We Rely on National Building Regulations
Why National Building regulations is a question asked many times. Both international and national standards and Building Regulations are fundamental to successful building and construction projects, both big and small.
It doesn’t matter whether you are building a garden shed out of timber, a modest family home from bricks and mortar, a skyscraper made by pouring concrete into massive shuttering, or a building that incorporates a range of materials if correct construction procedures are not followed, the structure could collapse with disastrous – if not deadly – results.
International Standards
Every country in the so-called first world has building regulations, as do many developing countries, including South Africa. There are also international standards developed and published by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), a worldwide organization that is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
This website has been established to provide South Africans with invaluable information about our local National Building Regulations as well as international building regulations, including those devised by the ISO.
South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)
We focus on the national standards that are developed and published by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and give information about some of the most important South African National Standards (SANS) that relate to building a house and building design in general.
South African National Standards (SANS), which is a division of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), has created regulations and guidelines specifically for the construction and building industry. This also refers to standards of building materials that can be used in construction.
There is also information about building regulations and building standards in other key countries including Europe, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of America (USA), Canada, and Australia.
We have a section for architects and builders, where a selection of advisory pdf documents may be downloaded FREE. These were produced by the Department of Public Works, and they provide information that both professionals and owner-builders wanting to self-build will find useful.
South African National Standards (SANS), which is a division of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), has created regulations and guidelines specifically for
The NHBRC
South Africa’s National Home Builders Registration Council (the NHBRC), established in 1995 in an endeavor to regulate and improve standards in the building industry, undoubtedly plays an important role in the local building industry. For this reason, we have also included a section that explains their role, pointing both commercial and, in fact, anyone building a house in the right direction.
Of course, national building regulations don’t only apply to new structures. If you are planning to alter your home, you will need building plans that will have to be approved by your local authority or municipality. So we also cover building alterations and home improvements in general. You will find invaluable tips for both indoor and outdoor improvements and additions, from swimming pools to patios and built-in braais or barbecues, as well as bathrooms and kitchens. We will help you ascertain which building laws and regulations you need to consider before either building or demolishing all types of structures.
Check out our link and our free downloads section which includes both websites and publications that could provide you with the information you are looking for. We welcome your comments and will do all we can to answer your queries (which we try our best to do on a daily basis) – or at least help you find answers to them.
Green building in South Africa
Green building in South Africa is overseen by The Green Building Council of South Africa[1] (launched 2007) which has developed Green Star SA rating tools, based on those developed by the Green Building Council of Australia[2] tools, to provide the property industry with an objective measurement for green buildings and to recognize and reward environmental leadership in the property industry. Each Green Star SA rating tool reflects a different market sector (e.g. office, retail, multi-unit residential, etc.). The first tool developed was Green Star SA – Office which was published in pilot form for public comment in July 2008, with final version 1 release at the Green Building Council of South Africa Convention & Exhibition ’08 on 2–4 November 2008.
South Africa is in the process of incorporating an energy standard (SANS 204)[3] which aims to provide energy-saving practices as a basic standard in the South African context.
Green Building Media (launched in 2007) has also played an instrumental role in green building in South Africa, through their informational portal,[4] as well as their monthly Green Building e-Journal of South Africa, which is sent to professionals within the built environment. They currently hold two annual events which focusing on sustainability; the Green Building Conference and a Retrofitting Seminar. This extract is from Wikipedia
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