2022 NCC Seminars: Volume One - NCC structure

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[Music]

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Hello my name is Graham Moss, I'm the Principal Building  Surveyor for the Australian Building Codes Board  

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this video is an update on the NCC referencing  system also known as the NCC structure for the  

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Building Code of Australia that's Volumes One  and Two of the NCC. The best way to describe the  

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new referencing system is to compare it with  the old one and so here I have Volume One NCC 2019.

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On this slide as you can see this high  level the structure starts with Section A the  

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governing requirements that's where you've got the  classifications in A6 evidence to suitability in  

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A5 that sort of thing and then comes the technical  provision starting with structure at Section B  

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far resistance in Section C and all the  way down to Section J energy efficiency.

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Note on this slide for this moment that Section I  has some asterisks there, Section I is blank.

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It's been like this since 2014 which was when  we took maintenance out of the code and we put  

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those asterisks in as a placeholder so that  Section J didn't suddenly become Section I.

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And then after these technical provisions and  the governing requirements you find the Schedules  

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where the definitions, state and territory  variations and things like that are found. 

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So that's 2019 Volume One high level structure compare  this to now NCC 2022 in the new structure.

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Now at this level not much has changed in fact the  only real change is that special use buildings  

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has moved from Section H in the 2019 structure  into Section I in the 2022 structure.

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What this has done is allowed Section H to  be designated for housing and that's Volume Two

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and we'll talk about that in a moment but  we'll cover the Volume One amendments first.

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And as is the same today then the  schedules come after these technical  

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provisions found from B through to J and so there's not  much not much change really at this high level.

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However the changes come when you start to drill  into the parts of Volume One because Volume One  

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uses the new Section Part Type Clause referencing  system, Volume Two also uses this same referencing  

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system Section Part Type Clause, SPTC, but like  I said we'll talk about Volume Two in a moment.

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So Volume One at the part level has had some quite  significant changes in the referencing system on  

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account of this new system and perhaps the best  way to explain how this Section Part Type Clause  

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system works is showing an example from the NCC 2019 translated into 2022 so I'll do that in a  

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moment starting with the next slide. But what  I want to point out is that along the way you  

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should pick up some tips and tricks about how  to find what you're after in the new system you  

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might come to NCC 2022 with the old reference  in your mind I wanted to give you some tips  

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and tricks to help you find that old reference  how that's been translated to the new reference.

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And like I said the best way to do that is to  start with an example so here is E4.5 exit  

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signs as specified in NCC 2019. Now this is how the  existing or the 2019 referencing system works we  

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know that E4.5 exit signs is in Section E  because under the current numbering system E4.5  

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starts with the letter e. Next comes part  we know that E4.5 exit signs is in Part 4  

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because after the E comes the number 4, I think you can see  where this is going. Next is type SPTC Section Part  

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Type Clause we are up to type. Now under the  current system you'll know that this is a  

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Deemed-to-Satisfy provision E4.5 because there's  no letter after the E, if it was a performance  

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requirement so consider EP4.2, that's the relevant  performance required for E4.5 we know that EP4.2  

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is a performance requirement because there is  a P under the current system after after the E.

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Also there's verification methods in the  current system we'd know it would be a  

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verification method if it was EV so for instance  EV4.1 is a verification method in NCC 2019.

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Because there's no letter there we know it's a  Deemed-to-Satisfy provision, so just note that  

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for now. And next in the current system E4.5  the last last numeral in that designation is  

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five because it's the fifth clause in part  four of Section E that's why it's E4.5.

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So that's how the current system works, this is how it translates to the new system  

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moving from E4.5 in NCC 2019 going across to  NCC 2022 we have E4D5, Section Part Type Clause. 

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So E4.5 becomes E4D5 now exit signs this  provision translates quite tidily, it makes  

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the referencing system the new referencing system  look quite easy really just take the take the dot  

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away and put in the letter D for Deemed-to-Satisfy P for performance requirement, Etc.

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Now there's been other changes for NCC 2022 that  mean that it doesn't always translate this tidily.

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For example there's a little trick that depends  on where the performance requirements are.

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Here's something you've probably already know but  never really noticed and that is that sometimes in  

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Volume One the performance requirements are at the  beginning of the section and sometimes in Volume One

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the performance requirements are found at the  beginning of the part. So for example Section C the  

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performance requirements are at the beginning  of the section there's three parts in section  

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C1 fire resistance C2 compartmentation C3  protection of openings now all these parts are  

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related to one another they're to do with fire  performance and those performance requirements  

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are related to one another these three parts  are all related to the same fire  

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related performance requirements and that  makes sense and that's fine. But consider  

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Section F for example, so Section F is all about  health and amenity but health and amenity is

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quite a broad subject you've got toilet provisions  in F2, you've got noise attenuation in F5, 

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now F2 has its own performance requirements  to do with toilet provision and F5 has its own  

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separate performance requirements to do with noise  attenuation, now although they're all about health  

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and amenity they're different subject areas and  therefore have different performance requirements  

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and that's why those performance requirements  are found at the beginning of each part and  

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of course that's fine because it's just health  and amenity it all meets that particular section.

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Now why am I telling you this well it's because  where the performance requirements are found at  

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the beginning of the part we've had to actually  create a new part to accommodate those performance  

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requirements and also verification methods if  there are verification methods for that particular  

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part. So for example Section C again fire  resistance we've got the performance requirements  

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and verification methods in a brand new Part  C1 and of course what that has done is meant  

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that the part number in the referencing system  has bumped up by one so C1.14 ancillary  

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elements as referred to in NCC 2019 becomes C2D14  ancillary elements in NCC 2022 because the part  

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number has been bumped up by one. And if you're  still lost CRTL-F is your friend you can do a  

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search in the new NCC 2022 because we've included  the old reference this 2019 reference next to the  

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title in every new provision in NCC 2022. Now the  specifications, in Volume One the specifications  

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are now all numbered it starts at number one and  goes into the 40s I have on this particular slide  

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some of the more popular specifications listed  here for example Spec C1.1 is now spec 5.  

