Design Criteria for Serviceability

The serviceability design requirements of various structural elements and the provisions of building regulations, codes and standards are discussed in the paper. Results of the questionnaire survey of; a) engineers in Australia and England on the serviceability design requirements of structures, b) owners of buildings on their reaction to existing serviceability design provisions, as reflected in the building, and the cost implication of such serviceability requirements, and c) occupants of residential and commercial buildings on their reaction to any noticeable deflection and/or vibration of buildings, are summarised. The paper concludes by identifying the shortcomings in the current method of design for serviceability, by proposing a method for formulating realistic limits and an improved method of design for serviceability by computing the actual deflection and vibration of structural components and by recommending the preferred direction for future research.