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• Building codes serve as the guide of many engineers in the practice of their profession. As defined by Ching and Winkel (2016)
• The Code of Hammurabi (1772 BC) was known as the earliest written building code
• Rebuilding Code of London Act –passed as the first significant building regulation after the Great Fire of London in 1666 when the densely built timber housing. The Act required the housing to have some fire resistance capacity and authorized the reopening and the widening of the roads
• The Laws of Indies –regulated the urban planning for colonies throughout Spain’s worldwide imperial possessions
• The London Building Act of 1844 – the first systematic national building standard that required the district surveyors two days’ notice before building, regulations regarding the thickness of walls, height of room, the materials used in repairs, dividing the existing buildings and placing and design of chimneys, fireplaces and drains were to be enforced and streets had to be built to minimum requirements.
• Baltimore City Building Laws – serves as the building code of the city of Baltimore for four years after the Great Baltimore Fire in February 1904.
• National Building Code of 1905 – created by the National Board of Fire Underwriters aim to minimize the risk to property and building occupants.
• Republic Act of 6541 known as “An Act to Ordain and Institute a National Building Code of the Philippines”, was revised and become knows now as the Presidential Decree No. 1096. T
• The height shall be measured from the highest adjoining sidewalk or ground surface: Provided, that the height measured from the lowest adjoining surface shall not exceed such maximum height by more than 3.00 meter
• Except, that towers, spires, and steeples, erected as part of a building and not used for habitation or storage are limited as to height only by structural design if completely of incombustible materials, or may extend not to exceed 6.00 meters above the height limits for each occupancy group of combustible materials
• The dwelling shall occupy not more than ninety percent (90%) of a corner lot and eighty percent (80%) of an inside lot, and subject to the provisions on Easements of Light and View of the Civil Code of Philippines, shall be at least 2 meters from the property line.
• Every dwelling shall be so constructed and arranged as to provide adequate light and ventilation as provided under Section 805 to Section 811, of this Code.
• Every dwelling shall be provided with at least one sanitary toilet and adequate washing and drainage facilities.
• Footings shall be of sufficient size and strength to support the load of the dwelling and shall be at least 250 mm thick and 600 mm below the surface of the ground.
• Each post shall be anchored to such footing by straps and bolts of adequate size.
• The live load of the first floor shall be at least 200 kilograms per square meter and for the second floor, at least 150 kilograms per square meter.
• The wind load for roofs shall be at least 120 kilograms per square meter for vertical projection.
• Stairs shall be at least 750 mm in clear width, with a rise of 200 mm and a minimum run of 200 mm
• There shall be at least one entrance and another one for exit.
• All electrical installation shall conform to the requirements of the Philippine Electrical Code.
• Mechanical systems and/or equipment installation shall be subject to the requirement of the Philippine Mechanical Engineering Code
• Courts, yards, and light wells shall be measured clear of all projections from the walls enclosing such wells or yards with the exception of roof leaders, wall copings, sills, or steel fire escapes not exceeding 1.20 meters in width
• Minimum size of courts and their least dimensions shall be governed by the use, type of construction, and height of the building as provided in the rules and regulations, provided that the minimum horizontal dimension of court shall be not less than 2.00 meters.
• All inner courts shall be connected to a street or yard, either by a passageway with a minimum width of 1.20 meters or by a door through a room or rooms.
• Habitable rooms provided with artificial ventilation shall have ceiling heights not less than 2.40 meters measured from the floor to the ceiling; Provided that for buildings of more than one storey
• the minimum ceiling height of the first storey shall be 2.70 meters and that for the second storey 2.40 meters
• Mezzanine floors shall have a clear ceiling height not less than 1.80 meters above and below it.
• 1. Rooms for Human Habitations – 6.00 square meters with a least dimension of 2.00 meters;
• Kitchens – 3.0 square meters with a least dimension of 1.50 meters;
• . Bath and toilet – 1.20 square meters with a least dimension of 0.90 meter
• School Rooms – 3.00 cubic meters with 1.00 square meter of floor area per person;
• Workshops, Factories, and Offices – 12.00 cubic meters of air space per person
• Habitable rooms – 14.00 cubic meters of air space per person.
• . All designs of the water piping installation inside a building must conform to the standards of National Plumbing Code of the Philippines and all pipe materials must adhere to the quality standards of Philippine Standard Council.
• Sanitary sewage from buildings and neutralized or pre-treated industrial wastewater shall be discharged directly into the nearest street sanitary sewer main of existing municipal or city sanitary sewerage system in accordance with the criteria set by the Code on Sanitation and the National Pollution Control Commission
• Industrial establishments shall be provided with positive noise abatement devices to tone down the noise level of equipment and machineries to acceptable limits set down by the Department of Labor and the National Pollution Control Commission.
• Footings located at least 2.40 meters below grade along national roads or public highway may project not more than 300 mm beyond the property line.
• Foundations may be permitted to encroach into public sidewalk areas to a width not exceeding 500 mm
• The extent of any projection over an alley or street shall be uniform within a block and shall conform to the limitations such that the clearance between the established grade of the street and/or sidewalk and the lowest under surface of any part of the balcony shall not be less than 3.00 meters
• The width of the arcade and its height shall be uniform throughout the street provided, that in no case, shall an arcade be less than 3.00 meters above the established sidewalk grade.