Research Guides: Civil Engineering: Standards and Codes

Key Resources

CSA OnDemand Standards
Full text access to Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Standards. NOTE: CSA standards can be downloaded as PDFs on-campus only or on the VPN using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Techstreet This link opens in a new window
Online access to selected ISO Standards and a selection of other standards from AASHTO, IEC, ASME, and BSI.
ASTM Compass This link opens in a new window
Includes a digital edition of nearly every ASTM International book and paper spanning 140+ industries and 100+ years including books, journals, Special Technical Publications (STPs) and standards.
IEEE Xplore Digital Library This link opens in a new window
The IEL database provides fulltext access to more than 140 technical journals, over 1000 standards, and approximately 900 annual conference proceedings published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

IBR Standards Portal
Selected ISO and other standards are available in the ANSI IBR Standards Portal. Click the "IBR Standards" tab to see what's available. Includes standards from ISO, IEC, API, ASHRAE and more.

Building Codes

British Columbia Building Code
Included is the Vancouver Building By-law 2014. The BC Building Codes cover 2006, 2012, and 2018.
British Columbia Building Accessibility Handbook 2020
Accessibility is an important part of the BC Building Code. It is included so buildings are designed and constructed so everyone can reasonably approach, enter and exit buildings move safely throughout to use the facilities and services independently.
International Building Code
The most recent IBC is freely available to view online. Search the Library catalogue for access to earlier print editions.
Codes Canada
The National Research Council Canada offers Codes Canada publications for free. This includes the National Building Code, Fire Code, Energy Code and Plumbing Code. Orders can be placed for free downloadable PDFs through the Virtual Store. A registered account is required.
--Print copies are also available at Woodward Library in Vancouver, and at UBC Okanagan Library. Call number TH425 .N3 2015
CSA C22.2:21 Canadian Electrical Code, Part 1 (25th edition)
View access is available only for viewers in Canada. Account registration is required.

Bridge and Road Design Codes

Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code CSA S6:19
Online access is provided by through CSA OnDemand
Earlier editions are available in print at Woodward Library in Vancouver.
Bridge Standards and Procedures Manual
Available online from the BC Ministry of Transportation.
BC Supplement to Transportation Association of Canada Geometric Design Guide
Available online.

Master Municipal Construction Documents

Available in print at Woodward Library in Vancouver.
Note: A print copy of the 2000 edition is also available.

The City of Vancouver also uses a supplementary document, the Street Restoration Manual; the PDF for this and more details are available on the City's Engineering Services website.

Standard Specifications for Highway Construction
Available online from the BC Ministry of Transportation.

Looking for more CSA standards?

CSA's OnDemand database is the first place you should look for CSA standards. However, there are additional sources for CSA standards as well.

Superseded CSA Standards (195? - 1995) are in the ASRS storage in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. Request these through the Library's CSA Standards Collection online record. Note: When selecting the appropriate box, scroll through the entire list of holdings to find the superseded standards.
The CCOHS database has many CSA standards in their Legislation section
The CSA Community Group (free registration required) provides some view access to a selection of standards.

If you are unable to find what you're looking for, contact a librarian under the Getting Started page in this guide.

Freely Available Standards - COVID 19

Many standard development organizations (SDOs) have made medical device supply and personal protective equipment standards freely available in response to the global health crisis. The following list will be updated weekly.

AAMI - Includes standards for masks, gowns, gloves, ventilators and sterilization. https://www.aami.org/news-resources/aami-coronavirus-updates/coronavirus-resources-for-the-field,

ANSI - Expanding their standard portal, ANSI has opened up relevant IEC standards in a read-only format for the duration of the crisis. To access the portal, users must accept the license agreement and register. Once registered, users can return to the portal via https://asc.ansi.org.

CSA - To access CSA freely available standards, create an account at CSA Communities and select the "View Standards." option. https://www.csagroup.org/news/covid-19-response-standards-handbooks/

ISO - Is providing free access in a read-only format for standards related to protective gloves, lung ventilators, medical devices, protective clothing, medical electrical equipment, respiratory protective devices and more: https://www.iso.org/covid19

For other standards please refer to the pages in this guide. UBC Library maintains a standards collection on the Techstreet platform and can add additional standards to this collection. If you do not find what you are looking for here, contact one of the librarians under the Getting Started page.

IEEE Standards Education Grants

IEEE offers grants for graduate and undergraduate design projects which make use of standards. Grants are $500, given four times per year, and include publication of a paper on the IEEE website.