Noncompliant Brian

Intel

Modular Construction Opportunity

Modular construction has been around for years, but has never really made it to the mainstream. This Canadian Architect article discusses some of the challenges and opportunities for the industry.

Modular designs can pose challenges with meeting the requirements of the Building Code. In our experience fire blocking and fire stopping are critical details that must be worked out prior to construction as fixing these issues after the modules are placed can be a very difficult and costly process. Despite the challenges, there are solutions and these projects can be very successful.

NBCC 2020 Public Review - ends July 29th!

The Public Review of the currently proposed changes to the 2020 National Building Code of Canada are still open until midnight on July 29th, 2024! There are 32 proposed changes to the NBCC, NEBC, NFC, and NPC.

Twenty-one changes are proposed to the NBCC that include adding a new sub-objective for Firefighter Safety, overheating in dwelling units, clarifications to sprinkler requirements, and dwelling unit accessibility, among others. For dwelling units, it is proposed to introduce the concept of "visitable" dwelling units that provide accessibility measures within dwelling units for visiting friends and family.

Review and provide your comments, either for or against, through the online comment form. Remember, much like voting, if you don't get involved, you shouldn't complain about the Code requirements!

Lore

Sustainable Architecture & Building - 2024 Awards

Congratulations to all the winners of this years SABMag awards!

BC projects have taken nearly all the awards!

I would like to congratulate my friends over at Waymark Architecture for winning the Technical Award for the Gabion House, here in Victoria.

And, also my friends over at Motiv Architect for winning the Residential (Small) Award for the Heimaklettur House.

On the Town

RAIC 2024 Congress - New Brunswick October 7-8, 2024

Looking for a reason to travel to western New Brunswick this fall? How about a trip to St. Andrews, a National Historic site of Canada, while taking in the RAIC 2024 Congress on October 7th and 8th? This event is being held at the Algonquin resort.

Registration closes September 20th, with All Access, Event, and Day Passes available.

Wisdom

Cladding in Combustible and Non-Combustible Construction

Cladding systems for mid-rise combustible, and noncombustible buildings is something that industry has struggled with recently. The Canadian building regulatory system has implemented fairly strong requirements, which has allowed us to avoid some of the tragic fires that have occurred in Europe and the Middle East.

In this article, John Ivison provides background and discussion regarding the CAN/ULC-S134 and the similar NFPA 285 test, along with suggestions on meeting the intent of the Building Code when proposing a combustible cladding system.

About

From the guy with the beard, thanks for reading today! It is wonderful that you have taken time out of your busy summer day to educate yourself on some of the current issues in our industry.

If you have any comments, please let me know by emailing me at bfraser@celerity.ca.

If you found the information useful, please forward this newsletter to a colleague!

Stay cool, avoid the smoke, and see you on the next issue for more Building Code fun!