The following information provides guidance for completing the Specified System Form. This needs to accompany applications that involve the addition or alteration of any specified system.
Example of completed Specified System Form (pdf 268 KB)
Specified systems are those which help ensure a building is safe and healthy for people to enter, occupy or work in. In addition to a Specified System Form with the building consent application, these require a compliance schedule to ensure they continue to perform as was intended when they were installed.
Schedule 1 of the Building (Specified Systems, Change the Use, and Earthquake-prone Buildings) Regulations 2005 details the specified systems, which include the following:
SS 1 - Automatic systems for fire suppression
SS 2 - Automatic or manual emergency warning systems for fire or other dangers
SS 3 - Electromagnetic or automatic doors or windows
SS3/1 Automatic doors
SS3/2 Access controlled doors
SS3/3 Interfaced fire or smoke doors or windows
SS 4 - Emergency lighting systems
SS 5 - Escape route pressurisation systems
SS 6 - Riser mains for use by fire services
SS 7 - Automatic back-flow preventers connected to a potable water supply
SS 8 - Lifts, escalators, travelators, or other systems for moving people or goods within buildings
SS8/1 Passenger carrying lifts
SS8/2 Service lifts
SS8/3 Escalators & moving walkways
SS 9 - Mechanical ventilation or air conditioning systems
SS 10 - Building maintenance units providing access to exterior and interior walls of buildings
SS 11 - Laboratory fume cupboards
SS 12 - Audio loops or other assistive listening systems
SS12/1 Audio Loops
SS12/2 FM radio frequency systems & infrared beam transmission systems
SS 13 - Smoke control systems
SS13/1 Mechanical smoke control
SS13/2 Natural smoke control
SS13/3 Smoke curtains
SS 14 - Emergency power systems for, or signs relating to, a system or feature specified in any of SS1 to SS13
SS14/1 Emergency power systems relating to a system of feature specified in any of clauses 1-13
SS14/2 Signs relating to a system of feature specified in any of clauses 1-13
SS 15 - Other fire safety systems or features (systems for communicating information intended to facilitate evacuation, final exits, fire separations, signs, smoke separations)
SS15/1 Systems to communicate spoken information intended to facilitate evacuation
SS15/2 Final exits
SS15/3 Fire separations
SS15/4 Signs for communicating information to facilitate evacuation
SS15/5 Smoke separations
SS 16 - Cable cars (including to residential dwelling)
Location of the specified system, within or attached to the building.
This must be shown on a fire safety floor plan. Please indicate which drawing sheet.
Identifies what standard the system is to meet in order to meet the requirements of the New Zealand Building Code.
These may be a specific approved standard, an acceptable solution or specifically designed for the feature or system in question.
Each specified system has inspection and maintenance procedures to ensure the system is performing, and continues to perform, to the performance standards set out for that specified system.
Reporting procedures determine what records of the above are to be kept on the premises.
The inspection, maintenance, and reporting procedures need to be relevant to the performance standard, and therefore the way the system was designed, to ensure the specified system continues to perform in the way it was intended.
These are the persons who are qualified and approved to undertake the inspections required.
You can find Independently Qualified Persons (IQP's) here IQP Search.
Building Consent Application Omissions
What are site specific Performance Standards
Performance standards must be sufficiently specific to your site, be aware that for some performance standards it is not sufficient to nominate a standard you will need to identify the relevant sections of the standard.
For example SS15/2 Final Exits,
C/AS2 Part 3.15.12:2020 Panic fasteners
C/AS2 Part 3.15.14:2020 Simple fastenings
Performance Standards must be consistant across all documentation, e.g. the plans and specifications must reflect the Fire Report.
What year should the Performance Standard include?
Alterations to exising systems e.g extensions to fire safety systems may need to refer to the original older standard.
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