Building Definitions

Accessoria or Row House

• A house with a maximum of two stories is considered an accessoria or row house.
• It consists of a row of dwelling units that are entirely separated by party walls
• Each unit having its own independent entrance.

Accessory Building

• A building on the same lot as the main building, is subordinate to it
• It serves purposes that are customarily incidental to the main building
• Examples include servants' quarters, garages, pump houses, and laundries.

Agricultural Building

• A building is designed and constructed to house farm implements, hay, grain, poultry, livestock, etc
• The structure is not for human habitation or employment
• Agricultural products are not processed, treated, or packaged in it, and it is not for public use.

Alley

• Public space or thoroughfare dedicated for public use
• It acts as a passageway with a width of no more than three meters.

Alter or Alteration

• Any change, addition, or modification to a building's construction or occupancy is considered an alter or alteration.

Apartment

• A room or suite of rooms designed for one family for living, sleeping, and cooking.

Apartment House

• Refers to a building designed, built, rented, or hired out to be occupied as a home for three or more families
• The families live independently and do their own cooking, and it includes flats and apartments.

Arcade

• A portion of a building above the first floor
• It projects over the sidewalk beyond the first-story wall for pedestrian protection from rain or sun.

Assembly Building or Hall

• Building or portion of building gathers 50+ people for deliberation, workshop, entertainment, amusement, transportation waiting, or 100+ people for drinking/dining

Attic Storey

• A storey situated wholly or partly in a roof, and designed to be used for business, storage, or habitation.

Awning

• A movable shelter that is supported entirely from the exterior wall of a building
• Awnings can be retracted, folded, or collapsed against the supporting building.

Backing

• The surface or assembly to which veneer is attached.

Balcony

• A portion of the seating space of an assembly room
• The lowest part of which is raised 1.20 meters or more above the main floor level

Balcony Exterior Exit

• Egress point with a long size at least 50% open
• Open area above guardrail is designed to prevent smoke, toxic gas accumulation

Barbecue

• A stationary open hearth or brazier that is either fuel-fired or electric
• Used for food preparation.

Basement

• Situated partly below and partly above grade
• The vertical distance from grade to the floor is less than the distance from grade to ceiling.

Bay or Panel

• One of the intervals or spaces into which the building front is divided
• Divided by columns, buttresses, or division walls.

Boarding House

• A house contains five or more sleeping rooms
• Boarders are provided with meals and lodging for a fixed sum paid monthly/weekly

Boiler Room

• Any room containing a steam or hot water boiler.

Buildable Area

• The space remaining on a lot after required minimum open spaces are deducted.

Building

• Any kind of structure built for the support, shelter, or enclosure of people, animals, and property.

Building Height

• Measured from roof to the average height of gable, pitch, or hip roof
• Alternatively to the top of the parapet, if the roof has one
• For sloping ground, the average ground level of the buildable area is used.

Building Length

• Generally measured in the direction of the bearing wall for girders.

Building Width

• Its shortest linear dimension, usually measured in the direction of the floor, beams, or joists.

Cellar

• The vertical distance from grade to the floor below is equal to or greater than the vertical distance from grade to the ceiling

Chimney Classifications

• Residential Appliance Type
• Low-Heat Appliance Type
• Medium Heat Appliance Type

Chimney Connector

• The pipe connects a flue-burning appliance to a chimney.

Chimney Liner

• Made of fire clay or other approved material.

Chimney, Masonry

• Is made of solid masonry units like bricks, stones, hollow units or reinforced concrete.

Concrete Block

• A masonry unit made from portland cement and aggregates like sand, gravel, crushed stone, cinders, burned clay, pumice, volcanic scoria, blast furnace slags

Coping

• Units forming a cap or finish on top of a wall, pier, or pilaster.

Corrosion-Resistant Material

• Non-ferrous metal, metal w/ unbroken surface of non-ferrous metal
• Steel with >=10% chromium or <=0.20% copper, rust-resistant inherently or w/ coating before or after fabrication

Course

• A continuous horizontal layer of masonry units.

Court

• An occupied space between building and lot lines (excluding yards) is free, open, and unobstructed

Dispersal Area (Safe)

• Relates to the building
• Person within area should not be closer than 15 meters from building/stand
• Area should be at least 0.28 square meters per person

Dwelling

• Per code definition, a dwelling contains one or two "dwelling units" or "guest rooms."
• It is used, intended, designed to be built, rented, leased, let, or hired out for living purposes.

Dwelling, Indigenous Family

• Native materials (bamboo, nipa, logs, or lumber) are used
• Total cost does not exceed fifteen thousand pesos.

