Building Assessment and Regulation Report

This report evaluates a residential building of class 2 on Hamilton Island, Victoria State, Australia for compliance and deficiencies. It covers aspects such as building classification, passive fire resistance, egress, active fire control, access, health and amenity, and energy efficiency.

BUILDING ASSESSMENT AND REGULATION REPORT
PREPARED BY:
DATED:
Background
The project is situated on Hamilton Island in Victoria State, Australia. It involves design and
construction of a residential building of class 2. It is hereby evaluated for compliance and
deficiencies. Firstly, relevant clauses of compliance are highlighted and then the building is
checked for full, partial or zero compliance. Thereafter, the deficiencies are noted and
recommended for improvement.
1. Classification of Building
Building classification: 2
Compliance
No deficiency in compliance as all requirements are met as far as building classification
is concerned. It is not designed for other purpose a part from the intended one which is
residential. .
Rise in storey
The total floor levels from the project drawings can be deduced as 5 with no atrium in the
offing. This is as per clause 1.2 ( BCA 2015 & Sa.gov.au, 2018 ).
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Number of storeys Multistorey ; class 2 Complied based on No deficiency noted

the features in the
drawing attached;
the principle of sole
occupancy is
replicated in the
building.
Type of fire resisting construction
Mostly concrete and brick walls are used for the walling element hence FRLs is boosted.
Concrete performs better in fire resistance levels.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Fire resisting walls Concrete material is
predominant
100% compliance as
FRLS is at 60/30
No deficiency noted
2. Passive Fire resistance
Fire source features
The following were to be incorporated: external walls are made of concrete as per clause
1.11. Other non-combustible materials to be used include: plasterboard, gypsum

performance, fibrous plaster, prefinished metal sheeting, bonded laminated (adhesion
layers above 2mm). Prefinished metal sheets, bonded laminated materials (adhesion layer
should be above 2mm as per clause F 1.12
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Fire resistance
(passive)
Non combustible
materials used such
as plasterboards
Partially complied. Not clear which
materials are used
Fire resisting requirements
The adequately provided FRLs should be 60/30
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Fire resisting
construction
Concrete is
predominant for the
walls and slab
construction
Fully complied No deficiency
Fire walls
In construction of fire walls, the FRL is noted as per clause 1.1 for all parts adjoining the
walls. The openings NEED NOT reduce the FRL and also fire walls must not be crossing
the building elements
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY

Fire wall Mostly concrete Full compliance No deficiency
Protection of Doors and Windows
For doorways, self closing with FRL of 60/30 is adequate. For windows there must be
automatic closing with FRL 60/30. An alternative to this is the permanently fixed closed
ends with fire shutters (Awa.org.au, 2018). Other openings must be in tandem with the
required FRL
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Doors and windows Metal grills and
glass for the
window panes
Fully complied as
FRL is boosted
No deficiency noted
Separation of openings in external walls
This is done as per clause 2.6 where openings be separated with spandrel and this must
constructed such that it is not less than 900mm in height and extends not less than
600mm above the surface. Non combustible materials are to be used.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Separation walls Concrete blocks
separation and also
spandrel is
available for every
Fully complied No deficiency

floor
3. Egress
Number of exits
The required number of exits should be at least one exit per storey and the effective
height should be more than 25m
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Exits Average of 3 per
floor is deduced
Egress room in the
basement
Fir stairs next to the
lift
Fully complied No deficiency
Fire isolation
Compartmentalization of the units is one way that this must be done. The stairways and
ramps must be fire isolated.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Fire isolation Fire stairs next to
the lift
Partially complied There is no
justification not to
include the fire
control room in the

drawing
Travel distance
From any point to a single exit the distance should not be more than 20m and this is as
per D1.2 of BCA 2015. However, the distance between exits must be 45m apart as a
maximum value. The exits must not be less than 2m in height.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Travel distance Vertically is at a
maximum of
3200mm and
horizontally same
Not complied, the distance between
points is greater
Design of exits (including occupancy)
The stairways are not to have more than 18 or less than two risers in each flight. Per
person, the following must be incorporated: computer room: 25m2, Gymnasium: 3m2 and
kitchen 10m2.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Design of exits No feature noted Zero compliance Design of exits not

