Regulation 2

“acceptable solution” means the specifications, design, material or method of construction set out in an Approved Document;

“alternative solution” means a solution that entails the use of any design, material or method of construction that differs completely or partially from those in the acceptable solution;

“approved” means approved by the Commissioner of Building Control;

“Approved Document” means an Approved Document issued by the Commissioner of Building Control under regulation 27;

“architectural works” means any building works other than structural works, geotechnical building works, fixed installation works and works relating to mechanical or electrical installations in buildings;

“building envelope” means the elements of a building which enclose air-conditioned spaces through which thermal energy may be transferred from the exterior;

“code of practice” means the relevant Singapore Standard Code of Practice, and where there is no such code of practice means the relevant British Standard Code of Practice or any other relevant code of practice which is acceptable to the Commissioner of Building Control;

“deemed approved” means deemed approved by the Commissioner of Building Control under section 5AA(1) of the Act;

“existing building” means any building in respect of which a certificate of statutory completion or a temporary occupation permit has been issued;

“floor” includes a horizontal platform forming the surface of a storey and any joist, board, timber, stone, concrete, steel or other material connected with or forming part of such platform;

“foundation” means that part of a building which is below or in direct contact with the ground, and through which the weight of the building and the loads acting on the building are transmitted to the ground, and includes any footing, raft or pile of the building;

“fresh air” means normal outdoor air not unduly affected by odours, smoke, effluents, dust, fumes discharges from mechanical plants and the like;

“geotechnical report” means calculations, plans or report prepared in respect of geotechnical building works by a qualified person who is a geotechnical engineer showing —

“gross floor area” has the same meaning as “floor area” in the Planning (Development) Rules 2008 (G.N. No. S 113/2008);

“household shelter”, “public shelter” and “storey shelter” have the same meanings as in the Civil Defence Shelter Act 1997;

“immaterial changes”, in relation to building works, means any changes that do not affect the objectives and performance requirements set out in the Fifth Schedule relating to the approved plans or deemed approved plans, and that —

“imposed load” or “imposed loading” means the load assumed to be introduced by the intended occupancy or use, including distributed, concentrated, impact and inertia but does not include wind loads;

“lightning protection system” means a system comprising an air-termination system, a down-conductor system and an earth-termination system, which is installed on or within a building and collectively intercepts, conducts and disperses lightning currents to earth;

“load bearing”, in relation to a part of a building (including its foundation), means that part of the building which bears a load other than that due to its own weight and wind pressure on its own surface;

“material changes”, in relation to building works, means any changes other than immaterial changes;

“mechanical ventilation” means the process of supplying or removing air to or from a building or part thereof by mechanical means or devices;

“natural ventilation” means the supply of outside air to a building or removal of inside air from a building by means of windows and other openings;

“ready‑mixed concrete” means concrete in a fresh state that is manufactured in a batching plant situated at any location, and supplied for use in an unhardened form;

“record plan” means a plan showing the immaterial changes made to the building works of the approved plan or deemed approved plan;

“residential building” means a building or part thereof designed or adapted or used for human habitation such as a detached, semi-detached or terraced house or residential flat, and includes any outbuilding and other covered structure which are intended for the enjoyment of the occupiers of the building or part thereof or are otherwise appurtenant to such a building;

“retaining wall” means a structure used to resist the lateral displacement or support the load of any retained material and includes any contiguous or secant bored-piled or diaphragm wall, reinforced concrete wall, steel sheet pile wall, soil nailed wall, reinforced earth wall, crib wall, gabions wall, cofferdam, tied-back wall or other types of wall serving the same purpose;

“safety barrier integrated with a window” means a barrier —

“service road” means a road required by the competent authority under the Planning Act 1998;

“Singapore Accreditation Council” means the national authority for accreditation of conformity assessment bodies in Singapore;

“site formation works” means any kind of site formation and includes earthworks for site stabilisation, the construction of foundations, basements, sub-structures, piling, underpinning, ground anchors, trenches or any other kind of ground works;

“standardised design” means an acceptable solution specified in the Approved Document as the standardised design;

“supervising qualified person” means the qualified person appointed under section 8(1)(b) or 11(1)(d)(ii) of the Act to supervise the carrying out of any building works;

“window” does not include any feature that is a safety barrier integrated with a window.