Standing Committee on Housing and Small Buildings

Terms of Reference

The Standing Committee on Housing and Small Buildings (SC-HSB) prepares recommendations for requirements in Part 9 of Division B of the National Building Code of Canada (NBC).

The SC-HSB:

• prepares recommendations to the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC) regarding the technical content of documents within its terms of reference
• is responsible for developing objective-based versions of the requirements within its terms of reference
• advises the CCBFC regarding changes to the scope and application of the NBC and to the SC-HSB matrix
• advises the CCBFC concerning the need for documents ancillary to the NBC and for progeny documents for subjects not within the current scope of the NBC
• advises the CCBFC concerning the need for standards to be referenced by the NBC and identifies needed changes to those standards
• advises the CCBFC on the need for code-related research.

Only requirements that fit within the scope, and at least one of the objectives, of the NBC and other documents as approved by the CCBFC can be considered.

The SC-HSB provides advice to, and receives advice from, other committees.

Due to the unique characteristics of the design and construction of some housing and small buildings, the SC-HSB may choose not to follow the advice of other Standing Committees. If such a choice results in the requirements in Part 9 of NBC Division B related to a given issue being different from those in other Parts of NBC Division B or the National Plumbing Code of Canada, the SC-HSB must be prepared to justify this difference to the CCBFC. The unique characteristics of housing and small building design and construction that could justify such differences include:

• type of occupancy
• high degree of homogeneity of construction practices throughout Canada
• mostly time-proven construction practices (due to homogeneity and evolutionary development, the existing stock constitutes millions of "prototypes")
• all buildings are low in height and small
• high degree of structural redundancy
• almost all occupants use the buildings daily and become familiar with their characteristics
• occupants are in a position to make their own decisions on the acceptability of some house features.

The SC-HSB may establish task groups and working groups to assist it in maintaining the existing contents of the codes as well as in developing new subject areas within the committee's terms of reference.