Glossary

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Adequate

means adequate to achieve the objectives of the Building Code.

Allotment

has the meaning ascribed to it by section 10 of the Building Act 2004 - legislation.govt.nz

Alteration

alter, in relation to a building, includes to rebuild, re-erect, repair, enlarge and extend; and alteration has a corresponding meaning.

Ancillary

applies to a building or use not for human habitation and which may be exempted from some amenity provisions, but which are required to comply with structural and safety-related aspects of the Building Code.

Building code

means the Building Code set out in Schedule 1 of the Building Regulations 1992.

Building elements

any structural or non-structural component and assembly incorporated into or associated with a building. Included are fixtures, services, drains, permanent mechanical installations for access, glazing, partitions, ceilings and temporary supports.

Building importance levels

for definitions, refer to the Building Regulations 1992 Clause A3 – Building importance levels - legislation.govt.nz

Building

has the meaning ascribed to it by sections 8 and 9 of the Building Act.

Section 8 - legislation.govt.nz

Section 9 - legislation.govt.nz

Combustible building materials

means building materials that are deemed combustible according to AS 1530.1.

Concealed spaces

any part of the space within a building that cannot be seen from an occupied space.

Construction

construct in relation to a building, includes to design, build, erect, prefabricate, and relocate the building.

Detached dwelling

applies to a building or use where a group of people live as a single household or family.

Electrical installation

any electrical fixed appliances, and components used in the reticulation of electricity, which are intended to remain permanently attached to and form part of the building.

Group number

the classification number for a material used as a finish, surface, lining, or attachment to a wall or ceiling within an occupied space and determined according to the standard test methods for measuring the properties of lining materials. The method for determining a Group Number is described in C/VM2 Appendix A [PDF 1MB].

Habitable space

a space used for activities normally associated with domestic living, but excludes any bathroom, laundry, water-closet, pantry, walk-in wardrobe, corridor, hallway, lobby, clothes-drying room, or other space of a specialised nature occupied neither frequently nor for extended periods.

Household unit

means any building or group of buildings, or part of any building or group of buildings, used or intended to be used solely or principally for residential purposes and occupied or intended to be occupied exclusively as the home or residence of not more than one household; but does not include a hostel or boarding house or other specialised accommodation.

Multi-unit dwelling

applies to a building or use which contains more than one separate household or family.

Occupied space

any space within a building in which a person will be present from time to time during the intended use of the building.

Other property

means any land or buildings or part thereof which are—
(a) not held under the same allotment; or
(b) not held under the same ownership—
and includes any road.

Outbuilding

applies to a building or use which may be included within each classified use but are not intended for human habitation and are accessory to the principal use of associated buildings.

Relevant boundary

means the boundary of an allotment that is other property in relation to the building in question and from which is measured the separation between the building and that other property.

Sitework

means work on a building site, including earthworks, preparatory to or associated with the construction, alteration, demolition, or removal of a building.

Sound transmission class

(STC) a single number rating derived from measured values of transmission loss in accordance with classification ASTM E413, Determination of Sound Transmission Class. It provides an estimate of the performance of a partition in certain common sound insulation situations.

Specified intended life

has the meaning ascribed to it by subsection (2) of section 39 of the Act as follows: “Specified intended life”, in relation to a building, means the period of time, as stated in an application for a building consent or in the consent itself, for which the building is proposed to be used for its intended use.

Thermal resistance

the resistance to heat flow of a given component of a building element. It is equal to the air temperature difference (°C) needed to produce unit heat flux (W/m²) through unit area (m²) under steady conditions. The units are °Cm²/W.