Commercial Connections | Building Regulations

Building Regulations

PART F

Conservation of fuel and power
F1 Application and interpretation

(1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3) this Part shall apply to any building and, where a building contains one or more dwellings, to each such dwelling separately.

(2) Regulation F2 shall not apply to - (a) an external wall, floor or roof of any part of a dwelling which consists of - (i) a shed or store entered solely from outside; or

(ii) a boathouse, conservatory, garage or porch; (b) a building, other than a dwelling, which has a floor area not exceeding 30 m²; and

(c) a building or part of a building, other than a dwelling, which - (i) in the case of a building for industrial or storage purposes - is unheated or has a space heating system with a design output rating not exceeding 50 W per square metre of floor area; or

(ii) in the case of any other building - is unheated or has a space heating system with a design output rating not exceeding 25 W per square metre of floor area. (3) Regulation F3(2) shall not apply to - (a) a dwelling;

(b) the common parts of a building which are intended for the exclusive use of two or more dwellings; and

(c) a building in which the floor area provided with artificial lighting does not exceed 100 m². (4) In this Part - space heating system and hot water supply system do not include a system or that part of a system which heats or stores water solely for a commercial or industrial process; and

pipes and ducts means any pipe and any duct in a space heating system or hot water supply system which is intended to carry a heated liquid or gas, and includes associated fittings.

PART G

Sound insulation of dwellings G1 Application and interpretation

(1) This Part - (a) applies only to a dwelling; but

(b) does not apply to a wall separating a dwelling from an open access balcony. (2) Regulation G2 shall apply to the erection of a building and to the structural alteration or extension of an existing building.

(3) Regulation G3 shall apply to the material change of use of an existing building or part of an existing building.

(4) In this Part - open access balcony means a balcony which -

(a) gives access to dwellings or a common service area; and

(b) ignoring structural columns is open to the external air for more than one-third of its floor to ceiling height and throughout the length of the dwellings; and

separating wall and separating floor mean respectively a wall or floor (including a stair) separating a dwelling from -

(a) another dwelling or another building; or

(b) another part of the same building which is not used exclusively with that dwelling.

G2 Separating walls and separating floors

(1) A separating wall in conjunction with its flanking construction shall provide adequate resistance to airborne sound transmission.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3) a separating floor in conjunction with its flanking construction shall provide adequate resistance to airborne sound transmission and, where such a floor is above a dwelling, adequate resistance to impact sound transmission.

(3) A separating floor or part of a separating floor which forms an open access balcony shall provide adequate resistance to impact sound transmission only.