1 THE USE OF PERFORMANCE BASED BUILDING CODES TO ATTAIN SUSTAINABLE HOUSING OBJECTIVES: THE SOUTH AFRICAN APPROACH

Any definition for sustainable housing must reflect emerging societal expectations captured in Agenda 21 (1992), the Habitat Agenda (1996), the Millennium Declaration (2000) and the outcomes of the World Summit (2002). A performance description for sustainable housing should accordingly be framed around the provision of adequate and affordable shelter, the avoidance of harmful effects on the environment, the conservation of natural resources and poverty relief. This paper develops a performance description for sustainable housing and identifies which aspects of the performance descriptions can be regulated in terms of performance-based building regulations. Based on recent work done in the reinterpretation of South Africa’s National Building Regulations in SANS 10400, the Application of the National Building Regulations, it suggests how performance parameters relating to fire safety, sanitation system, moisture penetration and structural safety, serviceability and durability can be established to reflect societal expectations in a developing country, in a manner which supports sustainable development objectives. The paper also outlines the performance based approach which has recently been adopted by the National Department of Housing to address the conservation of fuel and power by addressing thermal comfort and suggests how the conservation of natural resources and the provision of employment could be addressed though performance based standards linked to government mass housing projects. The paper concludes by examining how the lessons learned and proposal in the application of performance based standards in the housing sector can be extended to other forms of buildings