PX- Chapter 7: Building Regulation and codes Flashcards
what is the most notable national federal law that regulates construction in a project
ADA Americans with disabilities acts
When would local building regulations come in to play vs national or international building codes
when there are specific concerns or needs of a geographical region or local problems that are not in the typical model codes
what is a model code in reference to building regulations
a code that has been written by a group comprised of experts knowledgeable in the field with out reference to a particular geographical area
what is the benefit of using a model code
you don’t have to pay to make up your own code or go through the process of making your own
what is the primary model code, who makes it & what is it’s intent
IBC or international building code made by the ICC. It’s a consolidation of three model codes. purpose is to bring uniformity to code practices across the country and in other countries
why are building codes written
to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public- they set a minimal level of protection. Sometimes this isn’t enough and other codes are referenced like National Electrical Code (NEC)
What/Who is ASTM and what to they do
American Society for Testing and Materials is a standards writing organization. Does not perform tests, it’s procedures and standards are used by testing agencies
What is ANSI, what do they do
standards approving group- American National Standards Institute - does not develop or write standards, they approve standards developed by other organizations and works to avoid duplication between different standards
Who usually adopts and enforces building codes
local governments (municipality or in Canada, provincial)
how are building codes enforced
through the permit process
who is responsible for making sure the design meets all applicable codes
the design professional (the designer)
when do building standards become law
when they are referred to in a building code. Alone, they have no legal standing
What is NFPA
national fire protection agency. Voluntary organization that develops standards related to the causes and prevention of fires
what is the ICC
international code council
what are some other standards writing organizations
industry trade groups like for heating, refrigerating and air-conditioning engineers (ASHRAE). Tons of these guys
who performs tests on materials or products
sometimes a standards writing organization but mostly its a NRTL national recognized testing laboratory- the most well known is the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) who also develop standards
what does it mean when a product has a listed label on it
when a product is successfully tested and passed the UL test
what does it mean when a product has a classified label
the product was tested for certain types of uses only
what is the most common uses of UL testing (for what type of product)
doors and other opening protections
what are the most important types of test for interior design components
tests that rate the ability of a construction assembly to prevent the passage of fire and smoke from once space to another, and those that rate the degree of flammability of a finish material
what test is most commonly used to test for fire resistance of construction assemblies. How is it tested? What is it testing for? What type of rating does it get when it’s done?
ASTM E119 standard test methods for fire tests of building construction and materials
Tested by building a sample of the wall, floor or ceiling assembly in the lab and setting a fire on one side of it. Tests two things:
- measure heat transfer through the assembly- tests what temperature that the material on the other side of the fire will combust at
- hose stream test- uses a high pressure hose stream to simulate how well the assembly stands up to an impact from falling debris and the cooling and eroding effects of water. Goal- prevent the passage of fire, heat and hot gases for a given number of time
a time based rating is given- the amount of time an assembly can resist a fire without failing. Like 1 hour, 2 hours etc. 20 min, 30 min 45 min for doors and opening assemblies.
what test is for testing door assemblies and their resistance to the passage of flame, heat and gasses
NFPA 252. standard methods of fire tests of door assemblies. does the time and hose stream test too
what test is for testing window and glass block assemblies and their resistance to the passage of flame, heat and gasses
NFPA 257 standard on fire test for window and glass block assemblies
what are flammability tests for finish materials testing for
- if a maetiral is flamable- if yes, does it burn with applied heat or does it burn on it’s own? (does it add fuel to the fire)
- degree of flammability- how fast the fire spreads across the material
- how much smoke and toxic gas the material produces when ignited
which test is the most common fire testing standards for finish materials and what does it test, and what types of ratings does it produce
ASTM E84 standard test method for surface burning characteristics of building materials.- AKA the Steiner tunnel test.
rates the surface burning characteristics
result is a flame spread rating from 0-100 0 being the lowest and 100 being the highest. Classifies them in to three groups A , B & C
A- 0-25 min (most fire resistant)
B 26-75 min
C 76-200
what do building codes specify requirements for in regards to fire
since no building is fire proof, only degrees of resistance, code specify for two broad classifications of fire resistance:
- resistance of materials and assemblies
- surface burning characteristics of finish materials
what ASTM E119 rating does an exit-access corridor require to have
walls are 1 hour and doors are 20 min
what assemblies are interior designers most often concerned with when it comes to fire resistance
permanent partitions, doors, glazed openings, portions of floor/ceiling constructions
what is the difference between a smoke damper and a fire damper
fire damper- UL listed device installed in ducts and auto closes on detection of heat which restricts the passage of fire
smoke damper- UL listed device in ducts operated manually or upon smoke detection depending on code requirements. Restricts passage of smoke
what is the difference between fire partition & fire barriers
Fire Partition- is a wall assembly with a fire resistance rating of 1 hour. slab to slab (or slab to u/s of fire rated ceiling) but can have doors and windows
fire barrier- vertical or horizontal assembly that restricts the spread of a fire- it offers more protection than a fire partition- usually have a rating of more than 1 hour. can’t have openings in them I don’t think?
