Summary of Volume Two of NCC

By: Claire Wang

Volume Two of the National Construction Code (NCC) governs class 1 and 10 building structures, which includes certain residential and non-habitable buildings and structures. The requirements for people with a disability in Class 1b and 10a buildings and swimming pools in Class 10b are not covered in Volume two, instead, these requirements are covered in Volume one of NCC.

Volume two of NCC was updated in 2019. The content was divided into 3 sections and 7 schedules. Each section covers different aspects of the building element and the schedules which are supplementary documents for e.g., abbreviations, symbols, definitions, fire hazard properties, etc.

List of Sections

Section 1: Governing Requirements

Interpreting NCC:

This part explains important concepts on how the NCC must be interpreted and applied. It also explains the difference between the mandatory parts of the NCC and parts that are only explanatory or guidance in nature.

Compliance with the NCC:

This part explains the various compliance pathways within the NCC, which includes compliance with the performance requirements, performance solution, Deemed-to-satisfy solution, and a combination of solutions. It also explained the appropriate steps that must be taken for each of these pathways.

Application of NCC in States and Territories:

This part explains applying the NCC in accordance with State or Territory legislation. It explains how some variations, additions, and deletions enforced by State or Territory apply to NCC in some situations.

NCC referenced documents:

This part explains how documents referenced in the NCC are adopted and applied.

Documentation of Design and Construction:

This part explains the evidence needed to show that the NCC requirements are met, and the solution is “fit for purpose”. It covers the use of materials, products, forms of construction, and designs.

Building Classification:

This part explains how each building classification is defined by the purpose of which they are designed. The building classification is labeled “Class 1” to “Class 10”.

Section 2: Performance Provisions

This section presents different performance provisions by addressing the performance requirements in different situations. It also explains the verification methods for different aspects in different situations for each provision. Table 1 shows the different aspects of performance requirements and verification methods for each provision.

Provision	Performance requirements	Verification methods
Structure	1. Structural stability and resistance 2. Building in flood areas	1. Structural reliability 2. Structural robustness
Damp and waterproofing	1. Rainwater management 2. Weatherproofing 3. Rising damp 4. Drainage from swimming pools	Weatherproofing
Fire safety	1. Spread of fire 2. Automatic warning for occupants	Avoidance of the spread of fire
Healthy and amenity	1. Wet areas 2. Roof heights 3. Personal hygiene and other facilities lighting 4.Ventilation 5. Sound insulation 6. Condensation and water vapor management	1.Room or space height 2. Verification of suitable natural light 3. Verification of suitable indoor air quality 4. Sound insulation 5. Verification of condensation management
Safe movement and access	1. The movement to and within a building 2. Fall prevention barriers	Wire barriers
Energy efficiency	1. Building 2. Service	1. Verification using a reference building 2.Verification of building envelope sealing
Ancillary provisions and additional construction requirements	1. Swimming pool access 2. Swimming pool recirculation systems 3. Heating appliances 4. Building in alpine areas 5. Building in bushfire-prone areas 6. Private bushfire shelters	1. Combustion appliances 2. Buildings in bushfire-prone areas

Table 1: provision details

Section 3: Acceptable Construction

This section introduces Deem-to-satisfy provisions for different construction elements of the building, which are considered to be acceptable forms of construction that meet the legislative requirements for complying with the Housing Provisions.

The provisions cover building construction elements including:

Site preparation:

Covers acceptable construction practices and manuals of earthworks, earth retaining structures, drainage, and termite risk management.

Footings and slabs:

This part specifies the requirement for the excavation and filling for the footing or slab together with the construction of various alternative concrete slab and footing configurations.

Masonry

This part specifies the performance requirement for different use of masonry.

Framing

Covers acceptable construction practices and manuals of subfloor ventilation, steel framing, timber framing, and structural steel members. Information such as span and spacing requirements for different types of elements and material is addressed.

Roof and wall cladding

This part contains requirements including weatherproofing and structural requirements, for roof and wall systems. Gutter and downpipe requirements are also contained in this part.

Glazing

This part covers acceptable construction practices and manuals of the glazing systems. It contains glazing sizes and installation, human impact safety requirements, door side panels, etc.

Fire safety

This part covers acceptable construction practices and manuals of fire safety. It contains glazing sizes and installation, human impact safety requirements, door side panels, etc.

Health and amenity

This part contains requirements and construction practices including wet areas and external waterproofing, room heights, facilities, lights, ventilation, sound insulation, and condensation management.

Safe movement and access

This part contains requirements and construction practices including stairway and ramp construction, barrier, and handrails.

Ancillary provisions and additional construction requirements

This part contains requirements and construction practices including swimming pools, earthquake areas, flood hazard areas, and construction in bushfire-prone areas.

Energy efficiency

This part contains requirements and construction practices including building fabric, external glazing, building sealing, air movement, and services.

Table of schedules

Schedule 1: State & Territory Appendices	Additional legislation and policies that affects the structure or building in different state. And how it changes the minimum requirement for certain code in NCC
Schedule 2: Abbreviation and Symbols	Contains a list of abbreviations and a list of symbols used in NCC
Schedule 3: Definitions	Provides definitions for the terms used in the NCC
Schedule 4: Referenced Document	Provides a table of the relevant standard and referenced documents and where they are referred in the NCC
Schedule 5: Fire-resistance of Building Element	Provides minimum requirement for building materials in resisting fire hazard
Schedule 6: Fire Hazard Property	Sets out procedures for determining the fire hazard properties of assemblies tested to AS/NZS 1530.3
Schedule 7: Fire Safety Verification Method	Provides method for engineer to conduct fire assessment

References: Australian Building Codes Board. (2019). National Construction Code Volume 2.