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Now I'm afraid I haven't got any translation  tricks for you here but we do have a list  

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of NCC Specifications at the front of Volume  One that you might find useful and of course  

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that search function that I mentioned just now  also works because we still have the old clause  

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numbers next to the title of every part of the  clause for NCC 2022. Now that covers the changes  

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in the referencing system and the structure for  Volume One now I'm going to show you Volume Two.  

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Volume Two has had a big makeover and this is  what Volume Two looks like today, we start with  

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Section 1 the governing requirements which is  more or less the same as Section A in Volume One,

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then we have Section 2 in the 2019 system for  Volume Two and Section 2 contains the performance  

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provisions this is where the performance  requirements and the verification methods live,  

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and then we have Section 3 which is mostly the  acceptable construction practice and all the parts  

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are listed here from 3.0 structural  provisions down to 3.12 Energy Efficiency, 

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and after that we have the Schedules including  the definitions and state and territory variations  

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much certain territory editions much like  Volume One. So that's how Volume Two looks today  

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like I've said we've given Volume Two a large  makeover and that's because for 2022 we've picked  

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up most of the acceptable construction practice  out of Section 3 and transferred that into a new  

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ABCB reference document the ABCB Housing Provisions Standard. Think of this as being like a reference  

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standard like perhaps an Australian Standard  it's not in the NCC but it's called up by the NCC.

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It's not our reference document we already  have three ABCB reference standards there's the  

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protocol for structural software, the standard  for construction in flight hazard areas, we've  

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also got the standard for NatHERS Heating and  Cooling load limits these are freely available  

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ABCB Standards that are on our website today  and referenced by the National Construction Code.  

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So the idea of an ABCB Standard isn't new, however  this is our biggest one ever it's over 400 pages  

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and that's what you get when you pick up most of  Volume Two and move it into a reference standard.

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As a result Volume Two itself has become a  lot thinner you still have the governing  

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requirements, that's section A and then you  have that Section H that I mentioned earlier  

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and each of these parts, the parts in Section H  have the relevant performance requirements, the  

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verification methods, if there are any, and then you  have these Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions that are  

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enacting the Housing Provisions by referencing  them. Now these particular provisions might also  

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enact a referenced Australian Standard, I'll  show you an example on the next slide, but  

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certainly this is how the ABCB Housing Provision  Standard is called up by NCC 2022 Volume Two.  

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Now some of you might be thinking okay when it  comes to Volume Two today I rarely find myself in  

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Section 2 I usually just go to Section 3 and that's where I find my Deemed-to-Satisfy

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provisions within the pages of the  code the acceptable construction practice and  

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you think to yourself well because of this I'm  probably going to be finding myself picking up  

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the Housing Provisions Standard and I don't really  have to pick up NCC 2022 Volume Two because I'm not  

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using the verification methods or the performance  requirements. Now that might be the case and you  

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may you are going to find yourself in the Housing  Provisions Standard a lot but please note this very  

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carefully that the ABCB Housing Provisions Standard  must be read in conjunction with NCC 2022 Volume Two.

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I'll demonstrate this by showing you H1D5  masonry in Volume Two. So H1D5 subclause (1) is the new  

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part of volume Two that deals with masonry veneer  now this is one of those application clauses  

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that I was speaking about earlier. Note that this  application clause allows you to use the reference  

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standards AS 3700 or AS 4773 series and this is  the case today there's no technical change here  

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or as an alternative to these you can  use Part 5.2 of the ABCB Housing Provisions Standard  

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this is how it's enacted by Volume  Two, but what I want to highlight on this slide  

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is the limitations that for using the standard  are contained here in Volume Two. Now these  

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limitations aren't new these are 3.3.5.1 in NCC 2019 however these limitations are integral to  

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using the provisions of the standard but you  won't find them in the standard so as you can  

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see you need to keep Volume Two at hand when you're  using the new ABCB Housing Provisions Standard but  

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of course in a digital environment that's easy you  just click between the two documents that's fine.

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Now don't worry if you do pick up the standard  first there are reminders in that standard itself  

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to point you back to Volume Two so here is Part  5.2 masonry veneer inside the standard we've just  

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been passed here we've just been sent here from  Volume Two but have a look at subclause (1) this  

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subclause is reminding us that this particular  part of the Housing Provisions Standard is subject  

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to the limitations found elsewhere that is back  in Volume Two H1D5(1)(c). Note also that  

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5.2.1 subclause (2) is saying that you don't have  to use these Housing Provisions Standard if you're  

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complying with AS 3700 or the AS 4773 series it's  reminding you that if you're using the reference  

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documents as acceptable construction manuals as we  call them today then you don't need to use these  

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particular provisions inside the Housing Provisions  Standard. So what I'm saying if you do pick up the  

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standard first you're going to find links back to  Volume Two when it matters. Now a question that we're  

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often asked about the new referencing system is  why are we doing this well there's a few reasons  

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but in a nutshell the new referencing system is  necessary to achieve digitization. Put simply the  

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existing referencing system is not machine  readable and a machine readable referencing  

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system is necessary to achieve digitization, now  digitization is something that the board and the  

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office of the ABCB are committed to and therefore  was necessary to introduce this new referencing  

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system. This video has been a brief overview of the  new referencing system for NCC 2022 Volumes One and Two.

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If you do require further information  please refer to our website abcb.gov.au

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