when would you use a fire partition
walls separating dwelling units or hotel rooms, tenant spaces
corridor walls
elevator lobby separation in high rise buildings
when would you use a fire barrier
to enclose vertical exit enclosers (stairways), exit passageways, horizontal exits
separate different occupancies in a mixed occupancy situation
to separate single occupancies in to different fire areas
when would certain materials be restricted to certain areas of the building based on it’s fire resistance and why would they be restricted
if the building is sprinklered and what fire rating the building has. This is done to limit the amount of combustible material in a building
what types of finishes would be tested using the ASTM E84
wainscotting, paneling, heavy wallcovering and other finishes applied structurally or for decoration
what interior finishing items do not need to be tested by the ASTM E84 test
trim, chair rails, baseboards, handrails or materials less than 0.036 inches thick that are on the surface of a noncombustible wall or ceiling
what thicknesses of material need to be on a noncombustible backing if they are not fire rated themselves
between 1/28” and 1/4”
if a textile wallcovering is used, what must in comply with
must be class A according to ASTM E84
must be protected by an automatic sprinkler system
what test is used for testing flame spread rating on carpet
NFPA 253 standard method of test for critical radiant flux of floor covering systems using radiant heat energy source- tests a carpet in a corridor setting
what types of flooring are regulated by IBC for fire ratings
only carpet because it’s kind of like a textile
what tests must decorative material suspended from walls or ceilings pass (drapery mainly)
NFPA 701 test or be non combustible
flame resistant materials must only be 10% of the aggregate are of walls and ceilings but in Group A occupancies it can be 75% if building is fully sprinklered
what class of flame spread rating must interior trim have
class C. It can also not exceed 10% of the wall or ceiling it’s attached to
why are there occupancy classes for spaces
some spaces are more hazardous than others. Old ppl will take longer to get out of a building
what are the occupancy groups of:
A B E F H I M R S U
A- assembly B- business E- educational F- factory H- hazardous I- institutional M- mercantile R- residential S- storage U- utiliy
in interior design, what does occupancy classification affect
calculation of occupant load egress design interior finish requirements use of fire partitions and fire barries fire detection/supression systems ventilation/sanitation requirements
in what situations would a mixed occupancy space not have to be separated by a fire barrier
in a room that is ancillary to the main occupancy but does not exceed 10% of the floor area of the story that it’s on. Like a gift shop in a hospital
what is an incidental use area when referring to occupancy groups
an ancillary space to the main occupancy but it poses a greater level of risk- it must be separated by a fire barrier and maybe have a sprinkler system depending on what is happening in the hazardous room.
Examples of these types of rooms are- furnace and boiler rooms, laundry rooms over 100 square feet, labs, paint shops etc
what is a building’s fire resistance rating based on
it’s type of construction which includes it’s structural frame, interior and exterior bearing walls, floor & rooof construction
what are the construction types for fire resistance classifications
Type 1- the most fire resistive
Type 2, Type 3, Type 4, Type 5 is the least fire resistive
what is the purpose of designing buildings to a certain fire resistance classification
to protect the structural elements from fire and collapse and to prevent fire from spreading from one building to another.
what does the building fire resistance classification limit in a building
it’s area and height
when would interior designers need to know the construction type of a building
if major changes are being made and if they need to add fire barriers or add sprinklers.
it can also affect the required fire ratings of coverings of structural elements, floor/ceiling assemblies and openings in rated walls
what is included in a fire protection system
a fire alarm or fire extinguishing device or system that is designed to detect, control or extinguish a fire or to alert the occupants or the fire department that a fire has occurred- or any combo of these.
what are automatic fire systems generally activated by
one or more of:
smoke or other products of combustion
a rise in temperature to a predetermined level
a rate of rise in temperature to a predetermined rate of change
what is the most common type of fire suppression system
sprinklers
when can a corridor not be fire rated
if the building is sprinklered. if it is not sprinklered, the corridors must have 1 hour fire rating
who designs and lays out the sprinkler system
mechanical engineer and fire contractor but we should be aware of sprinkler requirements like the spacing and types of heads available
what’s the difference between fire protection rated glazing and fire resistance rated glazing
Fire protection rated: wired glass or glazing that meets NFPA 252 or 257
Fire resistance rated- glazing material (doesn’t need to be glass) that has been tested as part of a fire resistance rated wall assembly according to ASTM E119
what is the function of a Guard (or guardrail) and when are they required
to prevent falls from an elevated area
required along the open side of walking surface that is more than 30” AFF
how tall must a guardrail be
42” h minimum and a sphere of 4” can’t get between any opening up to 36”H. Above 36” a sphere can be 4 3/8”
however in residential spaces it can be 36”H
according to the IBC, what is the minimum STC rating of walls & the minimum impact insulation class (ICC) for floors
50 for both
what are the two types of fireplaces for residential construction
prefab and traditional masonry
For masonry fireplaces, name the clearances for:
- how close can a non combustible trim be to the fire opening
- how far from the fire opening can a mantle that sticks out 1.5” be
- how far does the hearth need to extend outward
- how wide does the hearth need to be
- how thick can non combustable material be that is between 6” and 12” of the fire opening?
- 6”
- 12”
- 16” if opening is less than six square feet
- extend 8” past fireplace opening
- 1/8” for every 1” it is further away from the fire place opening. so 6” away can be 3/4” thick and 12” away can be 1 1/2” thick. After 12” it can project any amount.
define combustable
material that will ignite and burn either as a flame or glow
what is fire resistance
the property of a material or assembly to withstand or resist the spread of fire or give protection from it
what about finises are fire tests testing fore
if the matterial is flammable and if yes, does it burn with applied heat or does it add fuel to the fire
the degree of flammability- how fast the fire spreads across the material)
how much smoke and toxic gas the material produces when ignited
