Instructions
1. Your assignment must be submitted with a completed and signed
Assignment Cover Sheet attached to the front. Do not submit the cover
sheet as a separate document.
2. A reference to the National Construction Code in this assignment is a
reference to the 2019 edition (including amendment 1) of Volume One
of that Code (hereafter referred to as the NCC).
3. Where a question asks you to discuss a matter, marks will be awarded for
providing a good discussion of the concepts and criteria of direct relevance
to the question, explaining in your own words how you reached your
answer. You must evidence that you have researched the topic in
questions such as these by inclusion of appropriate references where
relevant. You must also provide where necessary reference to relevant
legislative provisions, or provisions from the NCC, on which your response
is based.
4. Your responses to questions of the kind referred to above must not exceed
the indicated word limit. They do not have to reach that limit however
marks may be deducted for answers substantially less than the word limit.
5. Your referencing must be in the Harvard style. Marks will be deducted for
inadequate or incorrect referencing.
6. Where a question asks you to identify the provisions of the law or the NCC
on which you rely to derive your answer – be specific down to the
subsection, sub-clause, sub-paragraph (as relevant).
7. Where a question includes a diagram of a building, you must not articulate
alterations to the design of the building for parts that are clearly shown in
the diagram. If the diagrams are not detailed enough for certain aspects of
the building’s design, you may make assumptions about those parts and
must clearly articulate these assumptions (if any).
8. Do not just copy assignments and fill in the spaces available for answers.
Present your answers as a separate document (with completed cover
sheet).
9. At the commencement of your answer to each question state the question
number.
10. Your assignments must be presented in the portrait orientation unless
otherwise specified by the particular assignment.
11. Do not repeat the question in your answer.
12. Your answers to each Section must commence on a fresh page in your
submitted document.
13. Number all pages you submit.
14. Indicate your name and your student number at the top of each page.
15. The value of each question is indicated.
16. Unless otherwise stated, NCC type questions in this assignment relate to
compliance with the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions (DTS Provisions)
contained in the NCC.
17. Marks will be deducted for answers that merely regurgitate provisions from
the NCC or related legislation.
18. In this assignment terms defined under the NCC have been italicised
wherever possible.
19. The value of this assignment is indicated in the unit outline
BUILDING REGULATIONS (general) / NCC GENERAL PROVISIONS /
NCC SECTION C
Question 1 (14 Marks (ie. 8 marks for (a) and 6 marks for (b))
(a) Briefly explain the role of the following bodies in ensuring building products
are fit for purpose:
(i) JAS-ANZ
(ii) CodeMark Certification Bodies
(iii) National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA)
(iv) Standards Australia
(50 words max each response)
(b) Assume you are the certifying/approval authority for a commercial building
project under construction. In order to be able to satisfy yourself at project end
the completed building is fit for occupation you will need to undertake
inspections and obtain documentary evidence that proves that products used
in the construction that are regulated by the NCC are NCC compliant. In this
regard it is imperative that you rely only on the most appropriate forms of
documentary evidence.
For the following products specify the kind of documentary evidence (from
A5.2(1)) that you would expect to be provided with to verify their conformity
with the matter stated (certification from a professional engineer (A5.2(1)(e))
excluded).
In answering this question, review current industry conformity assessment
schemes (see study modules) and where relevant specify the scheme under
which the certification will be provided.
(i) Fire indicator panel – Compliance with the relevant standard for fire
indicator panels.
(ii) Carpet and wall linings proposed for use in the foyers – Compliance with
the required fire hazard properties.
(iii) Glass façade – Total System U-Value and Total System Solar Heat Gain
Coefficient.
6Question 2 (10 marks (ie 2 mark each for (a) to (c) and 4 mark for (d))
Classify the following:
(a) A public laundry
(b) Motor vehicle showroom
(c) A detached garage on a residential allotment associated with a single
dwelling. The garage can accommodate parking for up to 6 cars.
(d) The buildings illustrated in the following diagrams:
(i)
(ii)
7Question 3 (8 marks (2 mark each for (a) and (b), and 4 marks for (c)))
Taking into account the fire compartment size limitations of the NCC what is the
maximum permissible floor area and volume for the following buildings and parts
of buildings? Note that the buildings described in (a) and (c) will be a single fire
compartment.
(a) A Class 8 building with a rise in storeys of 3? The building will not be treated
as a large isolated building.
(b) A basement carpark containing several storeys of carparking below a high
rise (20 storey) commercial building? The carpark is a single but separate fire
compartment. The building will be sprinkler protected. The building will not be
treated as a large isolated building.
(c) A large single storey commercial building which will accommodate multiple
major occupancies? The planning approval permits retail, professional
offices and cinemas. The proportion of the overall floor area occupied by
each use will be as follows:
Retail – 60%
Professional offices – 30%
Cinemas – 10%
The building will be constructed to comply with the requirements for Type A
construction. Carparking is external to the building at grade. Show how you
determined your answer to this question.
8Question 4 (12 Marks)
Using the approach explained in the study modules (and in the NCC/ NCC
Guide) determine the required Type of construction for the following building,
and where the preliminary Type of construction differs from the required final
Type of construction state why:
The following illustrated proposed high bay storage warehouse. It includes an
associated office and an under croft carpark.
The building has floor areas and room heights as follows:
Warehouse – 1600m 2 floor area with a clear average internal height of 14m. The
mezzanine within the warehouse has floor area 190m 2
.
