The NCC is free & Coming Soon!
The National code of construction, also known as the NCC, is the minimum standard of safety, health, amenity, and sustainability for buildings across Australia.
Future online editions, commencing with the NCC 2015, will now be made freely available to registered users commencing with access to a free preview of NCC 2015 (both online and in PDF) prior to its adoption date of 1 May. Users will be able to access NCC 2015 Volume One, Two, Three and the Guide to Volume One, along with a new stand-alone document that contains the Performance Requirements extracted from the NCC.
To register for access to the NCC 2015, please click here.
HIA are also producing hard copies of the document. Enquiries on obtaining this document should be directed to their email address.
A key change within the formatting of the documents is that a Performance requirements extract of the NCC will be made available as a separate document. We will use this blog as a brief overview as to what a performance requirement is & how to best use the documentation that is to be freely available.
What is a performance requirement?
Performance requirements are the only legal requirements of the NCC and set the minimum level that buildings, building elements, and plumbing and drainage systems must meet.
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How is a performance requirement satisfied? There are two options to satisfy the performance requirements, a prescriptive solution (also known as meeting the deemed-to-satisfy provisions), or a performance solution (also known as an alternative solution). What is a prescriptive solution? These solutions are known to directly meet the deemed-to-satisfy provisions stated within the NCC, which clearly states what, when, & how to do something. What is a performance solution? Also known as an alternative solution, a performance solution is unique for each individual situation. These solutions are often flexible in achieving the outcomes and encouraging innovative design and technology use. A performance solution directly addresses the performance requirements, and will need to include some form of expert judgement and analysing by the appropriate regulatory authorities. |
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Often a performance solution will require extracts taken from referenced standards from within the NCC, which unfortunately still require purchasing, at around $2,400 for an annual subscription to the standards in which the NCC references.
Nevertheless, we are still delighted that this document has been made readily available as it landmarks an important step by the Australian Building Codes Board to increase awareness, knowledge & availability of building codes.
Once the NCC becomes officially adopted we will release a post on the major changes in comparison to 2014, until then, happy reading!