UDI Presentation: Building Code Changes for 2019
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| 'Climbable' guards now permitted when fall hazard is under 4.2m - example shown: X-TEND mesh by Ronstan |
Around 700 changes were made to the latest BC Building Code, and amazingly, this Wednesday morning a team from UDI were able to distill issues to a breakfast meeting presentation.
Don Pedde, Barry Thorson, Phil White and Chris Radziminski gave an overview for Part 9 and Part 3 Buildings along with City of Vancouver plumbing updates.
Part 3 Updates (Complex Buildings)
- Mixed use buildings to six storeys can now be built in entirely combustible material (rather than requiring concrete for commercial at ground level) with 2 hour fire separation (only) between commercial/residential uses (3.2.2 Article)
- Six storey building maximum size increases
- Interconnection between Floors: Levels 1 and 2 or P1 and 1 – relaxation of requirements
- Exiting – Discharge doors from two required exits may need to be further apart and closer to the street so that a single parked truck won't be able inadvertantly block both exits
- Exiting - Cross over (to another exit) floors are now required in 4 to 6 Storey Buildings and underground parking of more than 3 levels
- Guards – climbable guards are now permitted as long as the fall hazard is under 4.2M
- Guards and stair handrails can now be the same height at 1070mm (3’6”)
- Elevators for Limited Use can be smaller as the need to accommodate a stretcher has been removed and a ‘Garaventa’ type stair lift is now permitted to provide CSA-B355 access
Part 9 and 'All Code' Updates
- Stairs – Private dwelling stairs tread width (defined as run) has grown 45mm to 255mm minimum
- Guards – climbable guards now permitted as long as the fall hazard is under 4.2M (expect to see a lot of horizontal residential railings soon)
- No longer possible to use a newel post as a transition on the inside corner of a landing with winder treads - handrail must be continuous
- Accessibility (for disability) – check out the soon to be available ‘BC Building Access Handbook'
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| Current handbook - new handbook coming soon |
- Energy efficiency standards – increased with new metrics and tables – see EnergyStepCode.ca/news
- Sound transmission – ‘Apparent Sound Transmission Class’ (ASTC) replaces STC to now include the sum of direct and flanking assembly transmission
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| Blue line shows flanking sound path |
- Seismic design – lateral bracing requirements slightly down in Vancouver and Kelowna, but up in Victoria
Water Use (City of Vancouver - COV)
- Enhanced Public Safety focusing on water quality and piping as it relates rainwater harvesting systems, decorative fountains, cooling towers, municipal water supply - building water treatment and geoexchange systems
- The City will require quarterly reporting on water quality testing for new and existing systems to meet temperature of less than 20 deg. C; turbidity of less than 10 NTU and E.coli of less than 100CFU / 100 ml
- Harvested water must supply toilets, urinals and trap primers with optional use for irrigation and make up for cooling towers
- Use purple piping
- Rainwater - above grade and no vehicular traffic and/ or use clear water waste. (Clearwater is solid-free wastewater which includes water produced while waiting for hot water from the faucet to heat up, refrigerator compressor drip, and more)
