Week 3 no.1 – Classes of Buildings

Building Classes Overview: Essential Insights on Fire Maintenance in Melbourne

Fire maintenance in Melbourne is crucial to ensuring building safety, and one common question we receive is, “What class of building do we have?” The different classes of buildings, referenced in the NCC/BCA, are explained below to help property owners understand their classifications and corresponding fire safety requirements.

Fire Maintenance

Classes of Building

Homes designed for residential use

  • Class 1a: Single dwelling, such as a detached house or attached dwellings like row houses or terrace houses, separated by a fire-resistant wall.
  • Class 1b: Small-scale accommodation like a boarding house or hostel, not exceeding 300m² and housing no more than 12 residents, located on a standalone level without other classes of buildings above or below it.

Buildings with multiple residential units

  • A building with two or more separate dwellings, each being a sole-occupancy unit.

Shared Residential Living

  • Residential spaces for multiple unrelated persons, typically including hostels, boarding houses, or residential parts of hotels, motels, schools, or detention centers.

Single Dwelling within Mixed-Class Building

  • A single dwelling within a building of Class 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, provided it is the only dwelling in that building.

Office Buildings

  • Office spaces used for professional or commercial activities, excluding Class 6, 7, 8, or 9 buildings.

Retail and Service Buildings

  • Retail-focused spaces or those providing services directly to the public, such as cafés, restaurants, kiosks, hair salons, showrooms, or service stations.

Storage and Wholesale

  • Class 7a: Car parking buildings.
  • Class 7b: Buildings for storage or wholesale display of goods or produce.

Production and Industrial Facilities

  • Facilities like laboratories or spaces used for manufacturing, assembling, repairing, or finishing products for sale or trade.

Public Buildings

  • Buildings open to the public.
    • Class 9a: Healthcare facilities, including any associated laboratories.
    • Class 9b: Assembly buildings, such as school workshops and laboratories (excluding spaces of another class).
    • Class 9c: Aged care facilities.

Non-Habitable Structures

  • Class 10a: Private garages, carports, sheds.
  • Class 10b: Structures like fences, masts, antennas, retaining walls, or swimming pools.
  • Class 10c: Private bushfire shelters.
Type of Construction and Rise in Storeys
Rise in storeys Class of building
2, 3, 9
Class of building
5, 6, 7, 8
4 or more A A
3 A B
2 B C
1 C C
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