ADTEK BUILDING CONSULTANTS

Architectural Design, Technology & Building Science Services

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL:

IT SHOULD BE VERY CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD BY VISITORS TO THIS WEBSITE THAT ADTEK BUILDING CONSULTANTS ARE NOT ARCHITECTS. IF YOU REALLY NEED A LICENCED ARCHITECT, FOLLOW THE LINK TO THE ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF ARCHITECTS WEBSITE:  www.oaa.on.ca 

HOWEVER, IF YOU CAME TO OUR SITE EXPECTING TO FIND AN ACCREDITED ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGIST TO PROVIDE VERY SIMILAR DESIGN SERVICES, DO A PROFESSIONAL JOB AND DO IT EXTREMELY WELL, THEN YOU HAVE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PERUSE THE REST OF THE SITE!

Thank You. 

Accredited Architectural Technologists have gone through a very rigorous training and formal education in architecture and building sciences and provide a very professional and credible alternative to an Architect within the area of practice as prescribed to them in the Ontario Building Code that allows them to design residential (no area limit on single family dwellings), commercial and industrial buildings up to 600 square metres (6,460 sq ft) in building area and no more than 3 storeys in building height. Visit our Association's website for more details: www.aato.on.ca

ARE YOU READY ?
2012 Building Code Requirements for New Construction

  New Building Code requirements come into effect on January 1, 2012. These relate to energy efficiency and occupancy permits.
 Energy Efficiency
 If you apply for a building permit on or after January 1, 2012, the proposed construction must conform with enhanced energy efficiency requirements of Ontario’s Building Code.
 The 2006 Ontario Building Code set out a “roadmap” for energy efficiency to be implemented from January 1, 2006 through to December 31, 2011. As part of that roadmap, the Code set out energy efficiency benchmarks for houses and for large buildings. Subsequent Code amendments provided additional compliance paths that are consistent with those benchmarks.
  The Building Code provides that construction for which an application for a building permit is made on or after January 1, 2012 must meet the following energy efficiency requirements:
  o  Houses and other Part 9 residential buildings intended for occupancy on a continuing basis during the winter months must meet the performance level that is equal to a rating of 80 or more when evaluated in accordance with EnerGuide801 (based on the Hot 2000 V9.34c1,2 software) or conform to Supplementary Standard SB-12, which is referenced in the Building Code. The alternative compliance paths set out in this Supplementary Standard are referenced in an amendment to the Building Code which came into force on January 1, 2010. For more information about the updated Supplementary Standard SB-12 follow the link to Service Ontario’s publications site at http://www.publications.serviceontario.ca/ecomlinks/510090.pdf.
 o  Other buildings (including Part 3 residential and commercial buildings) must conform to Supplementary Standard SB-10 (July 1, 2011 update), which is referenced in the Building Code. This Supplementary Standard indicates that the energy efficiency of these buildings shall be at least 25% greater than the
  1 the EnerGuide rating system was developed by Natural Resources Canada to evaluate the energy efficiency of houses
energy efficiency levels attained by conforming to the 1997 Model National Energy Code for Buildings, but provides additional compliance paths to achieve them. The updated Supplementary Standard SB-10 is referenced in an amendment to the Building Code which came into force on July 1, 2011. For more information about the updated Supplementary Standard SB-10 follow the link to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s Building Code
website at  http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page9528.aspx
  If Code Users haven’t done so already, they may wish to participate in technical training courses on the Building Code’s energy efficiency requirements developed by MMAH and offered by stakeholder organizations such as the Ontario Building Officials Association and community colleges. The Ontario Building Officials’ Association link
to their training information is:  http://www.oboa.on.ca/cgi-bin/news2/#a41. Related information is on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s Building Code website at  http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page8526.aspx.
  Other technical training may also be offered by professional and building sector organizations. The Ontario Home Builders Association, for example, can help builders to find out about such opportunities. For more information follow the link to the Ontario Home Builders Association website at  http://ohba.ca/ontario-building- code-training.
 Occupancy Permits for Certain New Residential Buildings
 Amendments to the Building Code which come into force on January 1, 2012 will require an inspection to be made and a permit issued, prior to the occupancy of certain new residential buildings.
 The new occupancy permit provisions apply to houses for which a building permit application is made on or after January 1, 2012.
 As described in article 1.3.3.4, of Division C, the new occupancy permit requirements will apply to buildings under Part 9 of the Building Code which are intended for residential occupancy, and that are: three or fewer stories in building height and
have a building area not exceeding 600 square metres; have no accommodation for tourists; do not have a dwelling unit above another dwelling unit; and do not have any dwelling units sharing a common means of egress.

