OBC Small Buildings key terms

The provincial statute that authorizes a building code, establishes the powers of the chief building official, and sets out enforcement, inspection, and offence provisions for construction and demolition work.

The municipal officer appointed to administer and enforce the building code within a jurisdiction, including issuing permits, conducting inspections, and ordering compliance or remedial work.

Written municipal authorization to construct, alter, demolish, or change the use of a building, issued only after plans and specifications are reviewed for compliance with the code.

A written direction from the building official requiring an owner or contractor to correct work that contravenes the code, stop unauthorized work, or provide information, within a stated time.

A direction issued by the building official halting construction or demolition that is proceeding without a permit or in unsafe or non-compliant conditions until the deficiency is resolved.

The principal use assigned to a building or part of it, such as residential, business, mercantile, or assembly, which drives the applicable fire safety and life safety requirements.

The process of assigning a building to a category based on its major occupancy, height, area, and construction type, which determines the code requirements that apply.

A code category describing the fire-resistance of structural and non-structural building elements, ranging from combustible conventional wood-frame construction to noncombustible protected assemblies.

Construction in which structural members, walls, or floors are wholly or partly of wood or other combustible materials permitted by the code, typically subject to size and height limits.

Construction in which the structural elements are of noncombustible material such as steel, concrete, or masonry, meeting the code's limits on combustibility of assemblies and finishes.

The period, in minutes or hours, for which a building element or assembly resists fire exposure while maintaining its separating or structural function, as determined by standardized testing.

A construction assembly that impedes the spread of fire and smoke between spaces, rooms, or buildings, and that has a fire-resistance rating where the code specifies one.

A space enclosed by fire separations and fire-rated structural elements that limits fire spread to a defined area, allowing limits on building area and occupant load to be applied.

A rated door, shutter, or other device installed in an opening in a fire separation to maintain the required fire protection when the opening is not in use.

A door assembly, including frame, hardware, and closer, tested and labeled for a stated fire-protection rating and installed in a rated opening in a fire separation.

The total number of persons for which a floor area or room is designed, calculated from the code's area-per-person values for the occupancy, and used to size exits and egress capacity.

A continuous, unobstructed path of travel from any point in a building to a public way, comprising the exit access, the exit, and the exit discharge.

That portion of a means of egress separated from other interior spaces by fire separations, providing a protected path to the exterior or to an exit discharge.

The part of a means of egress that leads from an occupied space to an exit, including corridors, aisles, and doorways, and subject to travel-distance and width limits.

The portion of a means of egress between the termination of an exit and a public way, such as an exterior passage, yard, or open area leading to the street.

The clear width of corridors, stairs, and doorways serving an egress path, calculated from occupant load using code factors so that occupants can evacuate in reasonable time.

The measured length of the egress path from the most remote point in a floor area to the nearest exit or exit stair, limited by the code according to occupancy and sprinkler protection.

A corridor segment with only one direction of escape, permitted only within the length limits set by the code unless it leads to an exit or is otherwise exempted.

The permanent, stationary weight of a structure and its fixed components, including walls, floors, roofs, partitions, and permanently attached equipment, used in structural design calculations.

The variable load imposed by occupancy and use, such as people, furniture, and stored goods, assigned by the code according to the intended use of each floor or roof area.

A structural design method that checks specified load combinations against factored resistances for ultimate limit states and against serviceability criteria for deflection and vibration.

The system of footings, piles, and walls that transfers building loads to the supporting soil, designed to keep settlement and bearing pressures within acceptable limits.

The widened base of a foundation wall or column that distributes loads over a sufficient soil area to prevent excessive settlement or bearing failure.

A wall that supports loads from floors, roofs, or other walls above and transfers them to the foundation, as distinguished from a non-load-bearing partition.

Design measures that allow persons with disabilities to approach, enter, and use a building and its facilities, including accessible routes, entrances, washrooms, and turning spaces.

A continuous, unobstructed path connecting accessible elements and spaces, meeting code requirements for width, slope, surface, and changes in level.

The unobstructed dimension of a passage, doorway, or fixture space measured between the nearest projecting surfaces, used to confirm accessibility and egress capacity.

A measure of a material's ability to resist heat flow, expressed as an R-value, used to specify insulation and to evaluate the thermal performance of building envelope assemblies.

The rate of heat flow through a unit area of an assembly per unit temperature difference, expressed as a U-value and equal to the reciprocal of the assembly's total thermal resistance.

A low-permeance membrane installed in an envelope assembly to limit moisture diffusion into the assembly, placed to keep condensation away from sensitive components.

A continuous system of materials that limits uncontrolled air leakage through the building envelope, reducing heat loss and preventing moisture-laden air from entering assemblies.

The portion of the building code that governs small buildings, generally of three storeys or less and limited floor area, using prescriptive rules for construction, fire safety, and services.

A code rule that states a specific, measurable solution, such as a minimum dimension or material specification, rather than a performance outcome the designer must demonstrate.

A design that meets the code's objectives through means other than the prescribed rules, accepted by the authority having jurisdiction on the basis of supporting analysis or documentation.