NEPAL NATIONAL BUILDING CODE

NBC 000 : 1994

REQUIREMENTS FOR STATE-OF-THE ART DESIGN

AN INTRODUCTION

His Majesty's Government of Nepal

Ministry of Physical Planning and Works
Department of Urban Development and Building Construction
Babar Mahal, Kathmandu, NEPAL
2060

NBC000V0.RV1 5 April 1994

 NEPAL NATIONAL BUILDING CODE
NBC 000 : 1994

This publication represents a standard of good practice and therefore

takes the form of recommendations. Compliance with it does not confer
immunity from relevant legal requirements, including bylaws
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His Majesty's Government of Nepal

Ministry of Physical Planning and Works
Department of Urban Development and Building Construction
Babar Mahal, Kathmandu, NEPAL
2060

NBC000V0.RV1 5 April 1994

 i

Preface
This Nepal National Building Code was prepared during 1993 as part of a bigger project to mitigate the
effect of earthquakes on the building of Nepal.

In 1988 the Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning (MHPP), conscious of the growing needs of
Nepal's urban and shelter sectors, requested technical assistance from the United Nations Development
Programme and their executing agency, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS).

A programme of Policy and Technical Support was set up within the Ministry (UNDP Project
NEP/88/054) and a number of activities have been undertaken within this framework.

The 1988 earthquake in Nepal, and the resulting deaths and damage to both housing and schools, again
drew attention to the need for changes and improvement in current building construction and design
methods.

Until now, Nepal has not had any regulations or documents of its own setting out either requirements or
good practice for achieving satisfactory strength in buildings.

In late 1991 the MHPP and UNCHS requested proposals for the development of such regulations and
documents from international organisations in response to terms of reference prepared by a panel of
experts.

This document has been prepared by the subcontractor's team working within the Department of
Building, the team including members of the Department and the MHPP. As part of the proposed
management and implementation strategy, it has been prepared so as to conform with the general
presentation requirements of the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology.

The subproject has been undertaken under the aegis of an Advisory Panel to the MHPP.

The Advisory Panel consisted of :

Mr. UB Malla, Joint Secretary, MHPP Chairman

Director General, Department of Building
(Mr. LR Upadhyay) Member
Mr. AR Pant, Under Secretary, MHPP Member
Director General, Department of Mines & Geology
(Mr. PL Shrestha) Member
Director General, Nepal Bureau of Standards & Metrology
(Mr. PB Manandhar) Member
Dean, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University
(Dr. SB Mathe) Member
Project Chief, Earthquake Areas Rehabilitation &
Reconstruction Project Member
President, Nepal Engineers Association Member
Law Officer, MHPP (Mr. RB Dange) Member
Representative, Society of Consulting Architectural &
Engineering Firms (SCAEF) Member

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 ii

Representative, Society of Nepalese Architects (SONA) Member

Deputy Director General, Department of Building,
(Mr. JP Pradhan) Member-Secretary

The Subcontractor was BECA WORLEY INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANTS LTD. of New

Zealand in conjunction with sub-consultants who included :

Golder Associates Ltd., Canada

SILT Consultants P. Ltd., Nepal
TAEC Consult (P.) Ltd., Nepal
Urban Regional Research, USA

A number of individual subconsultants and HMGN counterparts also provided input to the draft
Standards and other documents making up this Code. A particularly important contribution was made
by Dr.AS Arya, Professor Emeritus, University of Roorkee, India.

Revisions and Updated to this code came from:

Mr. Purna P.Kadariya, DG, DUDBC

Mr. Kishore Thapa, DDG, DUDBC
Mr. Mani Ratna Tuladhar, Sr. Div. Engineer, DUDBC
Mr. Jyoti Prasad Pradhan, Ex. DG, DOB
Mr. Bhubaneswor Lal Shrestha, Ex. DDG, DOB
Mr. Uttam Shrestha, Architect, Architects' Module Pvt.Ltd.
Mr. Manohar Lal Rajbhandhari, Sr. Structural Engineer, MR Associates
Mr. Amrit Man Tuladhar, Civil Engineer, DUDBC

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface ..........................................................................................................................................i

0. Foreword....................................................................................................................... iv

1 Scope...............................................................................................................................1
1.1 General...........................................................................................................................1
1.1.1 International State-of-the-Art (Part I) ............................................................................ 1
1.1.2 Professionally Engineered Structures (part II) ............................................................... 2
1.1.3 Mandatory Rules-of-Thumb (Part III) ........................................................................... 2
1.1.4 Guidelines for Remote Rural Buildings (Part IV) .......................................................... 2

HOW TO USE THIS NATIONAL BUILDING CODE .................................................................4

PART 1 REQUIREMENTS FOR STATE-OF-THE-ART DESIGN.....................................6

1.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................6
1.2 Seismic Design ...............................................................................................................6
1.3 Other Loads ...................................................................................................................7
1.4 Materials ........................................................................................................................7

1.4.1 Reinforced Concrete................................................................................................................. 7

1.4.2 Steel ............................................................................................................................................ 8
1.4.3 Masonry..................................................................................................................................... 8

PART II PROFESSIONALLY ENGINEERED STRUCTURES ............................................9

II.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................9
PART III MANDATORY RULES OF THUMB.......................................................................10
III-1 RC Building with Masonry Infills .............................................................................10
III-2 RC Building without Masonry Infills........................................................................10
III-3 Laod -Bearing Masonry .............................................................................................10

PART IV GUIDELINES..............................................................................................................10
IV-1 Rural Buildings : Low Strength Masonry ................................................................10
IV-2 Rural Buildings : Earthen Buildings.........................................................................10

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0. Foreword
This National Building Code is the first such document prepared in Nepal and it is intended that
its implementation be enforced through the Parliamentary Bill Act and concerned, local
authority by-laws.

