Building Regulations Report - 300885, Spring 2019, Ku-ring-gai Council

This report, prepared for a Building Regulation Studies assignment, addresses fire-resisting construction requirements for a project located at 900 Pacific Hwy & Fitzsimons Lane, Gordon 2072, under the Ku-ring-gai Council. The report, acting as a building consulting company, analyzes the project's compliance with the NCC 2019 and relevant Australian Standards. It specifically examines the distances between external walls/columns and Fire Source Features (FSF) and determines the minimum Fire Resistance Level (FRL) for external load-bearing members on the ground floor, as per BCA guidelines. The report highlights the importance of FRL in ensuring building safety and evacuation measures, referencing BCA clauses and AS1530.4. The document also includes an introduction to the fictional building consulting company, detailing its objectives, employee roles, and qualifications.

300885 Building Regulation Studies – Spring 2019
Assignment 2 – Building Regulations Report 2019 (35 marks)
PROJECT DETAILS:
Client: Ponzi Developments
Project Location: 900 Pacific Hwy & Fitzsimons Lane, Gordon 2072
Local Council: Ku-ring-gai Council

Question 3. (5 Marks): Fire Resisting Construction
3.1 What is the distance between the external walls or columns on the ground floor level and the nearest Fire
Source Feature (FSF) in the North, East, South and West direction?
According to BCA, the exposure to Fire Source Feature (FSF) is considered when is the elements are
horizontally straight in line between the element and FSF or even the vertical projections of a feature is not
obstructed by other parts of the building. The BCA Clause C2.1 specifies that for the external walls and
columns FSF should be less than 1.5m when the FRL is -/60/60 for Type A construction. In addition, for
Class B construction, the BCA classifies that the external wall and column FSF should be less that 3m
especially for areas less than 5,500 meter square. In addition, for Class A construction, the requirement
specifies that the FSF for external wall should have a minimum of 3 meters on the East and 6 meters on the
west side. The souther side the FSF can be 3 meters and 6 meters on the Northern side due to the availability
of space. The minimum FSF increases with increase with the number of storey due to the increased need for
evacuation. The BCA is able to classify these columns as either Internal, external of in cooperated in the
external walls at different sections. The minimum FSF is done according to the status of the columns and the
external walls but according to the classification of the buildings. The distances increases as the storeys
increases and this is critical to ensure that the evacuation measures can be well implemented.
3.2 What are the minimum Fire Resistance Level (FRL) requirements for the external loadbearing members
on the ground floor level of the project?
The Fire Resistance Level (FRL) is the performance of the building element according to AS1530.4
[3]. The FRL is able to compare the gas temperature against the time relationship in order to measure the
performance criteria. The FRL is measured in terms of the structural adequacy against the integrity and
insulation. The requirements of the FRL are related to the type of construction which is needed for the
different building elements as specified in Parts C1, C2 and C3 of the BCA. The specification C1.1 of the
BCA in tables 3, 4 and 5 are able to set different requirements according to the types A, B and C of
constructions. In addition, the minimum FRL is dependent on whether the members are exposed to FSF and
their relation to the minimum distance. The FRL specified for the loadbearing members on the ground floor
area are meant done with limiting distances from the fire source features which are chosen so as to be able to
provide proper radiation between the barriers and the buildings. In this project, the FRL to the east and
Northern end is 6 meters and 3 meters to the west and southern ends. This is an important factor which is

meant to ensure that the safety of the buildings is achieved. In addition, the loading bearings are meant to
have proper protections for the fire resistant.
References
“Building Code of Australia 1996”, Volume 1 – Class 2 to Class 9 Buildings, Australia Building Code Board, 1996.
AS 1530.4 – 1997, “Methods for Fire Tests and Buildings Materials, Components and Structures Part 4: Fire –Resistance Tests of
Elements of Building Construction”’ Standard Australia, 1997.