News
July 19, 2016 | Alex Frazer Harrison
New building codes on the horizon
The national standards that inform provincial building codes have received their twice a decade overhaul, however some of the changes may not take effect in Alberta for a awhile.
Every five years, Codes Canada (formerly the National Model Construction Codes), under National Research Council Canada, is updated to reflect changing needs and demands in residential and building construction. The 2015 edition includes approximately 600 changes to building, fire and plumbing codes.
Among the major changes to building codes is an increase in the minimum run dimension on interior stairs (the depth of the step) from 210 mm to 254. André Laroche, manager of regulatory solutions for Codes Canada, says this increase may reduce falls by as much as 64 per cent.