Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Want to be a better plans examiner?

Want to be a better plans examiner? The following one day training sessions will help you:

1. Single family and semi-detached house
This session will review 2 to 3 new projects from your company with you and answer questions like:
What is the process of the examination? 
What are common issues on plans?
What are the key elements to be reviewed?

2. Interior alterations 
This session will review one office, one restaurant and one warehouse alterations from your company with you and answer questions like:
What is the difference between occupancy classification and building classification?
What is the difference of corridor, public corridor and exit corridor?
How to apply barrier free requirements?  

3. Part 9 residential building
This session will review one row house and one stacked apartment from your company with you and answer questions like:
What is the difference of 9.10.14 and 9.10.15?
How to do spatial separation calculation?
How to meet non-combustible requirements for exterior walls?

4. Part 3 new building
This session will review one new building from your company with you and answer questions like:
How to give building classification as per 3.2.2?
How to do spatial separation calculation?
What are the requirements for firefight access?

Monday, January 20, 2020

Want to be a better designer? Want to get building permit earlier?

Want to be a better designer? Want to get building permit earlier? The following one hour training sessions will help you: 1. Inside story of plans examination This session will answer questions like: What are the basic requirements of plans? How does the plans examiners review your plans? Why do you permit being delayed? What are the top issues on plans? 2. Building code analyses This session will answer questions like: What are a complete building code analyses? How to give building classification of existing building without original plans? How to give building classification to additions? 3. Spatial separation calculation This session will answer questions like: When is spatial separation calculation required? How to do spatial separation calculation for Part 3 buildings? How to do spatial separation calculation for Part 9 buildings? 4. Mezzanine design This session will answer questions like: What is a mezzanine? What is a second floor? What is important when designing a mezzanine? How to design a mezzanine?

Friday, January 17, 2020

3.4.6.12. Direction of Door Swing (NEW)

3.4.6.12. Direction of Door Swing (NEW)

2) Exit doors need not conform to Sentence (1) (open in the direction of exit travel), where
a) they serve storage garages serving not more than one dwelling unit,
b) they serve accessory buildings serving not more than one dwelling unit,
c) they
i) serve storage suites not more than 28sqm in area that are on the first storey in warehousing buildings, and 
ii) open directly outdoors at ground level, or
d) they serve individual self-service storage units referred to in Section 3.9.

Monday, January 13, 2020

2.3.3.11 Water Closet Stalls (NEW)

2.3.3.11 Water Closet Stalls (NEW)
1) Water closet stalls and enclosures required by Sentence 3.8.2.8.(5) shall
b) have a clear floor space of 1500mm by 1500mm in front of the accessible stall.

Friday, January 10, 2020

3.3.1.26 Storage Room (OLD)

3.3.1.26 Storage Room (OLD)
Separation of storage room in care or detention occupancy or assembly occupancy is removed from the new code. 
No fire separation is required.

Monday, January 6, 2020

Important changes of guards not to facilitate climbing (New)

Important changes of guards not to facilitate climbing (New):

3.3.1.18.4) Except for guards conforming to Article 3.3.5.10 (for industry occupancy), guards that protect a level located more than one storey or 4.2 m above the adjacent level shall be designed so that no member, attachment  or opening located between 140mm and 900mm above the level protected by the guard facilitates climbing.

9.8.8.6.1) Except for guards in industrial occupancies, guards required by Article 9.8.8.1. that protect a level located more than 4.2m above the adjacent level shall be designed so that no member, attachment or opening located between 140mm and 900mm above the level protected by the guard facilitates climbing.

Designers will have more varieties to design guards because the previous codes were asking all guards not to facilitate climbing, unless it can be shown that the location and size of openings do not represent a hazard. Usually, it is hard for designers to argue with the AHJ about where a hazard is not represented. 

Friday, January 3, 2020

3.4.3.4. Headroom Clearance (NEW)

3.4.3.4. Headroom Clearance (NEW)
1) Except for doorway, every exit shall have a clear height over the clear width of the exit of not less than 2050 mm.
( It was 2100 mm )

There is no change in 9.9.3.4. It is still 2100 mm.