2022 NCC Seminars: Volume One - Health and amenity

0:00

[Music]

0:09

Hello my name is Graham Moss, I'm the Principal  Building Surveyor for the Australian Building Codes Board

0:13

and this video is an update on NCC 2022 Volume One Section F health and amenity.

0:22

I'll get into the technical changes  in Section F shortly but first I want  

0:26

to show you the structural changes or the changing to the referencing system.

0:30

What we've done for 2022 is we've taken what  was F1 in 2019 and broken that into three parts.

0:38

Now F1 today in NCC 2019 is not a very long  part it's about nine pages in my hard copy BCA.

0:46

But it's grown in 2022 we've got some additional  Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions and once more we're  

0:50

doing some work at the moment and we plan to put  more provisions in NCC 2025 the next scheduled  

0:56

edition of the NCC. So it made sense for NCC  2022 to split Part F1 into three different parts.

1:05

So part F1, the new part F1, is surface  water management, rising damp and  

1:10

external waterproofing, water outside  the building. Part F2 is where there  

1:14

is an overflow protection, water inside the  building and Part F3 is roof and wall cladding.

1:22

So as a result of splitting Part F1 from  2019 into three parts for 2022  

1:28

Section F in 2022 has changed its structure quite  significantly, what was six parts is now eight.

1:37

So to the technical changes F1D4 is the first  one I'll talk about today it's a new clause  

1:42

that recognizes that construction joints are where  leaks tend to happen. So under the Deemed-to-Statisfy  

1:49

provisions for NCC 2022 your construction joints, your control joints, expansion joints, key joints in  

1:55

fact any type of joint that is a part of a roof  or a balcony or something like that that needs  

2:00

to be waterproofed in accordance with AS 4654.2  that's a standard already referenced by the NCC.

2:07

If these joints are part of a roof balcony  or something like that that needs to be  

2:10

waterproofed then that joint needs to  be waterproofed in accordance with 4654.2 that  

2:17

is it needs to be protected. Now note subclause (b)  in F1D4 here, our analysis showed us that there  

2:25

are enough situations where control joints  have been installed under fish ponds, under  

2:30

green roofs, under plantar boxes and things like  that which are consistently wet there's enough  

2:35

control joints in those scenarios to make it  necessary to include that subclause, which  

2:39

is saying don't put those control joints there  because that's where a failure is going to occur.

2:47

Now I need to clarify a few things about F1D4 exposed joints to help you use it in NCC 2022.

2:52

The first thing I want to clarify  is this term here drainage surface,

2:59

so what is a drainage surface, well  put simply it's what the rain falls on.

3:04

F1D4 is about surfaces exposed to weather so  think flat roofs, podiums, rooftop courtyards,

3:10

things like that so the rain falls on these  surfaces and that rain has to drain somewhere  

3:14

so of course that makes it a drainage surface  so when we're talking about drainage surfaces  

3:18

of course we're talking about things that the  rain falls on and therefore needs to drain away.  

3:24

The next thing I want to clarify in F1D4 here  is in this notes box we talk about an  

3:30

exposed joint which is directly below the drainage  surface. Now this is a notes box which is normative  

3:37

it's not information it's explanatory it's not  commentary it's actually a part of the provision  

3:41

and sets out something that needs to be complied  with. What this notes box is saying is that an  

3:47

exposed joint which is directly below the drainage  surface is one which needs to be protected also.  

3:52

So what sort of scenario is that what are we  getting at when we're talking about an exposed  

3:56

joint directly below the drainage surface. Let me explain using this example so consider  

4:02

this concrete slab we'll consider it a podium  and so the rain is falling on this podium  

4:10

and so of course the top of this concrete slab  becomes a drainage surface and so you might be  

4:16

thinking okay I've got a control joint in this  drainage surface therefore F1D4 is telling me  

4:21

I need to provide protection in accordance with AS 4654.2. However someone might think here's an idea  

4:29

I don't want that to be the drainage surface I'll  introduce a new drainage surface, I put down some  

4:34

grout, put down some tiles on top of that and now  the tiles become the drainage surface and the  

4:38

control joint is no longer in the drainage surface, great idea? Well no it doesn't work that way.

