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Building controls
Building Act
Regulations
Building Code
limitations de ned on the certi cate are deemed to comply with the Building Code. They must be accepted by the building consent authority as demonstrating compli- ance with the Building Code.
Acceptable Solutions and Verification Methods are published and maintained by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
Each Acceptable Solution and Veri cation Method provides practical information on one way to meet the performance require- ments of Building Code. There is at least one Acceptable Solution for each clause of the Building Code.
Acceptable Solutions provide a prescrip- tive design and construction process as a means to meet the performance require- ments of the Building Code. They give specific construction details, often for commonly used building materials, systems and methods, and include step-by-step instructions for building methods.
Veri cation Methods provide a series of tests or calculation methods that provide one way to meet the performance requirements of the Building Code. Veri cation Methods can include:
● calculation methods (recognised analytical methods and mathematical models)
● laboratory tests (for prototype compo- nents and systems)
● tests in situ (which may involve exami- nation of plans and veri cation by test, where compliance with speci ed numbers, dimensions or locations is required).
Acceptable Solutions and Verification Methods may list New Zealand standards (called cited standards) that form part of the means to comply with the Building Code. For example, NZS 3604:2011 Timber- framed buildings is cited in Acceptable Solution E2/AS1 as a means to comply with the requirements of Building Code clause E2 External moisture but only for the clauses referenced in E2/AS1.
Legislation
Alternative Solutions
Standards
Alternative method route
Veri cation Methods
Acceptable Solutions
Hierarchy of New Zealand building controls. (Adapted from MBIE drawing.)
Cited standards
Deemed-to-comply route
Other laws also apply to building projects. These include those relating to health and safety, council bylaws, the Resource Management Act 1991 (resource consents) and laws specifying that certain plumbing, gas and electrical work must be carried out by quali ed professionals.
Building regulations
Several building regulations sit under the Building Act and provide details of particular building controls. Examples include prescribed forms, lists of speci ed systems, de nitions of ‘change of use’ and ‘moderate earthquake’ and rates for levies and fees.
Building Code
The Building Act requires that all building work must comply with the Building Code. It sets the minimum performance criteria that all building work must meet, even if the work does not require building consent.
Technically part of a building regulation (contained within Schedule 1 of the Building Regulations 1992), the Building Code covers structural stability, access, moisture control,
durability, services and facilities, and energy e ciency.
Pathways to Building Code compliance
In processing a building consent, a building consent authority – usually the local council – must assess the plans and speci cations to ensure the proposed work complies with the Building Code. A Code Compliance Certificate is issued once the building work is nished and the building consent authority is satis ed the work complies with the building consent.
As it is performance-based, there is more than one way to comply with the require- ments of the Building Code. To demonstrate compliance with the Building Code, building owners may choose one of two routes:
● Deemed-to-comply route
● Alternative method route. Deemed-to-comply route
Designs that follow an Acceptable Solution, a Veri cation Method, a positive determina- tion or use a CodeMark certi ed building product in accordance with the use and
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FEATURE SECTION