Dwelling, Multiple

• Building housing three or more families, living independently
• Each occupies one or more rooms as a single housekeeping unit

Dwelling, One-Family

• A detached building designated for exclusive occupancy by a single family.

Dwelling Unit

• One or more habitable rooms, for one family
• Facilities for living, sleeping, cooking, and eating

Exit

• Continuous, unobstructed egress method to public way through doors, corridors, Exterior exit, ramps, stairway etc
• Point that opens into safe dispersal area or access way

Exit Courts

• Yard or court providing public way egress to one or more exits

Exit, Horizontal

• Passage from building to another, occupied by same tenant
• Separation by wall with 1-hr fire resistance

Exit Passageway

• Enclosed egress connecting required exit/court with public way

Facing

• Masonry, integral to wall, used as finished surface

Firebrick

• Is defined as a refractory brick.

Fireclay

• Finely ground clay, plasticizer for masonry mortars

Fireplace

• A hearth and chamber where fire is made
• Build in conjunction with chimney

Fire Retardant Treated Wood

• Lumber/plywood with chemicals
• Should have a flame-spread of not over 25 after 30 min testing
• The properties should not be considered permanent when exposed to weather

First Storey

• Floor is at or above the level of sidewalk or adjoining ground
• Remaining storeys being regular succession upward

Floor Area

• Within surrounding exterior walls of building or portion, excluding vent shafts and courts
• Not provided with exterior walls should be usable area under horizontal projection of the roof/floor

Footing

• Foundation spreads and transmits loads directly to soil/pile

Foundation

• Portions of the building/structure below footing, the earth it rests on

Garage

• Portion where vehicle containing volatile, flammable liquid in tank is stored, repaired, or kept

Garage, Commercial

• Garage where automobiles/motor vehicles are housed, cared for, equipped, repaired, or kept for remuneration, hire or sale.

Garage, Open Parking

• Structure of one or more tiers, 50% open on two or more sides, exclusively for parking/storage of passenger vehicles (capacity <=9 persons per vehicle).
• Further classified as either ramp-access (series of rising floors) or mechanical-access (machines, lifts, elevators).
• Ramp-access garages floors let vehicles move under own power
• Mechanical-access garages employs machines, and prohibits public occupancy above the street level.

Garage Private

• Portion where vehicles used by tenants are stored/kept

Girder

• Horizontal structural piece supporting floor beams/joists, walls over opening

Grade (Adjacent Ground Elevation)

• Lowest elevation point of ground between building's exterior wall and a point 1.50 meters away.
• If wall is within 1.50 meters of public sidewalk/alley, grade is elevation of sidewalk/alley.

Ground Floor

• Storey near to grade
• Other storeys are designated counting upwards, starting as second floor

Guest Room

• Room used by guest for sleeping, 9.30 square meters in dormitory considered a guest room

Habitable Room

• Any room meeting Code needs for sleeping, living, cooking, dining.
• Excludes closets, pantries, bath/toilet, service rooms, connecting corridor, laundry, unfinished attics, storage, utility rooms

Hall, Common

• Corridor/passageway shared by occupants

Hall, Stair

• Hall includes stair, stair landings, and portions of common halls

Heliport

• Area of land/water OR structured surface for helicopters landing/take off, and appurtenant areas for buildings and other heliport facilities.

Helistop

• Same as heliport but no refueling, maintenance, repairs, or storage

Hotel

• Building with rooms for temporary hire, general kitchen, public dining, but no cooking in suite/room

Hotel, Apartment

• apartment house furnishing dining and more services for tenants alone

Incombustible

• Construction with material either having base of incombustible (surfacing not over 3.2mm thick, flames rating 50 or less)
• Does Not apply to surface finish
• Material required conform to Code provisions

Incombustible Material

• Structural material: brick, stone, terracotta, concrete, iron, steel, sheet metal, tiles; used singly or combined

Incombustible Roofing

• Covering no less than 2 layers of roofing felt with tar & gravel
• Or tin/corrugated iron with standing seam lap joint

Incombustible Stud Partition

• Partition upon metal lath or wire cloth
• Fire-topped with non-combustible at 20 cm above floor and at ceiling

Line, Building

• Intersection of building's enclosing wall and ground's surface

Lintel

• Beam/girder over opening supporting wall construction above

Load, Dead

• Weight of building's permanent portions (walls, partitions, framing, floor, roofs etc.)
• Includes stationary fixtures, mechanisms

Load, Lateral

• Load from wind, earthquakes, or other dynamic force

Load, Live

• The contents of a building/structure except dead, lateral, temporary partitions, cases, counters, equipment, and those by occupancy

