A new Consistent Volume Structure (CVS) is one of the biggest single changes to NCC 2022. All 3 Volumes of the NCC now have the same clause structure.

The CVS changes have the biggest impact on Volume Two.

There is less change in Volume One (commercial) and minimal change in Volume Three (plumbing).

So, if you work in residential construction, it’s especially worth taking the time to understand this change.

The diagram below shows how the NCC Volumes are now organised.

Diagram of how the NCC is organised

Let’s take a closer look at Volume Two….

The creation of the ABCB Housing Provisions Standard supports Volume Two’s new structure.

The Housing Provisions now contains most of the content from Section 3, previously known as Acceptable Construction Practices (ACP).

The Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) Provisions contain what was previously known as Acceptable Construction Manuals (ACM).

Change in terminology

The terms ACP and ACM are not used in NCC 2022.

Instead of using these terms, the DTS Provisions in each Part or Section will, in most cases, simply refer to chapters of the Housing Provisions (previously ACP) and/or relevant Australian Standards (or similar) (previously ACM).

The structure of the chapters in the Housing Provisions is still similar to the structure previously used in Section 3. The referencing system in the Housing Provisions is also similar to that used in Section 3, but with some minor differences in the numbering used.

Using Volume Two and the Housing Provisions together

Given the Housing Provisions contain most of the DTS Provisions, you may think you don’t need Volume Two. This isn’t the case.

Volume Two and the Housing Provisions must be used together as Volume Two contains important compliance information that you need to meet the Performance Requirements. The below figure shows the change in Volume Two DTS pathways from 2019 to 2022.

Comparison of NCC 2019 to NCC 2022 Volume Two DTS compliance pathway

Why we made the changes

Consistency is key!

The changes are designed to improve usability and readability and ensure the NCC is well-understood and adopted by a broad range of users (including new entrants to the building and plumbing industries).

Amongst other improvements, the new clause structure enhances the code’s machine-readability, which opens the door to digital enhancements such as personalised filtering of content to suit your own needs.

So while your new NCC may look a bit different at first, the new CVS ensures that the NCC is organised in a much more logical and practical way.