4:45

It's true that the tiles have become the drainage  surface but the notes box that I pointed out for  

4:49

F1D4 clarifies that we're also talking about  construction joints that are directly below  

4:54

or just below the drainage surface. So backing  rods, some grout and tiles isn't going to cut it  

5:00

when it comes to F1D4 for NCC 2022. Instead  the solution might look something like this  

5:06

this is a representation of one of the details in  AS 4654.2, as you can see we've got a membrane which  

5:13

is bonded to the slab either side of the control  joint, we've also got a tape over the backing Rod  

5:19

so as to allow movement and then another membrane  goes over the top of the tape and buns to the  

5:26

membranes either side and then the grout and tiles  can go down. Just one last thing on F1D4 exposed  

5:33

joints you may have noticed that among other  things this provision applies to joints in roofs  

5:37

and you may be thinking well what about a  metal roof or a tiled roof or a conventional  

5:42

sort of roof that's not a concrete slab do  I have to go and treat those joints as well? 

5:45

Well the answer is no of course and that's taken care  of by Part F1's application clause which is here  

5:50

on the screen F1D2. Now F1D2 is setting out that  F1D4 the joint clause does not apply to a roof  

5:58

covering that complies with F3D2 (a) to (d) which I  have listed there the conventional types of roofs.

6:07

Note also application of part that F1D5  a provision I'll show you shortly does not  

6:14

apply to a roof with a covering complying F3D2 so a conventionally covered roof and also  

6:20

it doesn't apply it to a perforated surface  or a surface which is directly above ground.

6:26

What's F1D5, well I'm glad you asked  that's the next change I want to show  

6:29

you and that's external weatherproofing  membranes, external waterproofing membranes. 

6:34

Now F1D5 is a development of what's in NCC 2019  as F1.4. Now in NCC 2019 F 1.4 simply says that  

6:44

waterproofing membranes for external above ground  use must comply with AS 4654.1 and AS 4654.2.

6:54

Now strictly speaking F1.4 under NCC 2019  doesn't say that you have to install it,

7:00

read strictly it's saying that if you do install  it you need to comply with the AS 4654 series.

7:08

So as you can see in the changes on  the screen here F1D5 is saying that  

7:13

yes every roof, every balcony, every podium, every similar horizontal surface or part  

7:18

of a building must be protected  with a waterproofing membrane.

7:23

If you want to do something different, for example  if you want your balcony to have a plain concrete  

7:27

finish then that would have to be a performance  solution on account of this new provision F1D5.

7:34

So remember how I showed you application of  Part F1D2 I'm showing you this photograph to  

7:40

demonstrate how F1D5 doesn't apply to a balcony  that is directly above the ground. So consider the  

7:46

ground floor apartments in this photograph here, the one for instance closest to the photographer.

7:52

The ground floor apartments here are directly  above the ground and therefore that balcony  

7:57

would not need to be treated for weatherproofing. In accordance with AS 4654.2 it won't need a  

8:03

membrane, however the other balconies pictured  in this photograph, the ones that aren't directly  

8:09

above the ground would need to be provided with  a membrane on account of the new provision F1D5.

8:16

Next is Part F2 wet areas and overflow, now not  much has changed but at the same time a lot has  

8:22

changed, what do I mean by that? Well not much has  changed there hasn't been many technical changes  

8:27

I will show you the technical changes in a moment  but at the same time a lot of the old requirements  

8:33

are presented in a new way, especially  Table F1.7 part of which I have shown on this  

8:38

slide here. Now being the Australian Government  we're confined to publishing guidelines and  

8:43

under those guidelines we can only use tables  for representing data, tabulated data, we can't  

8:48

use tables for presenting text in the way that  F1.7 does now. So we've had to make amendments  

8:56

for NCC 2022 where this tabulated text is  taken out and placed into clauses. I'll show  

9:03

you what that looks like in a moment but first  note the technical requirements in NCC 2019  

9:08

for shower walls, note that water resistant was all  that's required for shower walls up to the 1800mm  

9:15

of course the junctions have to be  waterproof also the first 150mm has to  

9:20

be waterproof but the walls need only be up  to the 1800, the walls need only be water resistant.

