Glossary: terms from building law
The terms most requirements in Austrian building law hinge on, with the definition from the source and what they mean in practice.
What is a building class?
The building class (Gebäudeklasse, GK 1 to 5) classifies a building under the OIB guidelines by escape level, number of above-ground storeys, floor area and number of dwellings or business units; above all, the fire safety requirements of OIB guideline 2 depend on it. Piloti classifies it from these values, with the citation, and keeps it apart from the Bauklasse of a building code.
What is the escape level?
Under the OIB definitions, the escape level (Fluchtniveau) is the height difference between the top of the floor of the highest above-ground storey and the ground surface adjoining the building after completion, on average. From it and the other values Piloti derives the building class.
What is an above-ground storey?
Under the OIB definitions, an above-ground storey is a storey whose external boundary surfaces lie, in total, more than half above the adjoining ground after completion; storeys without dwellings, business units or parts of them, such as unconverted roof spaces, do not count. Piloti counts the storeys for the building class under this definition, with the citation.
What are the OIB guidelines?
The OIB guidelines are the building-technology guidelines issued by the Austrian Institute of Construction Engineering (OIB), with which the states harmonise their technical requirements; they become binding only when a state declares them binding in its building code or building-technology regulation, and then in a specific edition. Piloti cites them down to the clause and names the edition in force in the project’s state.
What is the RIS?
The RIS, the federal legal information system (Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes), is the freely accessible database of Austrian law run by the Federal Chancellery; among other things it holds federal law, the law of all nine states including their building codes, and the decisions of the highest courts. Piloti cites state law the way a permit names it and opens the passage from the RIS.
How do you read a development plan?
A development plan (Bebauungsplan) is a municipal regulation that, based on the state’s spatial planning or building law, sets how a plot may be built on, for example with building lines, building height or Bauklasse, building pattern and density; what exactly it contains and what it is called is up to each state. Piloti reads it as soon as it is in the project and names the provision it relies on.
What goes into submission drawings?
The Einreichplan is the set of drawings submitted to the building authority with the building application or building notice, usually site plan, floor plans, sections and elevations with a building description; what exactly it must contain and which documents go with it is governed by the building code of the state concerned. Piloti’s submission check says what the package still lacks in that state, citing state law.
What is a habitable room?
A habitable room (Aufenthaltsraum) is a room intended for people to stay in for longer periods, such as living rooms, bedrooms and workrooms; its requirements, for example on ceiling height, daylight and ventilation, are in OIB guideline 3 in the edition the state has declared binding. Piloti first settles whether a room is habitable and then what it must meet.
What is a fire compartment?
A fire compartment (Brandabschnitt) is an area of a building separated from other areas by compartment-forming walls and floors so that a fire does not spread for a set time; OIB guideline 2 governs its permitted size and requirements depending on building class and use. Piloti checks the requirements once the building class stands, with a citation and a result per row.
What is a row house under OIB?
Under the OIB definitions, a row house (Reihenhaus) is a building with more than two dwellings or business units built directly against each other, not stacked, separated by a vertical wall, each with no more than 400 m² gross floor area and its own entrance from outside; for the building class, the escape level of each unit is considered separately. Piloti checks the conditions against your project and classifies the building class.
More from Piloti