Committee for Sydney seeks building code changes for apartment ventilation

The Committee for Sydney is calling for changes to the National Construction Code due to inadequate ventilation in high-rise apartments. Urban planner Estelle Grech warns that the widespread use of sash windows in capital cities like Sydney is threatening resident health and wellbeing.

Under current building codes, rooms must have ventilation equivalent to 5 per cent of the floor space. However, the code measures this based on the total sash area rather than the actual openable area. Because fall protection rules restrict sash windows to openings of only 125mm, the effective ventilation is often reduced to just 10 to 15 per cent of the required amount.

Committee chief executive Eamon Waterford has formally requested that the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) amend the code to measure natural ventilation by the effective opening area. Waterford noted that this issue is creating a divide between residents of well-ventilated detached homes and apartment dwellers who may have little access to fresh air.