SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

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Building Regulations: Technical Standards

D5 Protection of openings and fire-stopping

SERVICE OPENINGS

D5.1* Service openings must be suitably constructed, or the services suitably protected, so that in the event of fire the fire resistance required for the fire division wall or floor [Note 1] is maintained.

D5.2* Every service opening through a fire division wall or floor must be suitably fire-stopped,except -

where the fire division wall or floor [Note 1] is not required to restrict the spread of smoke and flame, and is required to be fire resisting only to maintain the structural stability of the building.

JUNCTIONS BETWEEN SEPARATING WALLS OR SEPARATING FLOORS OR COMPARTMENT WALLS OR COMPARTMENT FLOORS AND EXTERNAL WALLS

D5.3* Where a separating wall or separating floor or compartment wall or compartment floor meets an external wall, or another separating wall or compartment wall, the junction must be suitably constructed to maintain the required fire resistance of the fire division wall or floor [Note 1].

Note:

1. Any reference to a fire division wall or floor shall be taken as a reference to a separating wall or a separating floor or a compartment wall or compartment floor, or a fire resisting ceiling dispensing with
a cavity barrier or a cavity barrier.

D6 Distance of sides of buildings from boundaries

BUILDINGS ANCILLARY TO HOUSES

D6.1 A detached building of not more than 40m2 floor area ancillary to a house comprising a garage, greenhouse, garden hut or store, summerhouse or building for keeping animals, birds or other livestock for domestic purposes, must be at least 1m from any boundary unless the wall facing the boundary has at least 30 minutes fire resistance for loadbearing capacity, integrity, and insulation from both sides, and any unprotected area complies with D6.4 and D6.5.

D6.2 A conservatory or porch of not more than 40m2 floor area attached to a house must be at least 1m from any boundary unless the wall facing the boundary has at least 30 minutes fire resistance for loadbearing capacity, integrity, and insulation from both sides, and any unprotected area complies with D6.4 and D6.5.

UNPROTECTED AREAS

D6.3* A building must be suitably constructed, or positioned, in relation to boundaries so as to minimise the risk of spread of fire between the sides of the building and any boundary, except -

a building of not more than 40m2 floor area ancillary to a house and comprising a covered area, carport or swimming pool enclosure.

D6.4 An external wall of a building which is on, or within 500mm of, a boundary must be constructed to the same standard as a separating wall and be without openings, except -

any ventilator serving the wall only because the wall is built as an external wall, and which does not project beyond the boundary, is permitted.

D6.5 In an external wall of a building less than 1m but not less than 500mm from a boundary an unprotected area is permitted where -

a. the area is in an external wall of a protected zone; or

b. the area is less than 0.1m2, and is at least 1.5m from any other unprotected area in the same wall and in the same compartment; or

c. the area or areas add up to not more than 1m2, and are at least 4m from any other unprotected area or areas in the same wall and in the same compartment.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR A BUILDING OF PURPOSE SUB-GROUP 2A

D6.6 a. Where the combined areas of any storey or combined cubic capacities of the buildings or compartments of each of two or more buildings exceed that allowed by D2.1 and at least one of the buildings is of purpose sub-group 2A, and the buildings are to be constructed on land in the same occupation, or in the case of a single building of purpose sub-group 2A, having opposing compartments externally, then -

i. the buildings or the compartments within the building must be separated by a distance not less than the sum of the distances calculated in respect of each building relative to a notional boundary between them in accordance with D6.3 as if the notional boundary were a boundary (see diagram to this Standard); and

ii. the roofs of the buildings or parts of roofs of compartments of a building must be separated by a distance not less than the sum of the distances provided in relation to the notional boundary in accordance with the requirements of D6.7 in respect of each roof.

b. Where a notional boundary described in D6.6a. is to be established between two buildings, one of which is an existing building, for the purposes of this Standard the existing building must be regarded as if it were a new building.

DIAGRAM TO D6.6: NOTIONAL BOUNDARIES

Diagram

ROOFS AND ROOFLIGHTS

D6.7* A roof of a building, including any rooflights, but excluding any wallhead fascia, soffit or barge board, must be constructed so that it provides adequate resistance to penetration of fire from an external source and to spread of flame on its external surface, except -

the roof of a detached garage, greenhouse, garden hut or store, summerhouse or building for keeping animals, birds or other livestock for domestic purposes of not more than 40m2 floor area ancillary to a house, and at least 1m from the house and 1m from the boundary.

EXTERNAL WALL CLADDINGS

D6.8 Any cladding to an external wall must meet the requirements set out in the Table to this Standard.

Table to D6.8 : External wall claddings

Note:

The surface classification of materials is given under Table 2 to (E6.10), and the index of performance (I) relates to tests specified there.

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