adequate
4. Active Fire Control
Emergency Lighting and exit signs
The emergency lighting must be available at all exit points in each level. The calculated
horizontal illuminance must not be less than 0.2 lux at floor level. The performance rating
of the illuminance must be such that it is less than 90mins.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Emergency lighting
and exit signs
No exit signs noted
Lighting is
adequate given the
substation and main
switch board on
ground floor
Partially complied The lighting design
is missing
Exits signs missing
hence illuminance is
not possible to be
estimated
Smoke detection
Must be available in each room incorporated with a central control system.
Fire hydrants
This is optional element. However, it must be incorporated in high risk areas within the
room.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY

Smoke detection No smoke detection
noted
Zero compliance Missing yet crucial
element
Fire hose reels
This must be incorporated at every floor level and be in good working condition all times.
Inspection and checks be done on a regularly basis preferably quarterly.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Fire hose reels Present in each
floor
Fully complied No deficiency
5. Access
Stair construction
Ensure the number of storeys is connected.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Stair construction
and access
Externaly there are
pedestrian entry,
carpark entry,
footpath and
driveway access.
Partially complied Stair construction
detail missing yet
crucial

No details on stair
constructions
Handrails
This must be located at least one side of ramp. The height must not be less than 865mm.
There should be no obstruction and confines between the stair landings. The exit to the
serving area must be accessible as per clause 12 of AS 1428.1
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Handrails No handrail Zero compliance Hand rails missing
Disabled access
For people with disability, access design must also cater for them. Compliance to this is
referred to clause D3.3. In other access routes (external), for instance pedestrian entrance
must be accessible to at least 1 floor and entrance door such that each unit on each level
is accessible. Besides, there should be not less than 1 type of the following facilities:
cooking facility, gymnasium, swimming pool among others.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Disabled access The external entry Partially complied Ramps missing in

points capture the
needs of the
disabled. However,
there are no ramps
included in the
drawing
the drawing
6. Health and Amenity
Damp and Weatherproofing
The building in question is considered a high risk with the following risk factors
involved: wind, cyclones, number of storeys, eaved width, envelope complexity,
balconies among others. There should be provisions against damage to building elements.
The drainage system must have a recurrence interval of 20 years and they must be
properly installed to extend their life span. The roof coverings must be done with
concreting especially for the roof tiles and this must be done as per AS 2049. Wet areas
are to be water resistant ( refer to clause F 1.7 for more details). The slabs for urinals
must be an impervious surface. Besides, it must not be subjected to the ultimate limit
sate. The wind pressure acting must not be more than 2.5kPa this is as per clause FV1.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Damp and
weatherproofing
300x400mm duct to
discharge through.
Fully complied No deficiency noted

The stormwater
through the box
gutter, the eaves
gutter are included
for storm water
management
Sanitary and Other facilities
The following must be incorporated: kitchen sink, bath/shower, closet pan and wash
basin; the laundry facilities must include: clothes washing, drying, clothes line (which
must not be less than 7.5m in line) This is as per table F2.1.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Sanitary facilities Wash service, at
central location;
floor water sink on
right half of kitchen
Bath/shower and
laundry facilities
included
Fully complied No deficiency
Light

There must be sufficient windows to provide natural lighting as per F4.2. The glazing
bars (if any) must not be less than 10% of area of room. The roof lights should be having
aggregates (transmitting area) of not less than 3% of floor area of the room. The window
facing part of adjoining wall of the same building must be such that the horizontal
distance from that boundary wall should be greater than 1m. Provisions must be made
such that the natural light penetrate from the adjoining room through windows and roof.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Light No features or
lighting design
done
Zero compliance
Ventilation and Room Height
Natural ventilation must be incorporated in the design as per F4.6 where adequate
number of windows per wall in necessary. Facilities providing assistance to this element
are such like the mechanical ventilation and air-conditioning system which must comply
with AS 1668.2 and AS NZS 3666.1. Therefore, consists of performance openings,
windows, doors and other openable devices.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Ventilation There is mechanical
ventilation grills
Complied

