City of Burnaby Requires Designated Structural Engineer for Part 3 Buildings
Effective June 15, 2009, consistent with the Housing Statutes Amendment Act, the City of Burnaby is requiring that a Designated Structural Engineer (Struct.Eng.) be retained to act as the Structural Engineer of Record for new, or additions to, Part 3 buildings as defined by the BC Building Code, taking overall responsibility for the design work and field reviews of the primary structural system. The primary structural system is a combination of primary structural elements that support a building’s self-weight and applicable live loads based on occupancy, use of the space and environmental loads, such as wind, snow and seismic forces.
Examples of the requirement’s application include new Part 3 buildings, vertical or horizontal additions to an existing Part 3 building including mezzanines, and seismic upgrades for Part 3 buildings. The requirement does not apply to the design of individual secondary structural elements, speciality structural elements, or a building that falls under the scope of Part 9 without firewall(s) or is not constructed on top of an underground parking structure. However, at the discretion of the Building Inspector, projects deemed to be complex would also require the structural engineer of record to be a Designated Structural Engineer.
Bill 10, the Housing Statutes Amendment Act, provides the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC (APEGBC) and the Architectural Institute of BC (AIBC) with the authority to create building specialist designations and set qualifications. It also enables local governments to require a building specialist, as designated by APEGBC or AIBC, to sign building plans and other documents required for a building permit.
Questions related to the application of this requirement can be directed to the City of Burnaby’s Building Department at (604) 294-7130. More information about Bill 10 is available on the Office of Housing and Construction Standards’ website at: www.housing.gov.bc.ca/modernization/faq.htm.