Laura Timberlake
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has released a preview of the National Construction Code (NCC) 2019 Amendment 1, expected to be adopted by all states and territories from July 1, 2020.
The NCC sets the minimum acceptable standards for all new construction work in Australia. Since 2005, it has included provisions in Section J for energy efficiency, including many relevant to HVAC equipment in new commercial buildings. NCC 2019 was adopted from May 1, 2019.
In terms of important changes for HVAC, Brett Fairweather, M.AIRAH – who has been representing AIRAH in the industry consultation for Amendment 1 – says that there are no significant implications this time around.
The NCC 2019 Amendment 1 includes:
- A new provision in NCC Volume One regarding egress from early childhood centres
- An update to the Governing Requirements for all Volumes to require labelling of aluminium composite panels in accordance with SA Technical Specification 5344
- Clarification of the concession in NCC Volume One that permits the use of timber framing for low-rise Class 2 and 3 buildings
- Clarification in NCC Volume Two that anti-ponding board requirements only apply to roofs where sarking is installed
- Correction of minor errors.
The preview also contains the following proposed changes:
- A new defined term, building complexity, that may be used in the future to identify buildings for which additional oversight is appropriate
- A new provision to require that a process be followed to improve the quality of, and documentation for, Performance Solutions.
NCC 2019 Amendment 1 can be viewed or downloaded from the NCC Suite.
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