9:26

This is what that information looks like in NCC  2022, first note the technical change the walls  

9:32

of the shower area must now be waterproof not  water resistant for that full 1800 millimeters  

9:37

but note also how what was presented in a table is  now presented as a clause in a new specification  

9:42

Specification 26. Now you might remember that  handheld bidet spray suddenly became popular  

9:48

recently, so the BCA is keeping up with the times  we now have additional waterproofing requirements

9:53

for toilets with a bidet spray so you'll note that  this is more stringent than a room that contains

9:58

only a toilet without the bidet spray. Before we  leave Part F2 here's another technical change it's  

10:05

a change to do with floor waste, this photograph is  of a change room in an office building in the hand  

10:10

basin area I have shown here a floor waste, now that floor waste is not required by the NCC.  

10:16

There's only three times that the NCC makes you  install a floor waste that's when it's inside  

10:21

a shower, that's when you have a shower you need  to have it install a floor waste for the shower  

10:25

that's when you have a bathroom or laundry above a sole-occupany unit or a public space for Class 2, 3 and 4 buildings

10:31

or Class 4 parts of a building of course that's F1.11's requirements  

10:35

in NCC 2019, which remains the case for NCC 2022. And also if you have a room containing a urinal  

10:42

there's a requirement to provide a floor waste  but those are the only times that a floor waste  

10:46

is required by the BCA. So this floor waste in the  photograph here is a voluntarily provided floor  

10:54

waste because it's not serving a shower a bathroom  above an SOU or a room containing a urinal.

11:02

Now this floor waste photographed here is a little  bit like if I chose to install a fire hose reel in  

11:07

my garage at home, now my garage at home is not  required to have a fire hose reel it's only a  

11:13

Class 10a building. So if I choose to put a fire  hose reel in my garage at home because I like  

11:18

fire hose reels well I don't have to put that fire  hose reel within four meters of an exit I don't  

11:24

have to put that fire hose reel with a spindle  height at 1500 millimeters all these requirements  

11:29

that would apply to a required fire hose reel  don't apply to one that's installed voluntarily.

11:34

Now that's the case under NCC 2019 for this  particular floor waste photographed here because  

11:40

that floor waste is installed voluntarily there  is no need to grade the floor to that floor waste.

11:46

However if it was a required floor waste like  in a shower or a bathroom or laundry above an  

11:50

SOU or a public space in a Class 2, 3 building or a  Class 4 part of a building or in a room containing  

11:55

a urinal, if the BCA said yes you must have that  floor waste then the BCA also says you must grade  

12:01

the floor to that floor waste but a voluntarily  provided floor waste under NCC 2019 the floor  

12:07

does not have to be graded to it. That changes  for NCC 2022, this is a change for both volumes  

12:14

I've got both volumes shown here F2D4 in Volume  One and 10.2.12 for Volume Two. Now note that F2D4  

12:23

subclause (2) we're saying that where a floor waste  is installed whether it be a floor waste that's  

12:28

required otherwise by the BCA or a floor waste  that's installed voluntarily, if a floor waste is

12:35

installed then the floor must be graded along the  line of the parameters shown on that slide.

12:43

Next is Part F3 roof and wall cladding so I have a  photograph of a roof here, now this is the roof of  

12:50

Terminal 3 at Sydney Airport, not every commercial  roof is covered in gravel I admit that but under  

12:56

that gravel will be a concrete slab with a  waterproof membrane and that's a very common  

13:00

way of finishing roofs in commercial buildings  in Australia. However it's also not a Deemed-to-Satisfy  

13:05

solution because F1.5 lists the Deemed-to-Satisfy solutions for a commercial roof  

13:12

and includes tiles metal sheet and a few other  things but it does not under NCC 2019 contain  

13:17

waterproof slabs. That changes with NCC 2022 we've  added a new option in F3D2 what used to be F1.5 

13:26

and as you can see there an option for a  roof is an external waterproofing membrane  

13:31

complying with F1D5 which is that  provision that we covered recently.

