially where the design is atypical, the
peer review is mandated by regulators, but it may also be implemented by
the developer to satisfy expectations of insurers or financiers.
One description of this type of peer review comes from the Los Angeles
Tall Building Structural Design Council in its publication 2008 Alternative
Design Criteria. The council proposes that each project convene a seismic
peer-review panel to provide an “independent, objective, technical review
of those aspects of the structural design” related to seismic performance.
Its recommendation is for a panel of at least three members with “recog-
nized expertise in relevant fields” to be selected by the building official of
the jurisdiction. (See http://www.tallbuildings.org.)
Others
Peer-reviewed designs are becoming more common in the assurance of
fire protection of buildings as well. The Society of Fire Protection Engi-
neers (SFPE) has developed guidelines for the peer-review process in fire
protection design ( Guidelines for Peer Review in the Fire Protection Design
Process, October 2002). With regard to qualifications, the society empha-
sizes independence and technical expertise. It gives a specific example of
how one can demonstrate technical expertise: the peer reviewer should
have the knowledge to prepare an “acceptable design that is similar in