SNiP - what is it? Building codes and regulations: list of documents, basic requirements

In the process of designing and erecting buildings, bridges and roads, architects and builders are guided by a set of rules that are approved at the legislative level, they are called SNiP. What is this abbreviation, what is its role and purpose, it is worth knowing not only to those who are engaged in construction, but to all other people. This word is often found in various articles, documents and even in news releases.

Understanding even in general terms what SNiP means (decoding: building norms and rules), it is possible to form a more productive dialogue with the foreman of a repair or construction brigade, with a real estate agent.

The subject and structure of the document

In everyday life, the most frequently mentioned categories are SNiP for residential and public houses. This is the name of the document, which includes a huge number of different nuances characteristic of the construction process. Its clauses touch almost all the spheres and stages of designing and erecting buildings:

• Illustrate general provisions.
• Describe the design standards.
• They contain the rules for the construction and reception of the finished object.
• Estimate the estimated norms and rules.

SNiP (which we'll discuss in more detail below) deals with the development of projects for residential and public buildings, laying their foundations, building walls (as well as stairwells and cells), the size and location of windows and doors, and many other issues. In addition, the paragraphs of the document describe the requirements for water supply systems, electrical networks, sewerage and heating. Each item has a numbering and name.

When developing the rules, the creators tried to formulate all the requirements as accurately and fully as possible in order to exclude misunderstanding and incorrect interpretation of SNiP.

What is this: strict instructions or just recommendations for action?

Each new building, regardless of destination, must be built in accordance with the requirements of SNiP. This is due not only to the word "must", but also to security considerations.

The figures in the document represent the average figures calculated in the course of the most complicated calculations. As a result of processing a large amount of statistical data, the optimal arrangement of the bearing walls, the distance between the windows, the size of the flight stairs, the height of the handrails and steps, the composition and density of the concrete, and other characteristics were deduced.

As an example, you can consider the angle of the stairs. The most comfortable and safe is considered a ladder design at an inclination of 30 to 50 degrees. Such steps can be used not only by adult, active men and women, but also by children or elderly people.

When builders adhere to SNiP, the building they erected turns out to be reliable, safe, convenient and durable. In cases where construction norms and rules (SNiP) are violated, the following complications may occur:

• Lack of comfort when using the structure.
• Falling and traumatizing people.
• Shrinkage at home.
• The appearance of cracks in the walls.
• Breakage of the heating system and water pipe (as a result of violation of the geometry of the building).
• Increased risk of fire.
• The collapse of the ceiling, the stairwell, the roof or the whole house.

Of course, the latter situation is the worst scenario, but it should also be taken into account.

Evolution of Building Regulations

веке. The erection of houses, roads and bridges has always been a complex and responsible business, so it is not surprising that the first norms and standards arose in the distant eleventh century. Of course, over the next centuries they were supplemented and changed. The norms that we know today are an evolving "Code of Manufacturing Building Norms" (late 20s of the twentieth century).

Building rules and regulations (SNiP) were first adopted in 1955 and have since been edited repeatedly. Interestingly, many of the items are relevant and useful so far. The SNiP edition was rather active in the 1990s and 2000s. For twenty years, a lot of refinements and adjustments were made not only in the text of this document, but also in national standards.

SNiP: interpretation of the term and types of rules

The document consists of five sections:

1. In the first, the rules concerning organization, management and the economic side of construction are collected. Here, the requirements for the chief engineer or architect of the project are specified, and who is to monitor the progress of the work.
2. The second section is the largest, it highlights the design standards. There are sub-sections related to security, concrete, metal and other structures and roofs, engineering networks and systems, transport, hydraulic structures, as well as urban planning.
3. The third section describes the organization of production and acceptance of works.
4. The fourth lists existing budget estimates.
5. The fifth section contains the most important information, which allows you to calculate the number of materials for the construction of a certain object. In addition, there are norms of labor costs and construction tools.
   

Features of the erection of foundations

When it is planned to build a building, pouring or building a foundation is given increased attention. At this stage it is impossible to ignore the provisions of SNiP. The foundations are the supports of all the houses, they have an enormous load, and if this part of the building is flawed, the quality of the remaining work will significantly decrease.

