2022 NCC Seminars: Volume One - Fire resistance

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[Music]  

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Hello my name's Graham Moss this video is an update on

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the changes in NCC 2022 for fire resistance in Section C.

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First change to show you is C2D10 Non-combustible  building elements, this is currently known as C1.9  

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in NCC 2019. It's been structured this way for a  long time you've got (a) and (b), which set out things  

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that have to be non-combustible: external walls,  shafts, flooring of lift pits and things like that.

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You've also got subclause (c) which points to Spec  C1.1 for load-bearing internal walls and also  

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load-bearing firewalls and the combustibility  requirements found in that specification.  

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You've also got (d), which has a small number of concessions  from the non-combustibility requirements of (a) and (b).

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Now currently in 2019 that list has seven  things in it there's: gaskets, caulking sealants

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and a few other things, there's seven things in  that list and then you have C1.9(e) now this  

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is a concession list, but it's a concession  of things that can be used despite being  

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combustible they can be used where things need to  be non-combustible for purposes of (a) and (b) but of  

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course anywhere in the NCC. So C1.9(d) is a limited  concession list but C1.9(e) is a concession list  

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for everything in the NCC and in the building  code Volume One that needs to be non-combustible.

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First change I want to show you for 2022 is  that what's currently C1.9(e) is pushed down to  

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the new subclause subclause (6) to make space for a  new subclause (5). Now this new subclause (5) is a list  

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of materials that can be used wherever something  needs to be non-combustible, because really they  

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are non-combustible. So apparently test labs have  been getting phone calls from manufacturers saying  

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can you do a combustibility test on our  bricks we're being asked for a certificate.

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Now just for the record the BCA has never required  that you'd need to go to an accredited testing  

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laboratory to do a combustibility test for a brick  wall or any wall for that matter. Now of course it  

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might be chosen to use to to get a combustibility  test for reasons of evidence of suitability  

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and that's a good idea for something which  is a wall system that is not known, however  

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the BCA has never actually required it. For some  things yes so for instance where a wall needs to  

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achieve a fire resistance level and a meet falls  outside the specifications found inside the BCA  

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and it's therefore is a tested system  well yes and the BCA is requiring that it  

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accuracy testing laboratory be used for those  circumstances but we've never actually asked  

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for proof of non-combustibility for a brick wall. Now regardless of this we have inserted a new list  

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of concessions in C2D10 subclause (5) and it's  not just bricks, bricks are there in C for Masonry,  

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but you can see this list of things which are  non-combustible or non-combustible in nature  

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these are things have been included in NCC 2022  for a general as a general concession for reasons  

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similar to that I've described for Masonry. Now  that's the new C2D10(5) for material concessions,

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next I want to talk about C1, what's  currently C1.9(d), that list of things  

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which can be combustible but don't have to comply  with C1.9(a) and (b). Now you may recall there were  

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seven things in that list: gaskets, caulking, sealants, termite protection and other things.

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That list has grown now to 21 items, I say 21  because 6b there is a new system, external wall  

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system thermal brakes, now because glazing systems  thermal brakes for glazing systems are currently  

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receive a concession but basically from 6b onwards  these are all new concessions included in C2D10.

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The next change to show you is C2D14 ancillary elements, this provision has received  

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some changes for NCC 2022 it's currently known  as C1.14 in NCC 2019 now C1.14 is that provision  

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that sets out things that can be attached to an  external wall or be found within an external wall  

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and it's the reason why downpipes for instance for  Type A and Type B buildings can be combustible.

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There are some minor changes for NCC 2022 including  some additional concessions but also some  

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clarifications, one of those concessions is to do  with these things air conditioning condenser units  

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outside like this on Class 2's and 3's. Now  these need to connect to the split system inside  

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through the external wall and a lot of certifiers  have been requiring performance solutions because  

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the penetration sleeve, the penetration insulation  is combustible and found inside the external wall  

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so for 2022 C2D14 has new concession that  allows the insulation for the penetration  

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sleeve to be combustible but also to have other  combustible items for service penetrations.

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As for clarifications we've included a new note  that points out that this is allowed that is an  

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air conditioning condenser unit despite having  combustible parts can be mounted on external  

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walls of Type A and Type B buildings. Another  clarification found in C2D14 is about something  

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that we call in the office the kitchen cabinet  issue. Here we have a high-rise apartment it's  

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Type A construction we're looking at the inside  of some external walls here, we've got a kitchen  

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placed against one of the external walls and  we've got some windows leading onto the balcony  

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which is the other external wall. Now those kitchen  cabinets attach the inside of that external wall  

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to those kitchen cabinets have to be  non-compostable but what if we put some  

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internal blinds on those windows do those internal  blinds have to be non-combustible? Well under 2019  

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some people say they do because C1.14 talks about  ancillary elements that are fixed to the internal  

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parts of an external wall those kitchen cabinets  are hanging off the internal frame with the  

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external wall and so people will be saying that  yes these things need to be non-combustible. In the  

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same way that blinds if they were attached to that  external wall would be attached to the internal  

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parts of that external wall to the framing, etc. Now  C1.14 has never intended to apply to things inside  

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the building in this way that's why we have C1.10 to cover the internal fire hazard properties.

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It's things that are inside the wall itself  that's what we're interested in and that's why  

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the provision talks about the internal parts  of an external wall, but we've never intended  

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for this provision to apply for things inside  the wall, inside the building, like the kitchen  

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cabinets and the blinds. So we've changed C1.14 to  include this limitation just to make it clear that  

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this provision does not apply to things that are  fixed on the inside of the external wall like the  

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kitchen cabinets, the internal blinds, anything  like that. It was never meant to and this edition  

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for NCC 2022 makes that clear, now some may say  that a kitchen cabinet attached to the internal  

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parts, say the frame of the external wall, is still  something that's subject to C1.14 or now C2D14  

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however it's the opinion of the ABCB office  that that kitchen cabinet that might be  

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attached to blocking or framework inside the  external wall, is still a kitchen cabinet that  

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is installed or attached to the internal  face or to the lining of the external wall  

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it's still fixed to that lining, despite being  screwed into the blocking or the frame behind  

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therefore the limitation applies and kitchen  cabinets are excluded from this provision.

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Next change is a new provision C2D15 fixing of  bonded laminated cladding panels, now we're not  

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just talking about aluminum panels like honeycomb  panels, this is a provision that applies to any  

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cladding panel on a Type A or Type B building that is a panel that is bonded and laminated.

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Now in a nutshell what this provision is  requiring that the fixing must be mechanical  

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for example a cassette style fixing. Tape or  glue fixing is not allowed on account of C2D15. 

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Now you can still use adhesives in addition to  mechanical fixing so you can tape it in place  

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and then screw it in but you can't use the tape or  glue as the sole fixing. This is because mechanical  

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fixing will do a better job of preventing  the panel from coming away in a building fire.  

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Now note that this provision has  some concessions in subclause (2).  

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Since this new fixing provision doesn't apply  to the cladding panels that are listed in  

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subclause (2), now this is not a free kick, this  concession list is not a way of saying hey you  

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can go and use glue or how you can just use some  double-sided tape for these particular panels.

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In fact it's very unlikely that if you  tape fix these things say fiber cement  

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sheet to an external wall that it would meet  the requirements of Section B and that's why  

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we've got this explanatory information box which  points out that there's other provisions of the  

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NCC that apply to cladding panels and it's  very very unlikely that you'll meet those  

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particular requirements simply using tape or glue  for fixing those items listed in subclause (2).