Office – 400m 2
, floor area with a ceiling height of 2.7m.
Under croft carpark – 300m 2 floor area with a clear height of 2.7m.
The building is built to the side and rear boundaries of the allotment on which it
stands, and hence is not to be treated as a large isolated building. The building
will be a single fire compartment.
Present your answer in the following tabular format:
Building classification(s)
Rise in storeys
Type of construction pursuant to Table C1.1
Required final Type of construction
9Question 5 (7 marks (2 mark each for (a) and (b) and 3 marks for (c))
Read each statement carefully and determine whether they are true or false.
If the statement is incorrect then correct it. Give justification for your answers.
Your justification must be based on the DTS Provisions. That is, your answer
must refer to one or more DTS Provisions which support your answer.
(50 words max for each justification for (a) and (b) 100 words max for (c))
(a) Under the NCC plasterboard, although containing combustible components,
is recognised as a non-combustible material?
(i) True False
(ii) Justification
(b) A plant room occupying 20% of the floor area of the fifth floor of a 10 storey
office building must be fire separated from the rest of the storey it occupies?
The plant room accommodates air-handling plant only.
(i) True False
(ii) Justification
(c) For the below building, which part(s) of the building can be constructed to
Type C construction when considering the requirements of Part C1 of the
BCA?
(i) No part All parts The Class 2 part only
(ii) Justification
10Question 6 (11 marks (4 marks for (a) and (b), 2 mark for (c), and 1 mark for
(d))
(a) Discuss the meaning of an FRL of 120/90/60.
(100 words max)
(b) You have been presented with the structural engineer’s plans for a
proposed commercial building which detail its reinforced concrete elements.
The plans show a reinforced concrete framed building with 150mm thick
suspended upper floor slabs that will be continuous over internal supporting
columns and beams.
Assuming the slabs require an FRL of 180/180/180 specify the means
recognised by the NCC as acceptable for determining whether the
construction illustrated and described will achieve this FRL.
(c) It is proposed to fire separate sole-occupancy units in a Class 2 building of
Type A construction with solid gypsum block walls 110mm thick. The FRL is
to be determined in accordance with Specification A5.4. Which of the
following is a DTS Provision compliant solution?
(i) A loadbearing wall 2.4m high?
(ii) A non-loadbearing wall 2.4m high?
(iii) A non-loadbearing wall 2.7m high?
(iv) All of the above?
(d) Where an FRL is required for a wall (say an external wall) the expectation is
that the wall be able to achieve that FRL from all directions to which it may
be exposed to fire (external and internal). However, the NCC does relax this
expectation for certain circumstances and allows an external wall to be
constructed to only have to resist an external fire (ie it permits brick veneer
construction). Which DTS Provision permits this?
11Question 7 (38 marks)
See questions over page regarding the following building:
The basement carpark level has a floor area of 1500m 2
, an internal height of
2.5m, and accommodates more than 40 vehicles. Levels 1 to 4 also have a floor
area of 1500m 2 each and an internal (slab to slab) height of 3.3m and a ceiling
height of 2.8m. Generally, each storey of the building is a separate fire
compartment.
The plant room at level 5 has a floor area of 150m 2
. It contains, water tanks, air-
conditioning equipment and lift motors.
The building is reinforced concrete framed (ie. reinforced concrete columns,
beams and floors). The type of external wall cladding to be utilised has not yet
been selected however, will be either infill masonry, or glazing in metal framing.
The external walls will be insulated, and the glazing will be either high
performance glazing or shaded to achieve compliance with Section J of the NCC.
Internal walls including shaft walls will be of lightweight construction.
The roof will be steel framed with colour bonded metal roof sheeting atop.
12Questions regarding the Building
Based on the diagram and the foregoing information provide responses to the
following questions:
(a) Specify the most efficient FRLs required of the following building elements,
and if the building element is also required to be non-combustible state so.
If you determine that no FRL is required state the DTS Provisions on which
you rely for your answer:
NB. Your answers must take into account any relevant concessions, the requirements
regarding separation of parts of different classifications, and the support for another part
requirements – assuming horizontal building elements will be providing lateral support to
vertical elements:
(i) Floor A –
(ii) Floor B –
(iii) Floor C –
(iv) Floor D –
(v) Roof –.
(vi) Internal columns to the at the basement carpark level –
(vii) External wall B at level 5 –
(viii) Non-loadbearing part of external wall B at level 1 –
(ix) Loadbearing parts of external wall B at level 4 –
(x) Non-loadbearing parts of external wall A at level 3 –
(xi) Loadbearing parts of external wall A at level 4 –
(xii) Internal lift shaft walls level 4 (assume they are loadbearing) –
(xiii) Internal lift shaft walls at the basement carpark level (assume they are
loadbearing)
(26 marks)
13(b) Specify the required fire hazard properties for the following:
(i) Floor linings to the public corridors of level 3 (NB There is more than
one office tenancy on levels 2 and 3) –
(ii) Wall linings inside the principal office tenancy at level 2. The tenancy
is an open space office that will have floor dimensions of 20m X 40m –
(iii) Floor linings to the lift lobby in the basement carpark –
(iv) Floor linings to the fire-isolated exits (notwithstanding that the carpark
will be sprinkler protected assume the fire-isolated exits will not) –
(v) Floor linings to the lift car –
(vi) Kitchen cupboards in the staff lunchroom on level 3 –
(12 marks
