Course Construction Building Codes, Laws &

Name: Joshua DC. Cimanes

Title: Ethics
Year & 3rd-C Date: October 13, 2020
Section:

Presidential Decree No. 1096

National Building Code of the Philippines
Summary of Chapters XI-XIII

Chapters XI deals with protection of pedestrians during construction or demotion,

Chapter XII provides detailed elaboration on general design and construction
requirements and Chapter XIII states electrical and mechanical regulations in relation to
construction. These chapters under the National Building Code of the Philippines
noticeably imposes standards and requirements on building design and construction to
protect the welfare of persons involved like pedestrians and human habitants.
Stated under general provisions of Chapter XI of the NBCP, first is that no person
is permitted to use or occupy a street, alley or public sidewalk for the performance of work
covered by a building permit. To further protect pedestrians, no person is also allowed to
perform any work on any building or structure adjacent to a public way that is in general
use for travelling pedestrians. Adequate lighting between sunset and sunrise is also
required to any material or structure temporarily occupying public property like fence,
canopies and walkways.
In storage in public property, materials and equipment necessary for work when
placed on public property must not obstruct free and convenient approach as well as not
interfere with any drainage of any street or alley gutter. Mixing of mortar, concrete or
similar materials is not allowed in public streets. All public and private utilities above or
below ground is required to be protected from damage by any work being done. A
temporary walkway of minimum 1.20 meters wide must be provided in case there is no
sidewalk in front of the building site during construction or demolition. Walkways also
need to be capable of supporting a uniform live load of 650 kilograms per square meter.
With regards to protection required, pedestrian traffic is necessitated to be protected by
a railing on the street side when walkway extends into the roadway and when adjacent to
excavation. Protective devices should also be properly maintained in place and kept in
good order for the entire length of time when pedestrians may be endangered. As for
removal of protective devices, every protective fence or canopy should be removed within
30 days after protection is no longer required. Demolishing any building should also not
be started unless all necessary pedestrian protective structures are in place.
To state in general the lengthy yet in depth provisions of Chapter XII entitled
General Design and Construction Requirements, buildings to be constructed is required
to comply with all the regulations and specification mandated in the provisions under this
chapter with consideration on quality, characteristics and properties of materials, methods
of design and construction, type of occupation and lastly, is the classification. Matters
regarding structural design of all buildings and other structures should conform to the
provisions of the National Structural Code of Buildings in pursuant to the amended
Republic Act No. 544 or the Civil Engineering Law.
As per the provisions of the NBCP regarding the construction of footings and
foundations, these structural components is necessitated to be of the appropriate type,
adequate size and capacity to safely sustain the superimposed loads under seismic or
any condition of external forces that may affect the safety or stability of the structure. The
architect and engineer’s responsibility here is to adopt the type and design of the same
in accordance with the standards imposed by the Secretary. On the other hand,
provisions on retaining walls state that this structural component must be provided with
adequate design and type of construction whenever or wherever there exist in the site of
the construction an abrupt change in the ground levels of level of the foundation such that
instability of the soil could result.
NBCP provided many requirements on excavation works. Some of the key
requirements is that before undertaking excavation works, drilling or disturbing the
ground, the people causing such work to be done is needed to contact all public utilities
or services to determine possible location of underground facilities to avoid hazard to
public safety, health and welfare. Any person making an excavation below existing grade
should also protect the excavation in order for the soil of adjoining property will not result
to cave-in or settle and thereby defraying the cost of underpinning or extending the
foundation of buildings on adjoining properties.
Still under the section for general design and construction requirements, standard
automatic fire-extinguishing systems should be installed in the following: (1) in every
storey, basement or cellar with a minimum area of 200 sq. meters which is used for
habitation, recreation, dining, study, or work which has an occupant load of more than 20;
(2) in all dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, workshops or factories, and other rooms with
an occupant load of more than 10, assembly halls under Groups H and I Occupancies
with occupant load of more than 500, and if next doors of given rooms are more than 30
meters from the nearest safe fire dispersal area of building or opening to an exit court or
street, and; (3) in all rooms used for storage or handling of photographic x-ray
nitrocellulose films and other inflammable articles.
Minimum requirements for chimneys, fireplaces and barbecues are also discussed
in chapter XII. Chimneys in wood-framed buildings should be anchored laterally at the
ceiling line and at each floor line which is more than 1.80 meters above grade. Masonry
chimneys for residential type appliances must be constructed of masonry units or
reinforced concrete with walls with minimum thickness of 100 millimeters or of rubble
stone masonry with minimum thickness of 300 millimeters. Masonry chimneys for low,
medium and high-heat appliances should be addressed with construction of masonry
units, solid masonry units and double walls of solid masonry units of reinforced concrete
with minimum thickness of 200 mm except that for high-heat appliances with a minimum
air space of 50 mm between walls. Every masonry chimney is required to extend at least
600 mm above the part of the roof through which it passes and at least 600 mm above
the highest elevation of any part of a building within 3 meters to the chimney. Fireplace
walls should set to be in minimum thickness of 200 mm, walls of fireboxes with minimum
thickness of 250 mm, firebox with minimum depth of 500 mm, and maximum thickness of
joints in firebrick should be 10 mm. Metal hoods used as part of a fireplace or barbecue
shall be in a minimum of No. 18 gauge copper, galvanized iron, or other equivalent
corrosion-resistant ferrous metal. For smoke chamber, front and side wall must be in a
minimum thickness of 200 mm and smoke chamber back walls with minimum 150 mm.
Walls of chimneys without flue lining must be in a minimum thickness of 100 mm,
combustible materials must be placed not within 50 mm of fireplace, smoke chamber or
chimney walls.
To discuss the minimum requirements for penthouses and roof structures, no
penthouse or other projection above the roof in structures of other than Type V
construction should exceed 8.40 meters above the roof when used as an enclosure for
tanks or for elevators which run to the and in all other cases should not extent beyond
3.60 meters in height with the roof. The aggregate area of all penthouses and other roof
structures should only have a maximum thickness of 1/3 of the area of the supporting
roof. On Types III and IV constructions, the exterior walls and roofs of penthouses which
are 1.50 m or more from an adjacent property line may be of one-hour fire-resistive
incombustible construction. Walls with minimum 1.50 m from an exterior wall of a Type
IV construction may be of one-hour fire-resistive incombustible construction.
Lastly, Chapter XIII deals with electrical and mechanical regulations. All electrical
and mechanical systems, equipment and installations is mandated to conform to the
provisions of the Philippine Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Codes. With regards
to the provision of the NBCP on clearance of service drops as electrical regulations,
service drop conductors should not be readily accessible. When not in excess of 600
volts, conductors must have a minimum clearance of 2.50 meters from the highest point
of roofs over which they pass. Conductors are also necessitated to have a minimum
clearance of 3 m from the ground or from any platform or projection from which they might
be reached. Conductors should also have a horizontal minimum clearance of 1 m from
windows, doors, porches, fire escapes, or similar locations and should be run less than 1
m above the top level of a window or opening. Also, service drop of conductors, when
crossing a street, is needed to have a minimum clearance of 5.50 m from the crown of
the street or sidewalk over which it passes, and should have a minimum clearance of 3.00
m above ground at its point of attachment to the building or pedestal.