Locating Building Classification Information in the NCC
📌 Building classifications are detailed in Part A6 of the governing requirements section found in all volumes of the National Construction Code (NCC).
📜 Part A6 provides formal definitions, explanatory information, and useful examples distinguishing between classifications.
📄 The building classifications handout, available on the ABCB website, offers further explanations, especially for distinguishing between similar classifications.

Purpose-Driven Building Requirements
🏠 Different building purposes (e.g., single-family home vs. hotel) necessitate varying requirements for size, facilities, light, fire safety, and structural strength.
⚖️ The NCC manages this variation by grouping buildings based on function, assigning a classification, and specifying performance requirements for each group.
🚶 Evacuation requirements differ significantly; for instance, multi-story buildings require dedicated escape paths (like fire stairs), unlike many single-story shops.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Buildings housing vulnerable populations, such as hospitals, have distinct evacuation and fire suppression needs compared to schools or standard offices, reflecting differing occupant capabilities.

Overview of NCC Building Classifications
🏠 Class 1a: Single detached, row, or duplex dwelling.
🏘️ Class 1b: Boarding house, guest house, or hostel (usually fewer than 12 people, under $300 \text{ m}^2$).
🏢 Class 2: Apartment building or multi-unit residential building where units are stacked vertically.
🏥 Class 3: Residential building for transient or long-term living by unrelated people (e.g., hotel, motel, residential care facility).
💼 Class 5: Office building used for professional or commercial purposes.
🛍️ Class 6: Building used for the sale of retail goods or services to the public (shop, market, showroom).
🚗 Class 7a/7b: Car park ($7\text{A}$) or storage/warehouse ($7\text{B}$).
🏭 Class 8: Process type building (factory, workshop, laboratory).
⚕️ Class 9a/9b/9c: Healthcare ($9\text{A}$), Assembly building (school, transport hub, $9\text{B}$), or Residential Care facility ($9\text{C}$).
🏚️ Class 10a/10b/10c: Non-habitable building (shed, carport, $10\text{A}$), Structure (fence, mast, $10\text{B}$), or private bushfire shelter ($10\text{C}$).

Handling Mixed-Use Buildings and Multiple Classifications
⚖️ Each part of a mixed-use building is generally classified separately according to its purpose.
📏 An exemption exists if a part with a different purpose is less than 10% of the total floor area of that story; it then adopts the classification of the larger space it resides within.
🔥 Laboratories (Class 8) are an exception to the $10\%$ rule due to high fire risk and must be managed separately regardless of size.
⚠️ If an entire building is designed for multiple uses, it must meet all specific requirements for every applicable class, adhering to the most stringent requirements (e.g., facilities like bathrooms).

Determining Ambiguous Classifications
🧐 Building classification is fundamentally a risk management issue based on the building's intended purpose.
🏛️ The appropriate Authority (often a building surveyor or council) reviews proposals, considering the intended use, likely fire load, and risks to occupant safety, health, and amenity.
❓ For Class $1\text{B}$ vs. Class 3 buildings (hostels/boarding houses), key differentiating factors include height in stories, who occupies it (related vs. unrelated people), and total floor area/occupancy limit (Class $1\text{B}$ typically $<12$ people and $<300 \text{ m}^2$).

Key Points & Insights
➡️ Always check NCC Volume 3 for plumbing and drainage provisions, as they apply across all classifications, even for Class $1\text{A}$ and $1\text{B}$ buildings covered mainly in Volume 2.
➡️ When classifying mixed-use spaces, the percentage of floor area on that specific story matters, not the total building percentage, for applying the $10\%$ exemption rule.
➡️ If a building is intended for multiple uses (e.g., Class 5, 6, and 7$\text{B}$), developers must ensure compliance with the most stringent performance requirements among all intended classes.
➡️ If classification is unclear, confirm the appropriate Authority in your specific state or territory, as local regulators may issue supplementary guidelines.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Nov 24, 2025, 06:24 UTC