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The NHBRC regulations were introduced in 1999 and supercede all the South African and local building regulations. Builders are compelled to register with the council, as well as all geotechnical professionals if they wish to sign of the NHBRC certificates. There are of course some politics attached to the whole process but overall the intention of the Council is to protect the consumer from bad building practices and unscrupulous contractors.

Politics aside, the NHBRC provides a useful tool for geotechnical professionals to characterise a site. Soil heave, soil collapse, soft ground or rocky terrain all will impact on the construction of a huse or for a larger, multi-dwelling development. Particular geotechnical conditions underlying a site are matched with specific foundation solutions with the aim being to prevent damage to the structures due to heave or settlement. Sites are classified as per the following table and an assessment of the soils, their heave potential, collapse potential and any other relevant geotechnical conditions allows for a classification to be made and the relevant foundation solution to be applied.

Soil movements for various NHBRC Site Classes
Site Class	Cumulative Movement
Soils subject to Heave
H	<7.5 mm
H1	7.5 to 15 mm
H2	15 to 30 mm
Soils Subject to Settlement
S	<10 mm
S1	10 to 20 mm
S2	>20 mm
Soils Subject to Collapse Settlement
C1	<5 mm
C2	5 to 10 mm
C3	>10 mm

GeoZone is a registered geotechnical professional with the NHBRC and is able to carry out site classifications and sign off NHBRC certificates for any development.

For more details on site classification, please visit our Geotechnical Resources section.