This paper is intended to give the non-specialist engineer a flavour of how
Eurocode 8 works, how it should be used and the principal issues for desig
n. The paper is principally based on the draft for development that was iss
ued for public comment in several parts between 1994 and 1996, and some mor
e recent revisions. It is not a detailed account of the code and the reader
is referred to the code for detailed information. The paper describes the
design principles for various classes of structures and makes comment and p
rovides insight into a number of particular issues of particular interest t
o the authors.