Parts of NZS 3604:1999, the key Standard for building timber framed houses in New Zealand, need to be brought up to date. Standards New Zealand is seeking updated feedback from stakeholders, to ensure as many issues as possible have been identified, prior to starting the revision.
Standards New Zealand will soon start a project to revise the Standard, and will be calling for nominations to the technical committee that will revise NZS 3604. All feedback received from stakeholders will be collated and presented to the technical committee for discussion during the project.
NZS 3604 is widely used by designers, builders, engineers, and the building industry, and 93% of timber framed houses in New Zealand are built to the Standard. NZS 3604 provides practical guidance on how to design and build houses to meet the requirements of the New Zealand Building Code, without the need for specific engineering design.
The key objectives of the revision of NZS 3604 are to:
• Reflect needs of industry, and changes in materials and industry practice, since the last revision was published.
• Reflect changes in other related Standards, such as those setting requirements for the earthquake, wind, snow, and other loadings that buildings should be designed to.
• Consider the merits of a ‘whole building’ design approach, as opposed to the ‘single member’ basis of design.
There may also be additional issues requiring consideration by the technical committee, during the revision process.
The specific areas in NZS 3604 that need updating are:
1. AS/NZS 1170 Loadings Standard is soon to be referenced in the Compliance Documents to the New Zealand Building Code effective 1 December 2008. NZS 3604 needs to be updated to reflect AS/NZS 1170.
2. The DBH Acceptable Solution E2/AS1 has superseded NZS 3604 building envelope design (weathertightness issues). NZS 3604 needs to be updated to reflect this.
3. NZS 3604 needs to be updated to incorporate content on bracings and durability.
4. Building practices have moved on significantly in the last 10 years and NZS 3604 needs to be updated to reflect current technical knowledge and industry practices.
Please take this opportunity to inform the revision process, by supplying any relevant updated feedback on the areas that you believe need revising, to Standards New Zealand.
Please use the four points above as the ‘base’ for feedback. You may wish to provide feedback on the following areas:
• Any aspects outside the points listed above.
• Any surplus or duplicate information.
• Provide feedback on any text diagram or table that needs further clarification.
• Ideas on how NZS 3604 should be presented and in what media (for example, web version, CD, friendlier A5 size, improved index, present in a ring binder, include more drawings, have names of sections on dividers, make digitised versions of drawings available, and so on).
Please email your feedback to nzs3604.revision@standards.co.nz by 12 December 2008.
All feedback will be collated by Standards New Zealand for consideration by the technical committee that will be formed to carry out the revision of the Standard.
Future updates on the revision of NZS 3604 will be published in the building section of our new, monthly e-magazine, ‘Touchstone’: www.standards.co.nz/touchstone. Please ensure you have subscribed to ‘Touchstone’ to be kept informed. You can subscribe on our website for this free service: http://www.standards.co.nz/web-shop/?action=updateWatchList&mod=catalog.
For further information, please contact:
Mani Taare
E mani.taare@standards.co.nz
D +64 4 495 0934
or Craig Watkin
E craig.watkin@standards.co.nz
D +64 4 498 5904
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Background information
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