Houses covered under these provisions would include detached, semi-detached and townhouses that meet the criteria outlined above.
 The provisions will not apply to an existing building, or part thereof, that has been subject to extension, or material alteration or repair. This means that both the existing part of a building and an addition to a building, subject to extension, material alteration or repair, would not be subject to an occupancy permit.
 The amendments to the Code include criteria that must be met before an occupancy permit can be issued. Sentence 1.3.3.4 (5), Division C, sets out those building components that must be substantially complete, complete, installed or operational, as the case may be, before issuance of an occupancy permit.
 The amendments also add a new “prescribed notice”, which is the completion of construction and installation of components required to allow for the issuance of an occupancy permit. Also, amendments to the Building Code include a new “additional notice” stage, which allows a municipality through a bylaw, to require a notice upon the final completion of a building for which an occupancy permit has already been issued.
 Supportive information including a model Occupancy Permit that municipalities may wish to use, as well as checklists and best practice information for building officials,
is being developed by the Occupancy Permit Working Group established by the Large
 Municipalities Building Official Association (LMCBO). This Working Group is composed of building officials and is chaired by Techa van Leeuwen, Director of Building and Bylaw Services at the Town of Aurora. Documents prepared by the Working Group will be available on the LMCBO/TACBOC website soon.
  Next Edition of the Building Code
 The development of the next edition of the Building Code continues. The timing and development of the next edition does not affect the timing of the energy efficiency and occupancy permit requirements of the 2006 Building Code described above, which will take effect on January 1, 2012.
Site Content:-

For more comprehensive information on all of the services that we can provide, please visit our "SERVICES" Page. 

We have a very extensive background with more than 44 years of experience in both the Architectural Technology, Building Science and Surveying disciplines. Some samples of our work can been seen on the "PORTFOLIO" Page.

Personal profiles and letters of references can be read by visiting "CV & REFERENCES" Page.

Accredited Member of the Association of Architectural Technologists of Ontario, a Member of Construction Specifications Canada, the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors, the Ontario Building Officials Association, Ontario Building Envelope Council and, more recently the Canada Green Building Council, Greater Toronto Chapter.

We are a small Toronto based company networking with Associates here in Toronto, throughout Ontario, in the United Kingdom, Bermuda and Australia. If you would like to receive additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can find our contact information on the "CONTACT US" Page.
 

News Items of Public Interest:-

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BUILDING REGULATORY REFORM SYSTEM

Although many changes to the Ontario Building Code and Building Code Act did come into effect on July 1st. 2005 under the legislation of Bill 124, the period for qualification and registration for certain Building Officials and Designers was extended for a further six months and it has now come into effect as of January 1st 2006.

To find out more and how this will affect you, click on the link below to review the documents prepared by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing on their web site at www.obc.mah.gov.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_4_23733_1.html


Canada Green Building Council

ADTEK BUILDING CONSULTANTS IS A PROUD MEMBER SINCE 2006.

The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) accelerates the design and construction of green buildings in Canada. They are a broad-based inclusive coalition of representatives from different segments of the design and building industry.

Their Vision
A transformed built environment leading to a sustainable future
The Council will work to:
  • change industry standards,
  • develop best design practices and guidelines;
  • advocate for green buildings, and
  • develop educational tools to support its members in implementing sustainable design and construction practices.
 
 
 

BILL 124. The Building Regulatory Reform System. 

THE ABOVE ACT CAME INTO EFFECT AS OF 12:01 pm. ON JANUARY 1st. 2006. WE ARE PLEASED TO ADVISE THAT WE ARE READY TO ASSIST YOU IN YOUR DESIGN ACTIVITIES AS WE ARE QUALIFIED, REGISTERED WITH THE MINISTRY & FULLY INSURED TO PROVIDE YOU WITH COMPLETE CONFIDENCE. 

BUILDING CODE QUALIFICATIONS.

To stay ahead of the impending changes to the Building Regulatory System as it was supposed to come into effect on July 1st 2005, ADTEK BUILDING CONSULTANTS are very proud to advise that they invested a lot of valuable time and effort into Ministry approved courses with both the AATO and the OBOA (click on the icons above) as well as the Ministry examinations to ensure their readiness. We are pleased to announce that we are Building Code Qualified (BCQ) as certified by the Ontario Building Officials Association and have been approved and formally registered by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing as a Registered Design Firm (BCIN # 27003) in readiness for the implemenation date of January 1st 2006. (Click on the new 2006 OBC icon above to review the registartion)

Because of the changes that make it mandatory for Designers to carry Professional Liability Insurance, we are pleased to inform and reassure our Clients that we already carry full Errors and Omissions Insurance and have satisfied the Ministry's requirements for the additional coverage as stipulated in section 2.21.2 of the Ontario Building Code.

We trust that this information will give every potential Client the full confidence to make a simple decision to use the services of  ADTEK BUILDING CONSULTANTS. Thank You for your time.