Description

The application for this determination arises from the following: 1-Building consents were apparently issued by the authority for building work at two schools, based on wall cavity details that accorded with the Acceptable Solution for Clause E2 of the Building Code; 2-Following a review by MOE against its own weathertightness requirements for school buildings, amendments to the consents were sought to incorporate top vents in addition to the bottom vents shown in E2/AS1; 3-The authority has refused to accept the top vented details as an alternative solution because it is not satisfied that the proposed top venting of wall cavities will comply with certain clauses of the Building Code. The matter to be determined is therefore whether the authority was correct to refuse to accept the proposed amendments to the building consents. In deciding this, I must consider whether the proposed top venting of wall cavities will comply with Clause E2 External Moisture and Clause B2 Durability of the Building Code. I have received no information in regard to the building work to be carried out under the two building consents. The question of top and bottom vented wall cavities is therefore considered in principle, rather than on their application to a particular building with specific wall claddings. This determination is also limited to the general consideration of common wall to roof junctions as indicated by MOE in its submissions. The determination does not consider more specialised junctions such as the tops of parapets, where the individual circumstances of a specific situation need to be assessed.