|
A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as buildings and non-building structures.
CODES: The designer should always remember that codes are legally and ethically considered to be minimum criteria that must be met by the design and construction community.
The main purpose of building codes are to protect public health, safety and general welfare as they relate to the construction and occupancy of buildings and structures. The building code becomes law of a particular jurisdiction when formally enacted by the appropriate authority. Building codes are generally intended to be applied by architects, interior designers and engineers both in the public and private sector, but are also used for various purposes by safety inspectors, environmental scientists, real estate developers, contractors and subcontractors, manufacturers of building products and materials, insurance companies, facility managers, tenants, and others.
There are often additional codes or sections of the same building code that have more specific requirements that apply to dwellings and special construction objects such as canopies, signs, pedestrian walkways, parking lots, and radio and television antennas.
The practice of developing, approving, and enforcing building codes varies considerably among nations, they are International Building Code. In some countries building codes are developed by the government agencies or quasi-governmental standards organizations and then enforced across the country by the central government. Such codes are known as the national building codes (in a sense they enjoy a mandatory nation-wide application).
There are instances when some local jurisdictions choose to develop their own building codes. In India, each municipality and urban development authority has its own building code, which is mandatory for all construction within their jurisdiction. All these local building codes are variants of a National Building Code, which serves as model code proving guidelines for regulating building construction activity.
STANDARDS: The protection of health, safety and welfare is the goal of these minimum standards. The so-called “standard of care” is a legal term defining the level of quality of service that a practitioner is expected to meet. This is higher than the minimum standard defined by the code. The code is the level that a practitioner must never go below
|
Participants