National Building Code of the Philippines

(b) Mezzanine floors shall have a clear ceiling height not less than 1.80 meters above and below it. SECTION 806. Size and Dimensions of Rooms. (a) Minimum sizes of rooms and their least horizontal dimensions shall be as follows: 1. Rooms for Human Habitations. 6.00 square meters with at least dimensions of 2.00 2. Kitchens. 3.00 square meters with at least dimension of 1.50 meters; 3. Bath and toilet. 1.20 square meters with at least dimension of 0.90 meters. SECTION 807. Air Space Requirements in Determining the Size of Rooms. (a) Minimum space shall be provided as follows: 1. School Rooms. 3.00 cubic meters with 1.00 square meter of floor area per person; 2. Workshops, Factories, and Offices. 12.00 cubic meters of space per person; 3. Habitable rooms. 14.00 cubic meters of space per person. SECTION 808. Window Openings. (a) Every room intended for any use, not provided with artificial ventilation system as herein specified in this Code, shall be provided with a window or windows with a total free area of openings equal to at least ten percent of the floor area of room, and such window shall open directly to a court, yard, public street or alley, or open water courses. SECTION 809. Vent Shafts. (a) Ventilation or vent shafts shall have a horizontal cross- sectional area of not less than 0.10 square meter for every meter of height of shaft but in no case shall the area be less than 1.00 square meter. No vent shaft shall have its least dimension less than 600 millimeters. (b) Skylights. Unless open to the outer at the top for its full area, vent shaft shall be covered by a skylight having a net free area or fixed louver openings equal to the maximum required shaft area. (c) Air ducts shall open to a street or court by a horizontal duct or intake at a point below the lowest window opening. Such duct or intake shall have a minimum unobstructed cross-sectional area of not less than 0.30 square meter with a minimum dimension of 300 millimeters. The openings to the duct or intake shall not be less than 300 millimeters above the bottom of the shaft and the street surface or level of court at the respective ends of the duct or intake. SECTION 810. Ventilation Skylights. (a) Skylights shall have glass area not less than that required for the windows that are replaced. They shall be equipped with movable sashes or louvers with an aggregate net free area not less than that required for openable parts in the window that are replaced or provided with approved artificial ventilation of equivalent effectiveness. SECTION 811. Artificial Ventilation. (a) Rooms or spaces housing industrial or heating equipment shall be provided with artificial means of ventilation to prevent excessive accumulation of hot and/or polluted; (b) Whenever artificial ventilation is required, the equipment shall be designed and constructed to meet the following minimum requirements in changes: 1. For rooms entirely above grade and used for office, clerical, or administrative purposes, or as stores, sales rooms, restaurants, markets, factories, workshops, or machinery rooms, not less than three changes of air per hour shall be provided. 2. For rooms entirely above grade and used as bakeries, hotel or restaurant kitchens, laundries other than accessory to dwellings, and boiler rooms not less than ten changes of air per hour shall be provided. 3. For auditorium and other rooms used for assembly purposes, with seats or other accommodations not less than 0.03 cubic meter of air per minute shall be supplied for each person. 4. For wards and dormitories of institutional buildings not less than 0.45 cubic meter of air per minute shall be supplied for each person accommodated. 5. For other rooms or spaces not specifically covered under this Section of the Code, applicable provisions of the Philippine Mechanical Engineering Code, shall be followed. CHAPTER 9 SANITATION SECTION 901. General. Subject to the provisions of Book II of the Civil Code of the Philippines on Property, Ownership, and its Modification, all buildings hereafter erected, altered, remodeled, relocated or repaired for human habitation shall be provided with adequate and potable water supply, plumbing installation, and suitable wastewater treatment or disposal system, storm water drainage, pest and vermin control, noise abatement device, and such other measures required for the protection and promotion of health of persons occupying the premises and other living nearby. SECTION 902. Water Supply System. (a) Whenever available, the potable water requirements for a building used for human habitation shall be supplied from existing municipal or city waterworks system. (b) The quality of drinking water from meteoric, surface or underground sources shall conform to the criteria set in the latest approved National Standards for Drinking Water. (c) The design, construction and operation of deepwells for the abstraction of groundwater shall be subject to the provisions of the Water Code of the Philippines. (d) The design, construction and operation of independent waterworks, systems of private housing subdivisions or industrial estates shall be governed by existing laws relating to local waterworks system. (e) The water piping installations inside buildings and premises shall conform to the provisions of the National Plumbing Code of the Philippines. SECTION 903. Wastewater Disposal System. (a) Sanitary sewage from buildings and neutralized or pre-treated industrial wastewater shall be discharged directly into the nearest street sanitary sewer main of existing municipal or city sanitary sewerage system in accordance with the criteria set by the Code on Sanitation and the National Pollution Control Commission. (b) All buildings located in areas where there are no available sanitary sewerage system shall dispose their sewage "Imhoff" or septic tank and subsurface absorption filed. (c) Sanitary and industrial plumbing installations inside buildings and premises shall conform to the provisions of the National Plumbing Code. SECTION 904. Storm Drainage System. (a) Rainwater drainage shall not discharge to the sanitary sewer system. (b) Adequate provisions shall be made to drain low areas in buildings and their premises. SECTION 905. Pest and Vermin Control. (a) All buildings with hollow and/or wood construction shall be provided with rat proofing. (b) Garbage bins and receptacles shall be provided with ready means for cleaning and with positive protection against entry of pest and vermins. (c) Dining rooms for public use without artificial ventilation shall be properly screened. SECTION 906. Noise Pollution Control. Industrial establishments shall be provided with positive noise abatement devices to tone down the noise level of equipment and machineries to acceptable limits set down by the Department of Labor and the National Pollution Control Commission. SECTION 907. Pipe Materials. All pipe materials to be used in buildings shall conform to the Standard Specifications of the Philippine Standard Council. CHAPTER X BUILDING PROJECTION OVER PUBLIC STREETS