A simple example is a small residential garage structure verses a school auditorium. A garage in general would not require such a high construction type classification and can be built at a lower construction type classification to minimize construction cost. In comparison, a school auditorium would potentially require a higher construction type classification to provide a higher level of safety to the increased number of occupants the building serves. Even though Chapter 5 of the International Building Code IBC covers how big and tall a building is allowed to be based on its construction type and occupancy classification, this post will just cover what the different types of construction classifications are.
Now that we have a better understanding of why the different types of construction classifications are established, let us look at each Type of Construction individually to better understand what each one means.
The different construction classifications are found in Section of the International Building Code. All buildings shall be classified in one of the five construction types which are defined in Sections To classify for a specific construction type, the building elements must have a fire-resistance rating not less than that specified in Table and Table While we are here, it is important to define what Fire-Resistance Rating is.
The building code defines it as the following:. Now a building component is a fundamental component of the buildings construction as listed in Table This includes elements such as the exterior walls, roof structure, floor structure, primary structural frame, and so on.
Therefore the type of construction is based on the period of time it takes for each given building element to withstand a fire or to continue performing its structural function. Now let us take a look at how the building code defines each construction type. Type I construction is where the building elements listed in Table are of noncombustible material, except as otherwise listed in Section For example these would be materials such as concrete, masonry, noncombustible steel. While the building elements in a Type I building are to be of noncombustible materials, Section provides a list of where combustible materials can be used in a Type I building.
There is a list of 26 items found in Section which refers you to other sections of the code that allow you to use the materials listed in this section. While these are combustible materials, they are considered minor in relation to the overall building. For example one of the materials listed is millwork used as door frames or window sashes. With noncombustible exterior walls and interior elements made out of solid or laminated wood, a Type IV building cannot have a wood column any less than 8 inches thick or a wood girder any less than 6 inches thick.
While similar to a Type III, Type IV instead relies on the fire-resistant nature of the large dimension lumber in place of a prescribed fire-resistance rating. The most combustible of the five building types and the only one that allows for combustible exterior walls, Type V buildings allow both the exterior walls and interior framing to be wood.
When combined with the occupancy, building construction type is a driving factor for many code requirements. For more information, check out Chapter 6 of the International Building Code here. Building Construction Types. Type III Also known as a brick-and-joist structure, a Type III building has exterior walls built out of noncombustible materials like masonry or concrete and the floors, roof, and structural framework can be made of any material permitted by the code like wood.
Type V The most combustible of the five building types and the only one that allows for combustible exterior walls, Type V buildings allow both the exterior walls and interior framing to be wood.
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