Sound Transmission and Insulation
The separation of walls for sole occupancy must be able to insulate against airborne
sounds and impact generated solid. The performance NEED NOT be compromised
through the door assembly or penetration of a pipe. Prior to the ratings, the performance
requirements must be specified such as: The required value for weighted sound reduction
index ( with spectrum adaptation term to be Rw+Ctr. This must be of discontinuous
nature such that the tires are to be resilient type; airborne for masonry walls type. Rw+Ctr
must not be less than 50 and Lnw+C (impact) must not be less than 62.Besides, align this
with the wall construction, should be less than 20mm; 50mm thick glass wool insulation
and two layers of 13mm fire protective grade plasterboard 1 layer of 13mm fire
protective grade plasterboard (Builderassist.com.au, 2018).
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Sound transmission No provisional
indication
Zero compliance
7. Energy efficiency
Climatic Zone
The climatic zone (based on the given location: Hamilton Island, Victoria state) is
obtained from clause J1.3a where it is designated as zone 6.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY

Energy efficiency No feature included Zero compliance
Overall efficiency
In this case, the design must attain a minimum R-value of 2.8. The glazing energy index must
satisfy option B of table J2.4a. For the climatic zone given above, the energy constant must be as
per table 2.4b and this is given for all orientations.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Overall efficiency No elements for
calculation
Zero compliance
For Ca: NW (0.61); SW (-0.90); N(-0.37); NE (-0.38); E(-0.59); SE(-0.82) and S(-0.87).
For Cb: N(1.53), NE(-0.01), E(0.03) and S(0.11)
Building fabric
In thermal construction, insulation must comply with AS/NZS 4859.1. Reflective
insulation requirements are such that it must be between the building lining and reflective
side (Belusko and O'Leary, 2010).. The adjoining sheet of roll membrane being
overlapped must not be less than 50mm.

ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Building fabric Plasterboards and
gypsum are
included as fabric
materials
Services and lighting
All should be adequately supplied.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Lighting and other
services
Substation
incorporated on the
basement;
Security gate
integrated with
sensor technology
Hydrant pump is on
the ground floor ;
Bulky waste storage
and disposal
Fully complied No deficiencies
noted

Main supply switch
board is noted
8. Cyclone Risk
Risk identification
The geographical location of the site pits it into a high risk for cyclones. For gust wind
risk, design must comply such that gust wind speeds in the cyclonic region at a wind
class of C4(assuming extremeties), the serviceability limit state be at 55 and ultimate
limit state at 86. In this case, shielding is not provided as there are no obstructions (at
least from the given information) and the open fields a great risk factor for the cyclones.
This must be designed as per clause 2.5.
Risk control
Design as per clause 2.5 to control the identified risk factors.
ELEMENT FEATURE COMPLIANCE DEFICIENCY
Cyclone and wind
risks
Open space;
geological structure
and landscape
sloping at 1:3 all
facilitate the risk
exposures
Designed with deep
foundation against
seismic forces : a
class C4 (wind class)
Since no structural
design is provided, it
is difficult to know
whether fully
complied or not

References
Awa.org.au. (2018). AS 4055-2012 - Hard Copy - Australian Window Association. [online]
Available at: http://www.awa.org.au/products/as-4055-wind-loads-for-housing-standard/as-
4055-2012---hard-copy [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].
Belusko, M. and O'Leary, T. (2010). Cost Analyses of Measures to Improve Residential Energy
Ratings to 6 Stars - Playford North Development, South Australia. Australasian Journal of
Construction Economics and Building, 10(1/2), p.36.
Builderassist.com.au. (2018). [online] Available at: http://www.builderassist.com.au/wp-
content/uploads/2016/02/NCC2015-BCA-Volume-One.pdf [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].
Sa.gov.au. (2018). SA.GOV.AU - The Building Code of Australia. [online] Available at:
https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/planning-and-property/land-and-property-development/
building-rules-regulations-and-information/the-building-code-of-australia [Accessed 1 Nov.
2018].
BCA .(2015). National Construction Code Series: Building Code of Australia class 2 to 9
Buildings. Available at: http://www.builderassist.com.au/wp