Is a parking canopy a "building"

[pv_n00b]

Bad logic, as previously discussed. Under the 2014 NEC definitions, a building is part of a structure, and every structure is one or more buildings.

Cheers, Wayne

Nope. Every building is a structure. Every structure is not a building.

Building. A structure that stands alone or that is cut off from adjoining structures by fire walls with all openings therein protected by approved fire doors.

Structure. That which is built or constructed.

The definition for building states it is a structure. The definition for structure does not state that it is one or more buildings.

 

[GoldDigger]

True. A structure that does not stand alone might not be a building, but just what would be an example of such a structure? It is, however, correct that a structure could also be more than one building.

 

[wwhitney]

I see a possible source of confusion here.

Say you have a house (a structure) and you build an attached carport. It will require some fire rating of the adjoining house wall, but I don't think the fire rating necessarily reaches the standard of "fire walls with all openings therein protected by approved fire doors". In any event, for the purposes of discussion, say it doesn't.

Now, do you have one structure or two? I say you have one structure, you just made it larger. It was one building before the carport, and it is one building after the carport. From this point of view, every structure "stands alone", in that it eventually stops and is surrounded by non-structure. So every structure contains at least one building.

Alternately you could say that the house and carport are two structures. That would mean that the carport is a structure that doesn't stand alone and doesn't meet the NEC definition of building. The problem with this idea is that it also implies that the house is no longer a building, which is nonsensical.

The conclusion is that under the NEC definitions, you can't have a structure without having at least one building.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Smart $]

... A structure that does not stand alone might not be a building, but just what would be an example of such a structure? ...

A structure within a structure that is not a building. The surrounding or complete structure is not a building, and the structure therein is also not a building.

Here's a building within a structure that is not a building...

 

[wwhitney]

Ok, so to avoid RSS on a ground mount PV system, just build a geodesic dome around it.

Got it.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Smart $]

Ok, so to avoid RSS on a ground mount PV system, just build a geodesic dome around it.

Got it.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[pv_n00b]

A structure within a structure that is not a building. The surrounding or complete structure is not a building, and the structure therein is also not a building.

Here's a building within a structure that is not a building...

Now that's a Venn diagram. :thumbsup:

 

[pv_n00b]

True. A structure that does not stand alone might not be a building, but just what would be an example of such a structure? It is, however, correct that a structure could also be more than one building.

It could be if the buildings were connected together by structures.

 

[GoldDigger]

It could be if the buildings were connected together by structures.

You mean if the buildings were connected together by other buildings?

 

[pv_n00b]

You mean if the buildings were connected together by other buildings?

No, actually by other structures in general but they could be connected by a building since a building is a structure. The buildings could also be connected by a structure that is not a building and then it could be considered one large structure. I am not sure how a group of separate, unconnected buildings could be considered one structure though.