Construction Regulations and Control

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

This subject may be available on a biannual basis from 2014 onwards.

170 hours

Admission into a Master of Construction Management 200 point program (MC-CONMG2Y or MCCM-200EP)

OR

All three of:

OR approval of the subject coordinator.

For students in the 300 point program it is strongly recommended that all eight core subjects are completed before enrolling in this elective.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject aims to give students an introduction to construction regulations including:

• relevant State and Commonwealth government legislation and the Building Code of Australia (including performance requirements, Deemed to Satisfy solutions and alternative solutions);
• fire technology including fire science, fire statistics, causes of fire, wildfire, fire prevention, fire containment, automatic fire detection, fire properties of materials, fire resistance levels, human movement and emergency egress, emergency warning systems, emergency lighting and controlling fire spread;
• an overview of the BCA Deemed to Satisfy fire related provisions and associated standards and codes;
• an introduction to fire safety engineering including analysing fire and smoke spread, use of computer tools, preparing alternative solutions, evaluating alternative solutions;
• an introduction to sustainable building practice in the context of the legislation, regulations standards and codes,

On completion of the subject students should be able to:

• understand legislative controls that impact on the building industry including the design and construction process;
• interpret and apply the Building Code of Australia to simple buildings or designs;
• Display a knowledge of the community risks that impact on the building industry and an understanding of how those risks are managed at a policy and legislative level;
• Understand the nature and cause of fire in relation to the built environment;
• Appreciate the principles of the discipline of fire safety engineering.

1. One 2 hour exam during exam period, 40%;
2. One group assignment on the ability to interpret and apply the Building Code of Australia (BCA) to a building on campus (equivalent to 2000 words per student). Due mid-semester, 40%;
3. An individual assignment on a detailed application of several specific BCA and Australian Standard requirements (1000 words), Due end of semester, 20%.

Hurdle requirment: Regardless of assignment results, a minimum mark of 40% has to be achieved in the examination in order to pass this subject.

International Fire Engineering Guidelines.
FIRE. Canberra: Australian Building Codes Board, 2005.
Beever, Paula. Research into cost-effective fire safety measures for residential buildings. Melbourne: Centre for Environmental Safety and Risk Engineering, Victoria University of Technology, 1998.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On successful completion of the subject students should have developed the following skills and capabilities:

• Professional/industry communication relating to construction regulation;
• Working in teams to collect and collate data on a real building;
• Analytical and problem solving skills;
• Strategic analysis of community risks and how to treat or solve them.