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Construction Type I-V

radioatlas

radioatlas

Registered User
Joined
Sep 27, 2018
Messages
25
Location
North Carolina
Hi, rookie question here... I'm a young designer and have never fully grasped the "concept" of Construction Type insofar as the code is concerned. I understand that a building can be 'classified' as multiple different types, but where do you begin determining type for an existing building? Are there any seasoned professional architects here with good rules of thumb /conceptual explanations for getting started? (The code feels big and daunting, and I very much want to learn more and understand this concept better.)
 
Descending order of fire resistance as the numbers increase.....Type V being anything legal, I and II being noncombustible "structure" with various levels of protection, III and IV being somewhat combustible, and V is bring your marshmallows....Best I can do in 2 lines....Ron's stuff will be waaaaayyyy more informative.
 
You are not alone in your confusion, but I appreciate your desire to become less confused. In my experience many....many DP's and code officials do not fully grasp how or why a building is classified the way it is, or how using a particular classification is more or less beneficial than another. I learn something new about the subject quite often. Ron's book is a great place to start. Also, his website offers some very informative writings, that are easy to digest.
 
Basic concept, stay within the perimeters of type V construction to keep costs down and to construct a building as cheaply as possible for a 30 to 40 year life span.....(my house is 100 years old but major reconstruction has been performed over the past few years).

Type IV is used to match mill construction conversions to lofts or for churches primarily

Type III B is usually a butler metal building

Type II is steel stud, drywall, and may incorporate masonry block and steel frame

Type I is either masonry block with fill, poured in placed concrete, or steel framing with spray on fire proofing - generally large assemblies and high rises.


Remember, Very Basic Rule of Thumb expressed above (My opinion only as yours may differ) -- Just remember that any construction type can be classified as type V construction as long as you meet the limitations of the code. This was done several times in a metal butler building when the price of steel studs skyrocketed a few years ago and the owners wanted to use wood framing in a non-combustible building.

Others may feel free to chime in or correct any falsehoods created by this post --- Best of all radio atlas - this is a very informative board with great resources with a broad range of designers, code officials, contractors, inspectors, etc.... -

Just be sure to roll with any responses as we all have off days and may vent at the wrong person at the wrong time.... I have been guilty of it and also have been on the receiving end as well. I will say that my status pretty much sums it up (the board) for me.

Thank you for becoming a member and look forward to seeing you on here in the future.
 
Actually Type III has morphed from what used to be called "Ordinary" construction - solid masonry exterior walls (hence the 2 hour rating) and wood or anything inside - the typical old building in most downtowns.
 
Here's a slide that I use in my codes class at School of Architecture at Taliesin.
 

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