New code will enforce window barriers

Windows that are more than two metres above the ground will be required to have barriers installed on construction when new residential building codes become effective in May.

Amendments to the Building Code of Australia 2013 (BCA 2103) mean that openable windows in bedrooms in residential buildings or early childhood centres will need to be fitted with either a screen or a device that restricts opening.

Hendry Group building surveyors noted on their Building Code of Australia blog that the requirements would apply to newly constructed hotels, apartments or houses where the floor beneath the window is more than two metres above the surface below.

The changes to the BCA 2013 will be released as part of the updated National Construction Code (NCC), which is an initiative of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) developed to incorporate all on-site construction requirements into a single code. The NCC comprises the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and the Plumbing Code of Australia (PCA).