Paper Example on UK Building Regulations: Ensuring Safety, Accessibility, and Environmental Protection

The Building Regulations in the United Kingdom are laws and regulations that strive to ensure that the policies and procedures set forth are adhered to. Building regulations are required for most building constructions in the U.K. as they set standards for development works in new and redesigned buildings to ensure safety and accessibility while limiting environmental damage.

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The building regulations that apply to Wales and England are set out in the Building Act of 1984, while the Building Act of 2003 is implemented in Scotland (Moore 2002). The Wales and England Building regulations are set up within 16 distinct codes, each classified by letters between A and Q. The stipulated laws cover aspects such as adequacy of construction materials, structure, artistry, fire safety, waterproofing, weatherization, and soundproofing, ventilation, water safety, sanitary facilities, fire escapes, drainage and sanitation facilities, accessibility for the disabled, electrical safety, building security, and broadband infrastructure. For this part, a detailed analysis of the Fire Safety Code B will be addressed below (Moore 2002):

Fire Safety Code B

The Fire Safety Code B was published in two volumes; the first section deals with residential areas. The second volume covers other building types included in the Building Regulations.

The provisions given in the Fire Safety Code B require that sufficient fire escapes routes be provided in buildings in case of unprecedented fires. The code also stipulates that the fire be inhibited from spreading through the inner linings of a building. Also, construction of buildings should be aimed at providing the stability of structures in the event of a fire and that walls and roofs are equipped with adequate resistance to prevent and restrict the spread of fire over a building's external envelope and from one building to the next.

A comparison of Fire Safety Regulations across Europe reveals contrasting differences. In most European countries, the Central Government formulates and constitutes fire safety regulations. However, in Germany, the federal states are responsible for formulating and constitution fire safety regulations. German largely relies on a national model building code (Sheridan, Visscher, and Meijer 2003). Scotland, on the other hand, uses a devolved system in the formulation, management, and enforcement of its building regulations. Scotland uses 32 authority 'verifiers.'

In Spain, building designs and inspection of complete structures is done by either the local authorities or by private contractors certified by the government. In France, fire installation of high rise buildings is signed off by safety commissions (Sheridan, Visscher, and Meijer 2003). These safety commissions comprise of experts, firefighters, and building technicians who hold prevention certificates.

In terms of clarity, U.K.'s Fire Safety regulation is ambiguous and provides no consensus on whether cladding complies or contravenes with Building Regulations in the U.K. Sweden's fire safety regulations are precise and well defined. Rules governing cladding postulate that cladding should constitute of non-combustible material or pass an S.P. Fire 105 test (Sheridan, Visscher, and Meijer 2003).

The most rudimentary divide exists in arbitrary rules versus performance quality. Fire Safety Regulations in the U.K. do not fundamentally affirm how a building should be designed. Instead, the regulations set out how buildings should perform. This aspect of fire safety regulations allows architects and engineers to create buildings based on engineering and scientific principles creatively. Italy, on the other hand, sets out clear cut policies on how buildings should be designed. The result is old and traditional building designs.

Building Code New York, USA

The Building Code of New York State (BCNYS) gives provisions for the minimum requirements to safeguard the public health, safety, and welfare of individuals occupying new and existing buildings and structures (Listokin and Hattis, 2005). The Building Code of New York addresses structural durability, ventilation, adequate lighting, accessibility, life safety, and sanitation of new and existing buildings and systems.

The BCNYS applies to both the residential and business buildings. This includes one and two-story family dwellings and townhouses that are not provisioned for in the Residential Code of New York State. The code is divided into 35 chapters, with each chapter provisioning for a specific aspect of buildings and constructions. For this section, a detailed analysis of chapter 12, which covers Interior-Environment, will be addressed below.

Chapter 12: Interior Environment

Provisions of Chapter 12 govern ventilation, temperature control, lighting, soundproofing, roofing, lining materials, yards and courts, and rodent proofing of the interior spaces of constructed buildings.

