The Ontario Building Code governs the construction and requirements of all buildings and structures in Ontario. Part 3 of the Ontario Building Code specifically deals with Buildings over 600M2 or over 3 stories in height.
Commercial Buildings usually fall under a separate part of the building code for a reason. The bigger the building the more complicated the design. Large Buildings is an intensive course dealing with the Occupancy of Buildings; Building Fire Safety; Safety within Floor Areas; Exits; Barrier Free Design; Structural Design; Change of Use and Renovations to name a few.
Knowing Part 3 Large Buildings – Classification and Construction is vital to beginning any inspection. The OBOA Course of Classification and Construction addresses large buildings and includes the following: building classification; separation of major occupancies; building area and height; streets; building size and construction; occupant load; fire separation/fire-resistance ratings; firewalls; closures; Ontario Building Code requirements; fire stopping; provision for firefighting; and mezzanines and interconnected floor spaces.
Another important part of Large Buildings as required by the Ontario Building Code is Part 3 Health and Safety. This is another important Building Code area which can affect all Commercial and Industrial buildings. This section of the Building Code deals with Spatial Separations and Exposure and Protection; Exits; Lighting and Emergency Power; Flame Spread Ratings of Interior Finishes, Service Spaces; Egress and Exiting from Mezzanines and Fire Alarm and Detection Systems.
The Commercial Building Inspector is a Certified Building Code Official with the Ontario Building Officials Association. The Commercial Building Inspector has met the mandatory qualifications are set out in the Building Code, and include the requirement that certain individuals successfully complete an examination program administered or authorized by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
When hiring the Commercial Building Inspector you will be guaranteed that he will be doing the inspection. The most important aspect of having your Commercial Property inspected is knowing the Qualifications of the actual inspector performing the inspection. There is no value to hiring a well known firm whose founder is extremely well educated, only to find out that you are going to be dealing with an employee, who may or may not have the qualifications you are looking for. The Commercial Building Inspector attends every inspection and uses only highly trained assistants to aid him.
The Commercial Building Inspector has experience in Project Reviews, Over 4,000 paid inspections, is a Certified Building Code Official and has experience in hundreds of plaza’s, Malls, Strip Malls, Medical Buildings, Apartment Buildings, Mixed Use and Multiple Occupancy building inspections. Visit www.commercailbuildinginspector.ca to review Buildings Inspected and Qualifications, you won’t be disappointed.
