July_1966 — Page 71

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ANY people throughout the world regard building regula- tions as something of a nuisance. Some even complain that it is an infringement of personal liberty if an individual cannot build a new house or alter an existing building just as he pleases.

Yet governments must lay down minimum standards to ensure that the health and safety of its people are safeguarded in all types of accommo- dation. The alternative is the indis- criminate growth of urban areas which can quickly degenerate into slum con- ditions, accompanied by the develop- ment of serious health and sociolo- gical problems.

The adoption and enforcement of building regulations therefore should be aimed at creating the right condi- tions from the start and so avoiding future costly and complicated slum clearance operations. But it is also vital that building regulations should be as simple as possible, that they should not impose any needless ex- pense on builders and that they should take full account of all local factors such as climate, the different methods of building employed and the stage of development of the country whole.

Model Regulations

as a

Much can be learned from experi- ence gained in different parts of the world and from current research. Since 1948, when Britain established an overseas service of the Building Research Station, their series of basic model building regulations to meet the differing needs of various develop- ing countries has been drawn upon ex- tensively by territories in the Far East, the West Indies, West Africa, and Latin America.

Financed by Britain's Ministry of Overseas Development, the work of the Overseas Division covers many other aspects of building, apart from the framing of regulations. Research involves on-the-spot investigations as well as liaising with similar overseas research organisations such as the Na- tional Building Research Institute in Ottawa, Canada, the Ghana Building Research Institute at Kumasi, and the Central Building Research Institute at Roorkee, North India.

All this work has led to much more realistic appraisal of the types of buildings needed in particular areas. For instance it was long held that in hot climates high ceilings contributed to coolness and were therefore stipu-

Far East Architect & Builder July, 1966

IMPROVED BUILDING

STANDARDS

lated in the building regulations of many countries. But research has shown that more effective cooling can be achieved by encouraging an up- ward flow of air by altering the posi- tions of windows and by making pro- vision for hot, foul air to be passed into central ventilation shafts and so taken out of the building.

Ceiling heights can then be brought down to about eight or nine feet (2.4 to 2.7 metres) which in turn means that either the original overall height of a proposed building can be decreas- ed and so cost less to build, or an extra floor can be provided within the previous estimates based on higher ceilings.

Rules in Four Groups

Minimum standards are grouped under four main headings. First there are regulations dealing with accommo- dation standards. These cover the minimum size of rooms, the provi- sion of washing and latrine facilities for each family or group of people. and the admission of natural light and ventilation.

In making their recommendations the Overseas Division of the Building Research Station consult the health authorities of the different countries concerned to obtain agreement оп what are the relevant minimum re- quirements suitable to the local climate and the way of life of the local inhabitants which will effec- tively maintain health standards. The provision for lighting and ventilation will vary according to whether it is hot and dry, or hot and humid.

Once all these facts have been as- certained, then it is up to the govern- ment of the country to decide whe- ther to adopt the basic minimum standard or to aim a little higher. As the affluence of a country increases. so these standards can be raised.

and

Although also essentially health matters. plumbing. sanitation drainage are covered by another group of regulations. Again there is col- laboration with medical officers of health and sanitary engineers.

In these regulations some countries can afford, as in accommodation, to set higher standards than others, but no country can take the risk of permit- ting any construction which is likely to endanger people's health.

Regulations dealing with construc- tion standards are quite separate. Research by the Overseas Division has taken into account not only the usual load-bearing problems which

By A. F. Daldy

vary from one type of building to another, what stresses various ma- terials can carry without becoming dangerous, but also the special provi- sions which must be observed in earthquake areas. Design rules, cover- ing the strengthening needed to cope with varying degrees of likely danger from tremors, have been drawn up as a result of detailed studies of earth- quake damage in different parts of the world.

Curbing Fire Dangers

Another group of regulations deals. with fire in all its aspects. These cover the spread of fire inside a build- ing, its effect on columns and other supports for upper storeys, the spread of fire from one building to another. and how the occupants of a building can escape from a fire that starts in it.

These regulations are relatively unimportant when considering an isolated single-storey building in rural surroundings, because the occupants can escape through the windows, and there is no other building nearby to which the fire might spread. But with multi-storey buildings in a town these fire regulations are very important.

Britain's building and fire research stations have been particularly con- cerned with research on fire preven- tion and fire regulations subjects of vital concern in a highly populated country which is experiencing exten- sive rebuilding for residential, office and factory purposes. From this has evolved a series of regulations which are neither onerous nor cost a lot of money and yet provide safe conditions for people living and working in tall buildings in dense urban development.

Far from hindering either an owner or a designer, well-written regulations can help greatly towards achieving a building which is not only pleasing in The appearance, but is also safe. only object is to insist on minimum standards which experience and re- search have shown to be very neces-

sary.

There are no maximum standards. A rich client can demand, and get, a house that is well above the require- ments in the regulations, and he lives in greater comfort as a result. But governments are rightly concerned with insisting on minimum standards, for this is the only way that a nation can go forward towards future im- provement.

Mr. A. F. Daldy is deputy head of the Overseas Division of Britain's Building Research Station.

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