Eurocodes—the new environment for structural design

Abstract

After 25 years in the making, the suite of 10 European structural design standards—generally known as the Eurocodes—is at last becoming a reality. A total of 62 individual parts have been circulating in working draft form for several years but two have finally been converted to full EN (EuroNorm) status in October 2001. All other parts should be converted in a series of packages by 2005 and, following a few years of coexistence, will replace all existing structural design standards in every EC member state by the end of the decade. This paper provides an introduction to the Eurocodes, describes the potential benefits they offer to civil engineers and sets out the process and timetable for implementation.