Chapter 19 Building Codes & Regulations Flashcards
**Designers are responsible for reviewing local codes, and ensuring their designs are compliant
Because each jurisdiction has unique requirements/amendments, designers must review to determine complete compliance for specific project
Building codes only one type of regulation affecting buildings; additional requirements may include legal/administrative regulations at state, federal, local level
**National electrical codes has been adopted Nation wide
True
**State and federal regulations
Most states have agencies that regulate building; in addition to building code, may enforce energy codes, environmental regulations, fabric flammability, specific rules relating to state government buildings
**STATE HAS THE POWER NOT THE GOVERNMENT!
**Most commonly used code today is?
IBC
International Residential Code (IRC)
govern specific aspects of construction not addressed in main code
NFPA
National Fire Prevention Association; develops standards relating to causes/prevention of fires
**ASTM
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) publishes thousands of test procedures prescribing, in detail, how tests are set up, conducted, etc. ASTM does not perform tests; its standards are used by testing agencies
**UL
Underwriters Laboratories
UL-listed labels mean a total product has passed safety test and is manufactured under
UL follow-up services program
UL-classified label means samples of product tested for certain types of uses only; product with this label must carry statement specifying conditions that were tested for
UL’s Building Materials Directory lists products that have passed safety tests
**Building codes recognize that there is no such thing as a fireproof building; there are only degrees of fire resistance. Two broad classifications of fire resistance:
- Fire resistance of materials & assemblies
- Surface burning characteristics of finish materials
**Most common construction assembly interior design projects require are?
partitions
**Materials by themselves do NOT create a fire-rated barrier; the construction assembly of which they are a part is fire-resistant. The ENTIRE assembly must be completed exactly as specified for the assembly to be considered a fire-rated barrier assembly.
TRUE
**Fire partition:
**wall assembly with 1-hr. rating used in following locations:
- Walls separating dwelling units (apartments, dormitories, assisted living facilities)
- Walls separating guest rooms
- Walls separating tenant spaces in covered mall buildings
- Corridor walls
- ½-hour walls allowed in sprinklered buildings, a few other exceptions
- Must provide continuous barrier, securely attached, extending continuously from floor to structure, or floor to rated ceiling with few exceptions
- Openings must be min. ¾-hour, except corridors, which must have 20-min. assemblies
- continuous slab-to slab partitions usually best and cheapest solution
Fire barrier:
**fire-resistance-rated vertical or horizontal assembly designed to restrict spread of fire, confine it to limited areas, and/or afford safe passage for protected egress
**Provides more protection than fire partitions
Used for the following purposes:
-To enclose vertical exit enclosures (stairways), exit passageways, horizontal exits, and incidental use areas
- To separate different occupancies in a mixed-occupancy situation
- To separate single occupancies into different fire areas
- To otherwise provide a fire barrier where specifically required by code
- Must ALWAYS (with very few exceptions) be continuous from floor slab to underside of floor or roof slab above
- May be required to have fire-resistance rating greater than 1-hour
- Protection for openings in fire barriers vary from ¾-3 hours per IBC
- Openings limited to 25% aggregate length of wall; max. opening size 120s.f.
**Fire barrier opening size exceptions:
- Openings can be greater than 120s.f. if adjoining fire areas equipped throughout with sprinklers
- Fire doors serving exit enclosure can exceed opening limitations
- If opening protective assembly has been tested per code requirements & equal or better fire rating, size not limited per opening standards.
