FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS In this section we look at the key requirements of a building. Much of the best work in the area of the principles underlying architectural detailing has been done in a north American context, by authors such as Edward Allen, and John Sraube and Joseph Lstiburek at the Building Science corporation. Construction methods and climate in the UK differ from north America and this section draws on the work of these authors but applies it to the UK context. It is estimated that we now spend on average 90% of our time in buildings - much more than in the past. Buildings are structures that enclose human activities, and their primary function could be thought of as enabling people to carry out their activities of daily life in comfort. The building fabric and building services should be designed so as to separate the external environment from the internal environment in order to produce a comfortable internal environment, by ensuring that the transfer of water, air, heat, light and sound is appropriately regulated. Of course, buildings cannot carry out that purpose unless they are sound and safe structures, in other words that they are strong and stable structures that do not pose a hazard to people in and around them. The requirements we are placing on buildings are changing. The scope of the regulatory framework has come to embrace a wider range of requirements; for example as well as keeping weather out, we now require buildings to be more air tight than in the past. This can have an effect on occupants’ health and comfort and we need to take this into account in considering the impact of changing building requirements. The Building Regulations define the functional requirements of buildings, through the individual Parts and the associated Approved Documents provide guidance on how these requirements can be met. There are 14 Parts to the Building Regulations, and this section covers the requirements relating to the following: • • • • • • •
1 - Strength and stability 2 - Environmental protection 3 - Conservation of heat and power 4 - Airflow and ventilation 5 - Light 6 - Acoustics 7 - Fire
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SECTION 1 - FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS Prepared exclusively for Kunal Manani ,payments@designlabslondon.com Transaction: 10244
