5 - Assessing alternative solutions

Purpose

To examine how the Council assesses alternative solutions proposed for use in building projects.

Background

Alternative solutions are one way of demonstrating that building work will comply with the Building Code. Building consent authorities can use the known performance of the relevant Acceptable Solution (prescriptive means of compliance) as a benchmark to make their own assessment of whether the performance of the proposed alternative solution is adequate. An alternative solution may involve materials, components, or methods that differ from those in a Compliance Document,¹⁰ but that still satisfy the performance objectives of the Building Code.

Initial review

The Council did not have a formal policy or procedure for the assessment of alternative solutions. The initial review found that information on alternative solutions, and the reasons for their acceptance or rejection, was rarely being recorded.

Recommendations to the Council	Action taken by the Council before the follow-up review
Develop a policy to define how it processes proposed alternative solutions including requirements to: justify acceptance or rejection of a proposed alternative solution clearly document and maintain records of the use and acceptance of alternative solutions.	The Council did not implement this recommendation.

Follow-up review

The Council has not developed a formal policy for the assessment of alternative solutions. However, the Council provided guidance to staff on how alternative solutions are to be dealt with. The Council informed the Department that staff were being required to document the basis for accepting alternative solutions. Case studies revealed that this requirement was not being consistently complied with.

Recommendations to the Council	Response from the Council
Develop a policy to guide how technical staff process proposed alternative solutions. Staff should be required to: justify their acceptance or rejection of proposed alternative solutions, demonstrating how Building Code compliance will be achieved clearly document and maintain records of their use and acceptance of alternative solutions consistently follow and apply the policy.	The Council advised that it has provided guidance to staff on alternative solution management. It has developed a formal policy on the acceptance and rejection of alternative solutions that includes documentation of acceptance. An audit of policy adherence will be undertaken.

10 A prescriptive document produced by the Department of Building and Housing that specifies a means of compliance with a particular clause of the Building Code.

Conclusion

The Council has implemented the Department's recommendation to develop a policy. The focus now is to ensure its policy is consistently implemented by staff and contractors who assess and make decisions about proposed alternative solutions. A good way to do this is to use quality assurance mechanisms such as peer review, training and internal audits of completed work.