In addition to openings, penetrations, joints, ducts, air transfer openings must be protected as specified in code
true
Fire wall:
resistance-rated wall used to separate single structure into separate construction types or provide for allowable area increases
Smoke barrier
continuous vertical or horizontal membrane with min. 1-hr. rating designed to restrict movement of smoke
IBC rates carpet; it specifically does NOT rate hard flooring, such as wood, terrazzo, vinyl, linoleum
True
**Carpet rated as
Class I or Class II; Class I more fire-resistant
**Textile finishes must meet one of three conditions for use:
Must be rated Class A per ASTM E84 & be protected by sprinklers
Must meet requirements of Method B test protocol of NFPA 265
Must meet requirements of NFPA 286
Ceiling textiles must meet ASTM E84 with sprinklers or NFPA 286
**Occupancy Groups per IBC: A B E F H I M R S U
A Assembly B Business E Educational F Factory & Industrial H Hazardous I Institutional M Mercantile R Residential S Storage U Utility
**Define Occupancy:
refers to type of use assigned to a building or interior space
**Occupancy classification affects the following:
- Occupancy load calculation
- Egress design
- Interior finish requirements
- Use of fire partitions, fire barriers
- Fire detection/suppression systems
- Ventilation & sanitation requirements
- Other special restrictions particular to a given classification
**Accessory occupancy :
is space used in conjunction with main occupancy, but less than 10% of floor area of main occupancy
-Do not need separation with fire barrier
**Incidental use area:
is area required to have fire separation, even though same classification as nearest main occupancy
**Every building is classified into one of five types of construction based on fire resistance of certain building components: Types called Type I-V;
- Type I most fire-resistive (most fire resistant)
- Types I & II are noncombustible
- Types III, IV, V are combustible (least fire resistant)
Glass used in fire-rated partitions is divided into two types by IBC
- fire-protection-rated glazing
- fire-resistance-rated glazing
Fire-protection-rated glazing is:
¼” thick wired glass in steel frames or others that meet applicable requirements; must have 45-minute rating, limited to 1-hr. rated partitions & fire barriers when fire barrier is used to separate occupancies or incidental use areas
Fire-resistance-rated glazing is:
glazing material meeting ASTM E119, which allows special fire-rated glazing with ratings up to 2 hours; may be used in partitions with ratings higher than 1-hour; glazing must have same rating as partition in these cases. No area limitations.
Almost all buildings require some type of detection device, even single smoke detectors in residences
true
Fire protection system:
fire alarm or extinguishing device/system designed to detect, control, or extinguish fire, alert occupants & fire department of fire, or any combination of these systems
Systems designed to detect:
- Smoke or other products of combustion
- Rise in temperature to predetermined level
- Rate of temperature rise to predetermined rate of change
**Guards (guardrails)
- A guard is a component that prevents falls from an elevated area
- Required along open-sided walking surfaces, mezzanines, industrial equipment platforms, stairways, ramps, landings over 30” above floor below
- Stages and some raised platforms exceptions
- Min. 42” high, designed so 4” sphere cannot pass through any opening up to a height of 34”
- Must resist load of 50lb/ft. applied in any direction to top of guard
**Mechanical systems
International Mechanical Code details requirements for materials, design of HVAC equipment
**Plumbing systems
- IBC specifies number of sanitary fixtures required based on occupancy
- International Plumbing Code companion volume of IBC; gives minimum number of toilets, lavatories, drinking fountains, etc.
**Electrical systems
- IBC references NEC
- Details requirements for materials, design of power supply, lighting systems
- Specifies outlet locations, required GFI outlets
**Sound ratings:
- IBC requires wall, floor/ceiling assemblies in residential occupancies separating dwelling units or guest rooms from each other and from public spaces be designed/constructed to provide sound transmission control
- Minimum STC 50 (45 if field-tested) for walls; does not apply to dwelling unit entrance doors, but these must be tight-fitting to frame & sill
- Minimum IIC for floors must be 50 (45 if field-tested)
**IBC and model codes do not regulate furniture flammability:
- Some local/state jurisdictions do include furniture flammability standards as part of their purview
- Standards to define limits on material’s flammability in terms of the following characteristics may apply:
- Resistance to ignition, flame spread, smoldering, prevention of smoke development, prevention of heat contribution to growth of fire, and prevention of toxic gas release