13:38

Now speaking of a lack of Deemed-to-Satisfy  provisions for a long time we've had this note  

13:41

in F1.0 of Volume One, it's an information box not  a normative note just an informative information  

13:47

box reminding you that there are no Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions for weatherproofing  

13:52

of external walls in Volume One. Now I'm glad to  say that this box is deleted in NCC 2022 and  

13:59

that's because in NCC 2022 we now have Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions for wall cladding, you can  

14:04

use masonry to 3700, autoclaved aerated concrete  to 5146.3 or metal wall cladding to AS 1562.1.

14:12

We've included those standards because each of  those have provisions covering the weatherproofing  

14:16

of the external walls and so they can be called up  for the purposes of demonstrating weatherproofing

14:21

compliance with relevant performance requirements. Now this might seem restrictive, commercial  

14:27

buildings are clad in more ways than just  these three ways so that's why we're working  

14:31

on introducing further Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions  for commercial cladding in Volume One and we plan  

14:37

to have these additional provisions in NCC 2025, the next scheduled edition of the NCC.

14:43

So in the meantime it might not seem like many  but of course it's better than nothing which  

14:47

is what we've got currently in NCC 2019 so  an inclusion and an improvement for NCC 2022.

14:56

This next change is in Part F4 and it's a  clarification currently the BCA has this line in  

15:03

NCC 2019 requiring that in certain circumstances  an ambulant facility must be provided for use by  

15:09

males and females. Now apparently this has been  interpreted by many as meaning that it's okay  

15:15

in normal circumstances to have a single unisex  ambulant facility because it can be used by males  

15:20

and females, well that's not the intent. Which  is why F4D5 which is the development of this  

15:27

provision for NCC 2022 contains this clarification  and as you can see we really spell it out we've  

15:33

taken nine words and replaced them with 37, the  sentence is now much longer but it is clear it's  

15:38

pointing out that a facility for males and a  separate facility for females must be provided.

15:46

Now of course F4D4 applies that's F2.3 in the  current BCA and F4D4 or F2.3 in NCC 2019 sets  

15:55

out some circumstances where you don't have to  provide separate facilities for males and females,

16:00

these are the only reasons where you might have a  single ambulant facility a single sex ambulant  

16:05

facility but other than these circumstances  outlined on the slide you must have at least  

16:10

two ambulant facilities, one for males and one  for females in circumstances where the building  

16:15

is required to have ambulant facilities. Now the  last change to cover in Part F is in Specification 28

16:23

which is currently known as Specification F5.2 under NCC 2019 that's a table of forms of  

16:30

construction that meet specified sound insulation  ratings, now Spec 5.2 has been in the BCA since  

16:37

its first edition BCA 1988 and this particular  table row, this particular item has been in there  

16:43

since 1988 since BCA88 19 mm tongue and groove  boards, not yellow tongue we're talking 19 mm  

16:49

floorboards with insulation placed as shown in  the specification here. Now not many people have  

16:56

used this particular table row inside the last  decade, what I'm saying is that Spec F5.2 has  

17:02

been modernized we've included more modern forms  of construction like this one here. We've taken out  

17:08

the floorboards and replaced it with timber flooring  that's that's current conventional construction.

17:14

Now of course just as it's always been you don't  have to use Specification 28 you're welcome to  

17:20

use other systems that are shown to comply through  lab testing and a manufacturer might demonstrate  

17:24

that for their floor systems or of course  you can use one of the verification methods.

17:31

That's all we're covering in this  video for Part F but I can't leave  

17:33

Part F without a watch this space  note for condensation management.

17:37

At the time of the recording of this video  final sign off was yet to occur for condensation  

17:41

management provisions so therefore I'm not able to  provide you an update in this video. However we do  

17:46

plan to support these provisions with education so  please keep an eye on our website abcb.gov.au.