Basis of NZBC 3.8 and 15m distnace to boundar
Geoff Merryweather made this Official Information request to Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
The request was partially successful.
      From: Geoff Merryweather
      
    
    Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,
I am looking for the correspondence and information supporting the development of Building Code clause NZBC 3.8, where unsprinklered warehouse buildings closer than 15m to the boundary (and greater than 5000sqm or 20TJ in energy) need to have a layer height greater than 2m at the Fire Service arrival time. In particular I am looking at the distance to boundary separation.
How was the 15m value arrived at? 
What is the intended purpose of it? If it is intended to facilitate operations in the building such as search and rescue, the distance from the boundary is not relevant. 
What is the supporting evidence for this value vs a greater or lesser value?
Is it based on the fire spread to other property and in which case what are the assumptions behind it (e.g. fire size, flame height) 
Yours faithfully,
Geoff Merryweather
        From: *OIA
        Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
      
    
     
Ref: 1718-0747
 
Dear Mr Merryweather
 
On behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment I
 acknowledge your email of 29 November 2017 requesting under the Official
 Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following:
 
·        I am looking for the correspondence and information supporting
 the development of Building Code clause NZBC 3.8, where unsprinklered
 warehouse buildings closer than 15m to the boundary (and greater than
 5000sqm or 20TJ in energy) need to have a layer height greater than 2m at
 the Fire Service arrival time. In particular I am looking at the distance
 to boundary separation.
·        How was the 15m value arrived at?
·        What is the intended purpose of it? If it is intended to
 facilitate operations in the building such as search and rescue, the
 distance from the boundary is not relevant.
·        What is the supporting evidence for this value vs a greater or
 lesser value?
·        Is it based on the fire spread to other property and in which
 case what are the assumptions behind it (e.g. fire size, flame height)
 
Please note that the days from 27 December 2017 to 15 January 2018
 (inclusive) are defined as non- working days in the Act and are not
 counted in the calculation for the response due date. This will affect the
 time period for responding to your request.
 
Your request is being processed in accordance with the Act and a response
 will be sent to you in due course. If you have any enquiries regarding
 your request feel free to contact us via email [MBIE request email] or using
 the contact details below.
 
 
Yours sincerely,
Alan Witcombe
MANAGER, MINISTERIAL SERVICES
 
Corporate, Governance and Information
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
Level 4, 15 Stout Street, PO Box 1473, Wellington 6140
 
 
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        From: *OIA
        Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
      
    
     
Dear Mr Merryweather
 
Please find attached the response to your recent OIA request.
 
 
Regards
Ministerial Adviser
 
Engagement, Communications and Ministerial Services
Corporate, Governance and Information
 
 
 
[1]www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
 services
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