Introduction to National Building Code and Steps in a Construction project

1Q]

The National Building Code of India (NBC) is a comprehensive building code, providing guidelines for regulating building construction activities across the country. It serves as a Model Code for adoption by all agencies involved in building construction works.

The building code mainly contains administrative regulations, development control rules, and general building requirements; fire safety requirements; stipulations regarding materials, structural design, and construction (including safety); building and plumbing services; approach to sustainability; and asset and facility management.

• Building codes provide safety.
• Building codes ensure the economic well-being of the community by reducing potential spread of fire and disease.
• Building codes conserve energy.
• Building codes protect future home purchasers who deserve reasonable assurance that the home they buy will be safe.
• Specifications of components and parts
• Permissible installation methodologies
• Room and exit size specifications and locations
• Qualification of individuals and corporations undertaking the work
• Accessibility for people with disabilities
• Noise mitigation
• Energy conservation
• Structural Safety:The building should not collapse and should withstand a certain amount of applied external or internal force.
• Fire Safety:The building should incorporate features that limit the spread of fire, prevent fires, allow safe exit from the building, etc.
• Health and Habitability:The building should have adequate washrooms, plumbing, electrical fittings, etc.
• Construction managementguidelines have been incorporated to aid in timely completion of building projects with desired quality in a safe manner within the budgeted cost.
• Guidance has been provided for making buildings and built environment energy efficient and environmentally compatible

2Q]

According to the National Building Code of India (Part-4), buildings are classified, based on occupancy, as follows:

Group A	Residential buildings	Group D	Assembly buildings	Group G	Industrial buildings
Group B	Educational buildings	Group E	Business buildings	Group H	Storage buildings
Group C	Institutional buildings	Group F	Mercantile buildings	Group J	Hazardous buildings

3Q]

The project life cycle includes the steps required for project managers to successfully manage a project from start to finish. There are 5 phases to the project life cycle —

Initiating,

Planning,

Executing,

Monitoring/controlling, and

Closing.

• INITIATING PHASE: -

The initiating phase of the project life cycle consists of just two separate processes:

The Project Charter and Stakeholder register.

The point of this phase is to determine the vision for your project, document what you hope to accomplish, and secure approvals from a sanctioning stakeholder.

• PLANNING PHASE: -

The Planning Phase process group is where you build the project infrastructure that will enable you to achieve your goal within your predetermined time and budget constraints, starting with a project management plan, project scope, Work Breakdown Structure and wrapping up with qualitative and quantitative risk analyses and risk responses.

• EXECUTING PHASE: -

The executing phase is where most of the budget is allocated and most of the project deliverables are produced. You take your project plan and put it into action, whether that takes weeks, months, or even years. The executing phase often includes team development, stakeholder engagement, and quality assurance activities, either on a formal or informal basis.

• MONITORING AND CONTROLLING PHASE: -

The monitoring and Controlling phase involves keeping an eye on the actual progress of the project against your plan and taking corrective action where necessary. No amount of perfect planning will exempt you from the need to be constantly vigilant with tracking and reporting.

• CLOSING PHASE: -

The Closing Phase is the final phase of the project life cycle includes just one solitary process, and it’s more than simply checking off the project as done. It’s essential to formally close the project and secure a sign-off or approval from the customer, stakeholders, and/or project sponsor.

4Q]

As per the National building Code of India

Part 0- Integrated Approach- Prerequisite for Applying Provisions of the Code

Clause 4.1 Team Approach

Appropriate Multi-disciplinary teams need to be constituted to successfully meet the requirements of construction of a project.

• Architect
• Civil Engineer
• Structural Engineer
• Geotechnical Engineer
• Electrical Engineer
• Plumbing Engineer
• Management
• Contracts and bid
• Surveying
• Construction
• Finance and Estimating etc

5Q]

As per the National building Code of India

Part 4- FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY

Clause 3.1 Classification of buildings based on Occupancy.

