The minimum unobstructed width of a normal hallway within a dwelling unit is 860 mm (34 in.), but this minimum hallway width is permitted to be reduced to 710 mm (28 in.) when certain requirements are met, as illustrated in Figure 9.5.-2. Hallways narrower than 860 mm (34 in.) must serve only bedrooms or bathrooms at the end of the hallway furthest from the living area, and must have an exit at that end of the hallway or an exit in each bedroom served by the hallway.
Sometimes several buildings are built over a common basement used as a parking garage. For example, in certain housing designs, separate low-rise buildings are built over a common basement parking garage (Figure 9.1.-8).
Ordinarily, such a structure would be considered a single building, and the building area would be the area of the basement parking garage. Because this area tends to be fairly large, the entire building would normally fall outside the scope of NBC Part 9. If, however, the basement parking garage is separated from the buildings above it by a concrete or masonry slab having a fire-resistance rating of at least 2 h, these buildings can be considered separate buildings (NBC Article 9.10.4.3).
In Figure 9.1.-8, buildings A and B would be considered as separate buildings having their own building areas and would probably fall within the scope of NBC Part 9. The parking garage, however, would probably fall outside of the scope of NBC Part 9 because of its large area.
Quoted from Illustrated User's Guide - NBC2015
#building #parking #basement #sepratebuilding
Mezzanines that are essentially open to view, so that a fire on the mezzanines would be visible from the room below and vice versa, do not have to be counted as a storey if their aggregate area does not exceed 40% of the open area of the room (Figure 9.1.-6) (NBC Sentence 9.10.4.1.(2)).
If, however, the condition for visual communication is not met from above or below the mezzanines, the mezzanines are only permitted to not be counted as a storey if their aggregate area does not exceed 10% of the floor area of the building in which they are located and if the area of each mezzanine does not exceed 10% of the area of the suite in which it is located.
Quoted from Illustrated User's Guide - NBC2015
#building #mezzanine #storey
Where dwelling units in a building are completely separated from other dwelling units by a vertical fire separation having a fire-resistance rating of not less than 1 h, each dwelling unit may be considered as a separate building for the purpose of determining building height, provided that each dwelling unit is not more than four storeys in building height and that the unobstructed path of travel for a firefighter from the street to an entrance of each dwelling unit is not greater than 45 m (147 ft.) (NBC Sentence 1.3.3.4.(2) of Division A).
The fire separation has to be complete, extending through all storeys and service spaces from the basement or crawl space (or from the floor assembly immediately above the basement where the basement conforms to NBC Article 3.2.1.2.) up to the underside of the roof deck.
Accordingly, the stepped building on a sloping site shown in Figure 9.1.-5 can be considered as being three storeys in building height instead of six storeys in building height and is, therefore, covered by NBC Part 9. (See also NBC Note A-1.3.3.4.(2) of Division A.)
Quoted from Illustrated User's Guide - NBC2015
#buildingheight #residential #dewellingunit
Where a firewall divides a building, each portion of the building is considered as a separate building for the determination of building size
Most walls that separate one property from another are required to be firewalls (walls between semi-detached and row houses are exceptions to this rule). Firewalls are fire separations that have special features to ensure their stability in the event of a fire (NBC Subsection 3.1.10.), so that, should the building on one side of the firewall be destroyed, the firewall and the building on the other side will remain.
Firewalls may be voluntarily used to reduce the building area in order to take advantage of certain fire and structural concessions permitted for smaller buildings. Firewalls are frequently used to create buildings of 600 m2 (6 458 ft.2) that fall within the scope of NBC Part 9. For example, in some row houses, ordinary fire separations are used between most units, while firewalls are used at 600 m2 (6 458 ft.2) intervals.
Quoted from Illustrated User's Guide - NBC2015
#building #property #firewall
This question was asked by some designers, who are looking for good Building Code Consultant. Based on my personal experience, there is a golden standard: One should have at least 3 years experience of building design in an architectural firm + 8 years experience of Building Code Engineer in a Municipality to be qualified as a Building Code Consultant.
Let me tell you why:
3 years working in an architectural firm, one will know how to read blueprints of buildings from small to complex.
8 years working in a Municipality, one will learn the process of Building Code enforcement. During this period, one will spend:
6 months on Building Code training and test for Building Official license.
2 years to be comfortable for reviewing single family houses.
2 years to be comfortable for reviewing row houses, condos and apartments
2 years to be comfortable for reviewing interior and exterior renovations.
2 years to be comfortable for reviewing commercial new buildings.
When one is comfortable to review all kinds of buildings and enforce the Building Code accordingly, one might be a good Building Code Consultant.
Don't be confused by the title of Fire Engineer or Fire Code Consultant, who has nothing with the Building Code.
#design #training #building #designers #buildingofficial #codeconsultant
9.9.10.1. Egress Windows or Doors for Bedrooms
Unless a dwelling unit is sprinklered, or a bedroom has a doorway to the exterior, every bedroom or combination bedroom must be provided with at least one outside window or exterior door that can be opened from the inside without the use of tools to provide an emergency means of escape or rescue from bedrooms. These windows must have an unobstructed open portion having a minimum area of 0.35 m2 (3.8 ft.2) with no dimension less than 380 mm (15 in.) (Figure 9.9.-13). For sliding windows, the minimum dimension applies to the openable portion of the window.
#bedroomwindows #egress
It is easy for a plans examiner to call a deficiency, but is is hard for an applicant to fix it. One deficiency may take you six months and thousands of dollars to fix it.
Are the plans examiners always right? Absolutely not!!! They are human being, just like you and me. They do make mistakes.
To avoid wasting your precious time and money, it is worth to have a true building code consultant to help you understand the implication of the AHJ's deficiencies report. Very possibly, there is no deficiency, which is called deficiency by the plans examiners in many cases.
#building #money #plansexaminer #deficiency
If your building permit application is refused, the AHJ shall provide you a formal refusal notice in writing so that you can appeal it to the province if you don't agree with the AHJ.
The refusal doesn't mean the AHJ is right. It actually gives you an opportunity to get an interpretation on specific code issues from the province if you appeal it. The interpretation will apply in the province for all similar projects in the future.
The appeal system is independent, open, transparent, fair, and conforms to the principles of administrative law and natural justice.
How are plans reviewed? -- #23 Important definition: Secondary Suite Secondary suite means a self-contained dwelling unit located in a buil...