To build a solid foundation, engineers take into account all the geological features of the terrain and the experience of those who have already successfully completed a similar task. In those cases where a house needs to be built on soil with complex geological conditions, the design of the project is handled by specialized enterprises.

How to build a foundation

After a careful study of all circumstances, determine such parameters:

1. Type of foundation. It can be natural or artificial.
2. Typology of construction.
3. Depth of the bookmark.

The future load on the basis of the house is calculated in accordance with the requirements of SNiP. The foundations should be designed taking into account the bearing capacity, deformation effects and unfavorable environmental factors.

Load capacity is calculated in those cases when severe horizontal loads are anticipated, and also if the future building is located on a slope or in a terrain with rocky ground. In those cases when the foundation is not guaranteed to be displaced, the carrying capacity can not be calculated.

When the project involves construction immediately after the foundation is poured, the load is monitored in the process.

Foundation and underground waters

With close study of SNiP (design of foundations and foundations), it can be noted that considerable importance is attached to the type of soil and the specificity of groundwater. This is so important because an incorrect forecast can negate all construction.

SNiP contains several paragraphs describing the factors that should be taken into account when constructing a natural foundation:

• The soil should not be frozen. For a terrain with a negative temperature, other requirements: the soil should not be defrosted.
• The loose soil is compacted.
• If the terrain is prone to flooding, long-term observations are taken into account.

To determine the main characteristics of the soil, it is necessary to conduct tests. At the same time, it is possible to change the hydrogeological conditions during the data verification period (groundwater rise, occurrence of perchage or seasonal climatic influences). When the foundation is already erected, it is tested for strength and test loads.

The requirements of SNiP also determine the depth at which the foundation is to be laid. This parameter depends on the purpose and size of the structure.

Urgency of the requirements for sewage and water supply

Like all other construction works, the design and installation of the sewage system should be carried out in accordance with standards and regulations. True, many builders look down on the existing norms, although they know about SNiP. What they are designed for, they understand perfectly, but they consider such standards to be excessively expensive, irrational and irrelevant. As a result, when the time comes for repairing or replacing some element of the water supply or sewage system, the owners of the house face enormous difficulties. In addition, this system will be inconvenient to use, and even the sanitary situation in the district may worsen.

To prevent this, the customer should ask about the standards and control the construction process.

Internal and external sewerage network

Water supply and discharge systems are extremely important for both private houses and multi-family buildings. Isolate the external and internal sewer network:

1. The first is the branching of the pipes, which must direct the waste water from the houses to the reservoirs of the wells. Such networks are installed at an incline, so that the water flows off by gravity. However, sometimes pumps are used. Both one and the second options are governed by the rules.
2. The second is the sewage system, which is part of the system of plumbing fixtures and pipes of the building. The function of this system is the withdrawal of water and waste from the house into the external sewage system.
   

Factors that the builder considers when installing a water supply system

If all the requirements of SNiP are met, the safety of buildings will be ensured. Also, their comfort and convenience are increasing, which is important for the long-term use of residential and industrial buildings.

Designing and laying water and sewer pipes, usually take into account the following factors:

1. Structure, properties and composition of the soil.
2. Groundwater location.
3. The volume of water that will pass through the pipes (feed and outflow).

Also take into account the remoteness of the pumping station or the purification plant from the future construction.

Types of pipes and their requirements

Pipes can be metal, cast-iron, asbestos-cement, concrete or plastic, it is stipulated in the GOST and SNIP. The water pipe is subjected to enormous loads, so the pipes must be as strong as possible throughout. Outside, they are affected by moist soil, changing temperatures and other conditions, and water is exerting pressure from within. If it is a question of sewerage, then it is necessary to take into account the composition of this water: here in large quantities there are active chemical components.

Picking up pipes for water supply, the masters necessarily pay attention to marking, as pipes for internal and external systems are strikingly different.

When all the requirements and standards are met, the owner of the house can be calm for the safety of his family, because such a building will serve faithfully for more than a decade.