Column Base Connections – Behavior, Design, and Your Questions Answered

Presented by: Adam Friedman, Amit Kanvinde, and Joshua Buckholt

This is a three-part webinar series. Earn up to 4.5 PDHs!

Column base connections are arguably the most important connections in steel buildings, transferring loads from the entire structure into the foundation. At the interface of steel and concrete, these connections are complex in terms of behavior, design, as well as structural interactions with the building frame. This three-part webinar series will perform a deep dive on column base connections and aims to provide a better understanding of the behavior and design of this complex connection. 

Base Plates and Anchor Rods: Fundamentals of Design and Fabrication: Session 1 will provide an overview of the different elements and materials of base plates including recommendations for fabrication. Base plate loading and the design process for compressive axial force will be covered. The presentation will then examine special elements for base plates to resist lateral loads. Design information for tensile axial force, shear force, and moment will be covered.

Seismic Applications in AISC Design Guide 1: Base Connection Design for Steel Structures: Session 2 will focus on new additions to Design Guide 1: Base Connection Design for Steel Structures, particularly regarding seismic design. Exposed, slab-overtopped, and embedded connections will be discussed, addressing their response (strength, failure modes, stiffness, and deformation characteristics). Of specific interest are weak-base connections that leverage the ductility of anchor rods to greatly reduce the strength demands on the connection. Strategies for weak-base design will be discussed, along with ongoing work to inform future standards.

Column Base Connections: Frequently Asked Questions: AISC has received numerous questions regarding base plates and anchor rods. Session 3 will cover some of the most common questions that have been received and will be answered by two of the authors of the newest edition of Design Guide 1: Base Connection Design for Steel Structures.

Are you already registered as a group and need to add more colleagues? Add to your group registration here.

Course Schedule

Dates and Times: All live broadcasts are on Wednesdays at 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. Central Time.

July 22, 2026	Base Plates and Anchor Rods	Adam Friedman
July 29, 2026	Seismic Applications in AISC Design Guide 1	Amit Kanvinde
August 12, 2026	Column Base Connections	Amit Kanvinde and Joshua Buckholt

Recording access! Both group and individual registration options provide access to the live broadcasts and the recordings! Earning PDH credit for viewing a recorded session requires passing a quiz. Access to all recordings and quizzes ends on September 12, 2026.
 

Speakers

	Adam Friedman, PE, SE , is a Vice President at CSD Structural Engineers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Adam is a structural engineer with expertise in construction engineering and steel stairway design. In addition, his work spans the design and analysis of heavy industrial buildings, commercial structures, and steel connections. Adam is the author of AISC Design Guide 34: Steel-Framed Stairway Design and frequently presents for the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) on a range of technical topics. In the field of construction engineering, Adam has led complex projects involving temporary bracing, erection planning, heavy lift coordination, and field modifications—bringing practical, site-driven solutions to challenging structural problems. He holds a Master of Science in Structural Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering (Structural Specialty) from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
	Amit Kanvinde, Ph.D., is a professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Davis. His research is focused on the seismic response of steel structures and connections.  He is the recipient of the 2022 T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award from AISC (on the topic of base connections) and has previously received AISC’s Special Achievement Award (2017) and various awards from ASCE, including the Walter Huber Research Prize (2016), the State of the Art of Civil Engineering Award (2018), and the Norman Medal (2008). He is the co-author of the column base plate example (for Steel Moment Frames) in the SEAOC Seismic Design Manual and is the lead author of the third edition of AISC's Design Guide One on column base connections. His research is cited in numerous standards, and he currently serves on the AISC Connection Prequalification Review Panel, which approves the AISC 358 standard on prequalified moment frame connections.
	Joshua Buckholt, PE, SE, is a Vice President at CSD Structural Engineers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Joshua joined CSD in 2008 and his background includes the structural design and analysis of industrial non-building structures, connection design, and development of technical documents. He serves on the AISC Technical Committee for Loads, Analysis, and Stability, serves on the AISC Technical Committee for Editorial Review, and is a co-author of AISC Design Guide 1 for Base Connection Design, Fabrication, and Erection for Steel Structures. He received his M.S. Structural Engineering and B.S. Architectural Engineering (structural) from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.