Load, Occupant

• Total number of people in building at one time

Lodging House

• Building with <= 5 guest rooms used by <= 5 guests for rent with money, goods, labor

Lot

• Land with placed structure
• Designated land on record

Lot, Corner

• Angle of not more than one thirty-five degrees (135°) at street junction

Lot, Depth Of

• Average horizontal distance between front and rear lot lines

Lot, Front

• Lot's front is boundary bordering a street
• In a corner, its the boundary which can be front

Lot, Inside

• Lot fronting only one street or public alley

Lot Line

• Demarcation differentiating public and private zones

Lot, Open

• Lot which has borders along all sides by street lines

Lot, Width Of

• Average horizontal distance between side lot lines

Masonry

• Construction composing stone, brick, concrete, hollow clay tile, etc or its material set with something like mortar

Masonry Solid

• Masonry of solid units built without hollow spaces

Masonry Unit

• Composing of brick, block, tile, stone made with cement agent

Mezzanine or Mezzanine Floor

• Partial intermediate floor
• Have a space of about one-half for room in the building

Non-Conforming Building

• Building violating district regular height, yard requirement, area, and use

Non-Conforming Use

• Use not aligned with zone regulation

Occupancy

• Use of building, includes the building and their room.

Owner

• Person, company, corporation owning the property
• Receiver or truster owner

Panic Hardware

• Panic bar extends across half the width of door to open door.

Partition

• Interior subdividing wall.

Pier

• Support for arches, columns, girders, similar structural parts

Pilaster

• Projects on one or both sides and acts vertically

Plaster, Portland, Cement

• Mix of aggregate, and other approved materials as called for by Code

Plastics, Approved

• Plastic materials with a flame spread rate of 225 or less

Platform, Enclosed

• Partially enclosed portion of assembly room
• 1.50 meters maximum for presenting or using equipment.

Public Way

• Unobstructed land
• 3.00 meter wide
• Appropriated for free passage to public

Repair

• Purpose is for reconstruction to maintain.

Shaft

• Vertical opening for elevators, dumbwaiters, similar equipment.

Show Window

• Store window with displayed inventory

Slum

• Eyesore and Area where real estate values are reduced

Socalo, Masonry

• The wall between the window sill and the ground.

Soffit

• Underside of a beam, lintel, or reveal.

Stable

• Enclosure, shelter, or protection of cattle

Stable, Commercial

• Where animals are kept for business.

Stage

• Partially enclosed portion where performance takes place more than 1.50 meters high

Stairway

• Two+ risers constitute stairway.

Stairway, Private

• Serves one tenant only

Storey

• Portion of building and contains surface of floor
• Topmost storey will be above floor and ceiling

Storey, Height Of

• Perpendicular height measured from floor beams and floor joints
• Clearance measured from floor level to ceiling-side walks measure from joints

Street

• Public space designated for Public use

Structure

• A work that has been built up or constructed by putting the parts together.

Structural Frame

• Framing system connects columns + members
• It is essential for stability

Suportales

• Vertical support for construction
• Stilt for wall structure

Surface, Exterior

• Weather exposed surface

Surface, Interior

• In contrast to weather exposed surfaces.

Surface, Weather-Exposed

• All surfaces exposed to weather except ceilings and roofs enclosed by beams extend a minimum of 300mm

Value or Valuation of a Building

• Estimated to replace the building for purpose replacement

Vault

• Surface constructed for storage of valuables

Veneer Adhered

• Secured and supported with fasteners to bonding

Veneer, Exterior

• Applied to surfaces which are weathering

Veneer, Interior

• Applied to surfaces which are not weatherproof

Wall, Bearing

• That supports structural load

Wall, Cross

• Synonym for partition

Wall, Curtain

• Framework of iron or steel, between piers

Wall, Dead

• Wall without openings

Wall, Exterior

• Boundaries/courts where there building stands

Wall, Faced

• Composite acting element with common action

Wall, Fire

• Divides the building
• Resists through all storeys

Wall, Foundation

• Component below first tier

Wall, Height Of

• Measured: down, or in foundation/retaining cases, where the footing lies.

Wall, Nonbearing

• Which isn't supporting

Wall, Parapet

• Extends above line of roof

Wall, Party

• Separate wall to multiple buildings.

Wall, Retaining

• Lateral material displacement.

Wall, Thickness Of

• Thickness measured at bed

Window

• Opening through wall admits light

Window, Oriel

• Projects similar bracket
• May apply over street

Wire Backing

• Horizontal, which connects to wood
• When made backing for plaster which is made horizontal.

Yard or Patio

• Vacant space on the lot between, and property

Yard, Rear

• Lot lines and building are side by side

Yard, Side

• Side line and build between rear