Most countries which have successfully implemented building controls have only achieved it
over a very long period which is normally measured in decades.

The technical documents making up building regulations are normally the subject of a continual
process of revision, correction and expansion as per requirements.

There is a strong movement towards uniform standards and many countries have adopted those
of the International Standards Organisation in some areas. Where it has been considered
appropriate, the adoption of certain Indian Standards, with or without some modification has
been made in this document.

The degree to which national building codes and standards are enforced by law varies from
country to country. In some countries, the national building code is taken by the law courts as a
measure of good practice. India is one of the countries adopting such a system.

This first Nepal National Building Code has been produced by a team of Nepalese and
international consulting engineers and architects and is based on the given term of reference.

It deals primarily with matters relating to the strength of buildings. However there are some
chapters on site considerations and safety during construction and fire hazards.

Each section of this Code has been drawn up as a draft Standard for possible adoption by the
Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology. It has been proposed that the future revision and re-
issue of these sections be undertaken by the specialist committees brought together on a regular
basis by the Bureau. This system which has been adopted in Nepal for a number of years,
ensures that all special, general and public interest groups can give their full input to this
important regulatory process.

As of recent years, most of the uncontrolled building processes are rapidly producing structures
of unacceptable standard and prone to the risk of damage and collapse under earthquake. The
designs and personnel involved in the construction industry, industry, therefore, should adopt
this code sincerely so as to achieve a meaningful improvement in that standard of building
construction in Nepal.

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1 Scope

1.1 General
This National Building Code provides both regulations and guidelines for the
construction of buildings in all areas of Nepal.

This first version deals primarily with matters of strength. It is intended that, in time,
revised versions of the National Building Code will be developed that will also
address the wider issues of planning, plumbing, electrical wiring, etc. In the
meantime, the designer should observe such by-laws covering these matters as have
already been put in place by local authorities. Furthermore, designers should use
their professional judgement in recommending to their clients the adoption of
appropriate design standards used in similar countries to Nepal when there is yet no
Nepalese Standard for these disciplines.

The lack of an appropriate Nepal Standard should not be an excuse for poor design.

The four different levels of sophistication of design and construction that are being
addressed in this National Building Code are :

• International state-of-art
• Professionally engineered structures
• Buildings of restricted size designed to simple rules-of-thumb
• Remote rural buildings where control is impractical.

The first part of the Code describes how a potential designer should determine
which of the above levels should apply to the structure under consideration.

As the component Standards making up this Code may be revised from time to time
and the revisions adopted as part of the Code, the designer should check that the
latest version of the Code is being used.

Each of the four levels are introduced below.

1.1.1 International State-of-the-Art (Part I)

Because the major thrust of the Code is aimed at the typical and most
common buildings currently being erected in Nepal, it deliberately does
not suggest as being practical for everyday consideration the
sophisticated design philosophies and analytical techniques that are
appearing in the codes of more wealthy countries.

However, it is important that both Nepalese engineers and international

consultants who can produce such designs in a routine fashion and can
ensure that their designs can be built to the corresponding standards
should not be prevented from doing so. Moreover, these structures
should be seen to be meeting the Nepalese requirements with respect to
minimum design loads and

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configuration. There is then no reason for any designer to ignore the

Nepal regulations in their entirety.

This part therefore describes some of the philosophy behind the

selection of loads (in particular, the earthquake ones) and therefore
allows the sophisticated designer and/or international designer to build
up a design philosophy consistent with, and encompassing, the basic
requirements. The onus shall be on the designer to prove to the permit-
issuing authority that the Nepal Code requirements have been met
and/or exceeded.

It is important to note that the Nepal National Building Code's

requirements for seismic resistant are, in many cases, more onerous than
those commonly practiced in other countries of the region.

1.1.2 Professionally Engineered Structures (part II)

This contains the standard code requirements that all professionally

qualified engineers will recognize and must meet as a minimum when
designing structures in Nepal. It covers all usual structures such as
hospitals, meeting halls, factories, warehouses, multi-story buildings and
residential buildings.

Materials, analysis and design, construction safety and site

considerations are all covered.

1.1.3 Mandatory Rules-of-Thumb (Part III)

This part recognises that it is not practical in Nepal at present to insist

that all small buildings be designed for strength by a professional
adviser. Therefore, for classes of buildings not exceeding certain simple
criteria as to height, number of stories and floor area, mandatory rules-
of-thumb are provided. The explanatory documents are such that an
experienced overseer will be able to understand them and present
sufficient details at the time of permit application to prove to a skilled
appraiser at the Local Authority that the requirements have been met.

The requirements are in terms of limits on spans and heights, minimum

reinforcing and member sizes, positioning of earthquake-resisting
elements and other such rules.

1.1.4 Guidelines for Remote Rural Buildings (Part IV)

These guidelines address about a dozen typical building styles that have
been condensed from an inventory of approximately fifty-five surveyed
intensively during 1993. In the form of diagrams and descriptions aimed
at the technical advisers to owner/builders in villages, these guidelines
emphasized those changes that should be made to current practices to
improve the seismic resistance of these building which are not subject to
modern quantitative analysis and rational design consideration. These
structures are normally of

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