1. Eurocodes: what you need to know

1.1 Genesis and development of the Eurocodes

The first European directive on public works contracts was published in 1971. But its implementation, as far as calculation rules were concerned, proved virtually impossible, due to a provision prohibiting the rejection of a tender proposal on the sole grounds that it was based on a calculation method accepted in a country other than the one in which the tender was being held. In 1976, it was therefore decided to start drafting European design and calculation codes. Constituting a coherent, harmonized set of design and calculation codes for building and civil engineering structures, they were based on the work of international scientific and technical associations, and constituted a recognized basis for judging tenders. They were destined...