All buildings, whether existed or hereafter erected shall be classified according to use or the character of occupancy.

a) Four-unit apartments

Group A-Residential Building.

Sub division A-4

b). School with capacity of 1000 students

Group B- Educational Building

Sub division B-2

c). A single unit shop

Group F- Mercantile Building

Sub division F-1

d). Multi Storey Shopping Complex

Group F- Mercantile Building

Sub division F-2

e). Steel Machine Factory

Group G- Industrial Buildings

6Q]

DESIGN TEAM: -

A design team can be made up of one designer or a group of designers who play different roles, using different tools and methods to achieve one common goal.

The design team is primarily responsible for taking your idea and bringing it to life using their professional skills. The end result is a design that aligns with the client’s desires, is feasible, and is within the budgetary restrictions for the project.

To ensure proper implementation of the design, Design teams are typically brought on at the beginning of a construction project and continue to work on the project throughout its life-cycle.

MANAGEMENT TEAM: -

The project team is the group of people responsible for executing the tasks and producing deliverables outlined in the project plan and schedule, at whatever level of effort or participation defined for them.

Project team members may or may not be involved during the entire life cycle of the project and may or may not be full time to the project.

The Team shall be responsible for day-to-day execution, supervision, quality control, etc and shall ensure inter-disciplinary co-ordination during the construction stage.

The team shall be responsible to achieve satisfactory completion of the project in respect of all relevant project management functions like cost, time, quality, safety etc.

7Q]

Let’s assume the Residential unit comes under Low income Housing in Urban Areas.

• HEIGHT LIMITATION

As per NBC 2005, Clause-2.5, the height of the building shall not exceed 15m.

The Height of the model is 6.4m which is less than 15m,

Hence, it follows NBC guidelines.

• AREA LIMITATIONS

As per NBC 2016, Clause C-2.3.1

The minimum plot size with ground coverage not exceeding 75%, shall not be less than 40 sq.m in small and medium town and not less than 30 sq.m in metropolitan area.

The area occupied by the model is greater than 40 sq.m Floor area of the model is

26’ x 41’-2” i.e. 99 sq.m

Hence it follows N.B.C guidelines.

• ROOM SIZING

As per NBC 2016, C-3.3

In the model the total area of the rooms is 58m2.

Which is greater than the value specified in the code. Hence, the model is safe.

• WALL HEIGHT

As per NBC 2016, clause C-3.5

In the model all the walls have a height of 3m, which is greater than the minimum height specified in the code. Hence it is satisfied.

• THICKNESS BASED ON FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY

As per NBC 2016, The thickness for masonry walls is given by the Table 10 clause C-1.

In the model the wall thickness is 9” which is greater than the specified value in the NBC

Code book. Hence model is safe.

• PASSAGEWAY REQUIREMENTS

As per NBC 2016, Clause- 4 Means of Access

Table 1

In our model PLOT abut on a public means of access, hence it is satisfied.

8Q]

Sr No	PARTICULARS	AS PER NBC REQUIREMENT	PROVIDED	REMARKS
1	HEIGHT OF BUILDING	>15 m	6.4 m	SATISFIED
2	WALL HEIGHT	>2.75 m	3 m	SATISFIED
3	WALL THICKNESS	>170 mm	230 mm	SATISFIED
4	PLOT SIZE	>40m2	172 m2	SATISFIED
5	STAIRCASE ROOM	<8 m2	5 m2	SATISFIED
6	KITCHEN	>=5 m2	9 m2	SATISFIED
7	BATHROOM & W/C	>=2.8 m2	3 m2	SATISFIED
8	PARAPET	>=1 m <=1.2 m	1.1 m	SATISFIED
9	HABITABLE ROOM 1ST ROOM 2ND ROOM	>=9.5 m2 >=7.5 m2	28 m2 8 m2 (min)	SATISFIED

All the dimensions and numbers are verified with NBC code.

Provided dimensions are reasoable. Hence model unit is satisfied.