Canada Builds

Exposing Building Face

Analyse the diagram below with respect to the construction requirements of ‘Exposing Building Faces’. Determine the maximum amount of unprotected openings allowed for each wall face and determine the construction requirements for each wall face. Read OBC 9.10.14 – Spatial Separations Between Buildings. There are a number of important pieces of information that can be determined about the construction requirements of the various wall faces based on only the information on the drawing. The first step in this process is to determine the various limiting distances. The definition of Limiting distance is:

 

  1. The distance to a property line.
  2. The distance to the centre line of a street, lane or public thoroughfare.
  3. The distance to an imaginary line drawn between buildings on the same or separate lots. This is an agreement registered on title.

Using the diagram below one can determine the maximum amount of unprotected openings, the construction requirements for wall assemblies and the construction requirements for wall claddings.

 

Building plan and elevation

 

Wall A                                              Wall B

Limiting Distance:      ________m     Limiting Distance: ______

Area of Building face: ________m    Area of Building Face:____

Maximum Openings:  ________m2   Maximum openings: ______

Wall Construction Type: _____         Wall Construction Type:____

Wall Cladding Type: ________         Wall Cladding Type:______


Wall C                                             Wall D

Limiting Distance: __________         Limiting Distance: _______

Area of Building face: _______        Area of Building Face: ______

Maximum Openings:_______           Maximum Openings: ________

Wall Construction Type:_____         Wall Construction Type:______

Wall Cladding Type: ________        Wall Cladding Type:       

 

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OBC Requirements

Sentence  9.10.3.3.(2)  - Exterior walls shall be rated for exposure to fire from inside the building,

Sentence  9.10.14.12.(2)  - Except as required in Article 9.10.14.3. and as provided in Sentence (4), in buildings containing only dwelling units in which there is no dwelling unit above another dwelling unit, the requirements of Article 9.10.14.11. do not apply provided that the exposing building face:

(a) has a fire-resistance rating of not less than 45 min where the limiting distance is less than 1.2 m, and

(b) is clad with non-combustible material where the limiting distance is less than 600 mm

 

Description of wall assemblies

Analyse the following building with respect to the construction requirements of an ‘Exposing Building Face.

 

Consider the building diagram showing above and calculate the requirements for the exposing building face that is closest to the property line.

 

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