The Building Code of Australia 2010 (BCA) is nearly upon us. It’s the end of March (OMG). May will be here shortly, when we have to consider the introduction of the latest BCA. Here are two of the changes to the Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions of Volume 1 (the commercial buildings code) we have picked up from the Australian Building Codes Board’s ABR magazine:
- Power operated doors (Clause D2.21 c) in the path of travel to an exit, as opposed to being in the exit (Clause D2.21 b), must be able to be opened manually if there is a malfunction or failure of the power source (excludes Health Care Buildings); and
- The Smoke Hazard Management provisions for large isolated buildings (Clause C2.3 a) have been relocated to Table E2.2a. This seems sensible and locates these types of provisions in one spot to assist both designers and certifiers alike.