BUILDING

BUILDING RISK CATEGORIES:

Low risk           No permit or notification needed.

Medium risk No permit but council must be notified (“Notifiable Work”)

High risk           A Permit is required

Low risk projects may not require any documentation other than if the builder or client requires details for construction. Medium and High risk projects will require full documentation for the building surveyor to obtain a Certificate of Likely Compliance.

WOKRING DRAWINGS:

The Working Drawings are required to show all construction details and information required to obtain a Certificate of Likely Compliance and building and plumbing permits.

More importantly the detail on the drawings and specifications is required for the builder to build the structure.

NOTE: The director of Building Control now requires all documentation for Class 1 and 10 buildings to comply with Schedule 1 and 3 of the Director’s Specified List. Visit www.justice.tas.gov.au/building/publications

STRUCTURAL:

Any structural work in the project is required to be designed and certified by a Structural Engineer. Structural work encompasses footings and concrete slabs, steel beams, lintels, some roof structures, bracing etc.

For most forms of construction the engineer will provide Design East with the design sketches and we carry out the drafting on our drawings. The drawings are then sent to the engineer for checking, signing, and certification. On larger commercial projects the structural engineer may be instructed to provide the design, drawings, and certification.

OTHER CONSULTANTS:

The following services are areas in which we may engage a consultant to provide design, documentation, and certification.

Mechanical / Electrical services
Where electrical, mechanical, telecommunications and fire services are required we may engage an appropriate consultant for design and documentation.

Hydraulic Services
Where hydraulic design and documentation, including sewer, storm-water and site drainage are required we may engage an appropriate consultant for design and documentation.

Civil works
Where Civil design and documentation, including car parking design and layouts are required we may engage an appropriate consultant for design and documentation.

Fire Engineering:
On commercial, and some residential projects there may be a need to provide an alternative solution for construction including egress where fire ratings and escape paths do not comply with the requirements of the BCA. A fire engineer would be engaged to provide the necessary assessment and report.  

Energy Assessment:
All new buildings in Australia are required to comply with Part 3.12 – Energy Efficiency of the BCA. In simple terms that means a new building shall be rated as 6 star.

It makes good sense to build a structure that is comfortable to live in, and is energy efficient. So it is worth considering as higher star rating as possible if that is is affordable.

If the design for various reasons doesn’t comply with the Deemed to Satisfy requirements of the BCA then an Alternative Solution based on BCA performance requirements will need to be provided to the Building Surveyor. These assessments can be carried by other consultants who will provide the required Certification for the building.

A simple assessment should be carried at the design stage to ensure that the building does comply before making submissions for Planning and Building.

Building Surveyor
Once all the documentation has been completed – it is sent to the Building surveyor for assessment. The assessment is to ensure that the construction complies with the NCC.

On completion of the assessment a CLC (Certificate of Likely Compliance) is issued. The CLC may have conditions of approval attached which need to be conveyed to the building contractor.

Part of this documentation is a certificate 35A signed by Design East to certify the construction drawings.

Commercial projects may be referred to Tasmanian Fire Services and Environmental Health departments for assessment.

BUILDING PERMIT:

A building Permit is issued by the relevant local authority on receipt of all the documentation and the CLC from the Building Surveyor. Planning officers will check the documentation for compliance with any planning permit and the original drawings submitted as part of a previous Development application.

PLUMBING:

As part of the new Building Act 2017 plumbing work has also been categorised as Low, Medium, and High risk. The categories are similar to that for building. Councils have control over stormwater and TASwater has control over water reticulation and sewerage.

Plumbing Design

Generally Design East provides plumbing design and documentation for residential work. With larger residential and commercial projects we may ask a Hydraulics consultant to provide the documentation and certificates.

Water Reticulation and Sewerage

All plumbing and water reticulation documentation is forwarded to TASwater for assessment.

Depending on the type work – either an Exemption Certificate or a Certificate of Certifiable Work is issued.

Commercial projects may require special applications for waste management such as grease traps.

Stormwater

All stormwater, surface drainage, and sub-soil drainage is to be shown in the documentation.

Plumbing Permit

All plumbing documentation including certificates from TASWATER are submitted to the local authority and a plumbing permit is issued.