Technical committees provide advice on objective-based building codes

摘要

PEO representatives on Ontario Building Code (OBC) technical committees have reviewed and provided advice on specific technical issues and how these issues could impact on implementation of a new objective-based building code. The Building and Development Branch of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) asked PEO and other key stakeholders from government and industry to participate in the code review process (see "PEO representatives participate in process toward objective-based building code," Engineering Dimensions, Jan.! Feb. 2002, p.11.) Building codes in Ontario are moving away from a largely "prescriptive" model that tells the building industry what they should do and how to do it to an objective-based model that combines prescriptive design criteria and performance elements. The new model is aimed at providing more information to aid code users in applying the code. Alternative designs will be permitted if they meet the code objectives for health and safety, fire, accessibility, and structural protection, which may ultimately require engineers to exercise more professional judgment compared to prescriptive-based codes. Other objectives of the new codes include environmental integrity, and water and energy conservation. It is felt that the new building code model will make the introduction of new project methods and materials easier. In the past, inclusion of a new material or method in the code could take up to six or seven years.