The New York state interior environment code is mainly concerned with building regulations and the installation of equipment inside these buildings. The installation of these pieces of equipment is essential to the efficient operation of the building, be it commercial or residential (Zhang et al., 2011). The New York Interior-Environment Code also establishes safeguards for the protection of the occupants of these buildings. The interior environment code is dictated by the New York building code, which dictates the acceptable methods of construction standards.

The Chicago Building code, on the other hand, comprises of regulations set by Chicago state to govern the construction and maintenance of commercial and residential buildings (Satti and Krawczyk, 2004). The Chicago Building Code also regulates the internal structure of said buildings and structures. The code has postulated regulations for fire prevention, ventilation shafts, fire escapes, and roofing in addition to ensuring that these buildings bare no adverse effects on the external environment. Unlike the New York interior environment code, the Chicago interior environment code strives to ensure that occupants of these buildings are kept abreast with amendments to the Chicago Building Code (Satti and Krawczyk, 2004). The law also seeks to ensure that occupants are aware of the required standards for family dwellings such as standards for masonry, plastering, steel and metals, foundation, reinforced concrete, and so on.

The United States Access Board

Also known as the Architectural and Transportation Barriers, the United States Access Board is an independent bureau of the U.S. government designed to ensure that disabled individuals have access. The board was formed in 1973 to ensure that disabled individuals have access to facilities that are funded by the federals state (Board, 2017). The United States Access Board is mandated with developing and maintaining design criteria for transit vehicles, buildings and structures, telecommunications equipment, and information technology (Board, 2017). The United States Access Board also provides individuals with technical assistance on the requirements mentioned above and enforces quality standards over federally funded structures.

The United States Access Board consists of 13 members of the public appointed by the head of state. The majority of these members have disabilities and are heads of 12 federal agencies. These agencies include the Department of defense, education, commerce, health and human services, education, justice, labor, housing and urban development, interior, Veterans affair and transportation, General service administration, and the United States Postal Service (Hyde et al., 2019). The United States Access Board has four titles. This section will, however, focus on the second title.

Title II

Title II has two subtitles. Subtitle A pertains to all state and local government programs, activities, and services. Subtitle B pertains to public transportation provided by state and local governments such as bus and rail (Hyde et al., 2019). Subtitle B also relates to public transport provided by the National Railroad passenger corporation and commuter authorities.

Subtitle A of Title II postulates that rules issued by the Department of Justice should include accessibility standards that are in line with the minimum requirements issued by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Boards. The Department of Justice can modify the set conditions provided they are accordant with the guidelines set by the United States Access Board.

Title II also stipulates that private organizations that design, redesign, or alter public access facilities or commercial facilities should comply with accessibility regulations set forth by the Department of Justice. Local and federal laws may require these entities to make improvements on streets per the standards set by the provincial and federal governments (Hyde et al., 2019). This includes sidewalks, pedestrian pathways, street crossings, pedestrian underpasses and overpasses, ramps, transit shelters, and so on.

References

Board, U. A. (2017). Overview of the Final Rule-United States Access Board.

Listokin, D., & Hattis, D. B. (2005). Building codes and housing. Cityscape, 21-67.

Hyde, E. T., Omura, J. D., Watson, K. B., Fulton, J. E., & Carlson, S. A. (2019). Step It Up! Prioritizing Community Supports for Walking in the United States: 1160: Board# 1 May 30 9: 30 AM-11: 30 AM. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 51(6), 303.

Moore, D.B., 2002, July. The U.K. and European regulations for accidental actions. In Workshop on Prevention of Progressive Collapse, National Institute of Building Sciences, Washington, DC.

Sheridan, L., Visscher, H.J. and Meijer, F.M., 2003. Building regulations on fire safety in Europe. CIB REPORT, pp.163-174. Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/39711790/Building_regulations_on_fire_safety_in_E20151105-6090-ha9hwj.pdf

Satti, H. M., & Krawczyk, R. J. (2004). Issues of integrating building codes in CAD.

Zhang, J., Jiang, Y., Kim, S., & Lee, S. J. (2011). Intelligent Building Codes Checking System for Interior Environment.