NCC 2016 Volume One
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Introduction
THE NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION CODE
The National Construction Code (NCC) is an initiative of the Council of Australian Governments developed to incorporate all on-site construction requirements into a single code.
The NCC is produced and maintained by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) on behalf of the Australian Government and each State and Territory government.
The NCC is a uniform set of technical provisions for the design and construction of buildings and other structures, and plumbing and drainage systems throughout Australia. It allows for variations in climate and geological or geographic conditions.
THE NCC – FORMAT
The NCC is published in three volumes. The Building Code of Australia (BCA) is Volume One and Volume Two of the NCC and the Plumbing Code of Australia (PCA) is Volume Three of the NCC.
VOLUME ONE: contains the requirements for—
VOLUME TWO: contains the requirements for—
VOLUME THREE: contains the requirements for plumbing and drainage associated with all classes of buildings.
The NCC is accompanied by other documents, comprising the NCC Consolidated Performance Requirements and the Guide to Volume One. Additional guidance material is also located on the ABCB web site at www.abcb.gov.au.
The NCC is drafted in a performance format allowing a choice of Deemed-to-Satisfy Solutions or flexibility to develop Performance Solutions based on existing or new innovative building, plumbing and drainage products, systems and designs.
When complying with the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions, or when developing Performance Solutions in order to comply with the NCC, consideration may need to be given to whether the solution impacts on compliance with other Parts of the NCC.
THE GOAL
The goal of the NCC is to enable the achievement of nationally consistent, minimum necessary standards of relevant safety (including structural safety and safety from fire), health, amenity and sustainability objectives efficiently.
This goal is applied so that—
THE AUSTRALIAN BUILDING CODES BOARD
The ABCB is established by agreement between the Australian Government and each State and Territory government. It is a co-operative arrangement between the signatories, local government and the building industry.
The ABCB’s mission is to address issues relating to safety, health, amenity and sustainability in the design, construction and performance of buildings. This is achieved through the NCC and the development of effective regulatory systems and appropriate non-regulatory solutions.
The Board comprises—
The Building Codes Committee (BCC) is the peak technical advisory body to the ABCB, with responsibility for technical matters associated with the BCA.
The BCC comprises—
LEGISLATIVE ARRANGEMENTS
GENERAL
The BCA is given legal effect by building regulatory legislation in each State and Territory. This legislation consists of an Act of Parliament and subordinate legislation which empowers the regulation of certain aspects of buildings and structures, and contains the administrative provisions necessary to give effect to the legislation.
Any provision of the BCA may be overridden by, or subject to, State or Territory legislation. The BCA must therefore be read in conjunction with that legislation. Any queries on such matters should be referred to the State or Territory authority responsible for building regulatory matters.
STATE AND TERRITORY VARIATIONS AND ADDITIONS
Each State's and Territory's legislation adopts the BCA subject to the variation or deletion of some of its provisions, or the addition of extra provisions. These variations, deletions and additions are contained in Appendices to the BCA.
Flags identifying variations are located within relevant provisions and at the beginning of relevant Tables. Additional provisions to a Part of the BCA are identified at the end of that Part.
BCA ADOPTION
The dates of adoption and amendments are shown in the “History of Adoption” division at the end of this Volume.
DOCUMENTATION OF DECISIONS
Decisions made under the BCA should be fully documented and copies of all relevant documentation should be retained.
Examples of the kind of documentation which should be prepared and retained include:
The National Construction Code (NCC) is an initiative of the Council of Australian Governments developed to incorporate all on-site construction requirements into a single code. The Building Code of Australia (BCA) is Volume One and Volume Two of the NCC.
The Guide
The Guide is a companion manual to Volume One. It is intended as a reference book for people seeking clarification, illustrations, or examples, of what are sometimes complex BCA provisions.
The two books should be read together. However, the comments in this Guide should not be taken to override the BCA. Unlike the BCA, which is adopted by legislation, this Guide is not called up into legislation. As its title suggests, it is for guidance only. Readers should note that States and Territories may have variations to BCA provisions. This Guide does not cover those variations. For advice on these matters contact your State or Territory building control administration.
This Guide covers only Volume One of the BCA and primarily deals with Class 2 to Class 9 buildings. Volume Two of the BCA contains guidance notes throughout and diagrams and hence is not included in the Guide.
To assist readers, most of the information in this Guide — including section headings, abbreviations and symbols — is formatted as closely as possible to that in the BCA.
Imagine a developer or engineer etc — referred to in the Guide as the building proponent — with a query about the standards needed for the installation of electricity-supply systems. The first step is to record the details of the relevant BCA provision on electricity-supply systems and turn to the corresponding section in the Guide. To illustrate this: in the BCA, comments on electricity-supply systems are partly dealt with under Section C — Fire Resistance (C2.13). In the Guide, readers should turn to Section C for information. The Guide does not note all related provision numbers but only provides explanation to the provisions that may need elaboration.
Readers will also note that the BCA Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions list only the minimum requirements that are acceptable as meeting the Performance Requirements.
The Guide generally explains the intent behind the provisions, and why building proponents, need to meet such standards. For example, the Guide clarifies why certain fire-resistance levels (FRLs) are required. It also assists readers by referring them to other related topics or sections in the Guide.
Not all the provisions in the BCA are covered in the Guide. Those not dealt with have been found to be self-explanatory. The Guide contains a number of examples — some written, others in diagram form — which help illustrate provisions. These examples are not absolute, as they cannot take into account every possible permutation of a building proposal. Again, they are intended as a guide only. Other provisions of the BCA must be complied with.
The information in this Guide is provided by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) and is intended as an information service primarily for building professionals.
Because the Guide does not have regulatory force, the ABCB does not accept any responsibility for its contents when applied to specific buildings or any liability which may result from its use.