Building classification

Classification of residential buildings

1st family

• Single-family detached or semi-detached dwellings (max. two storeys)
• Single-family ground-floor terraced dwellings (no additional storeys)
• Single-family, two-storey terraced dwellings, where the structures of each dwelling contributing to the stability of the building as a whole are separate to the structures of the neighbouring dwelling.

2nd family

• Single-family dwellings of more than one floor above ground floor level, detached or semi-detached (max. three storeys).
• Single-family, two-storey terraced dwellings, where the structures of each dwelling contributing to the stability of the building as a whole are not separate to the structures of the neighbouring dwelling.
• Apartment dwellings with up to three floors above the ground floor (four storeys).

3rd family A

• Dwellings for which the highest floor is located 28 m above the ground, generally accessible to the emergency services and their vehicles, and with a maximum of seven floors above the ground floor (max. eight storeys).
• Furthest horizontal walking distance between the landing door of a home and access to the enclosed staircase is not more than 7 m.
• Designed in such a way that the stairs can be reached by ladder from ground level. These access points must be located either directly at the location designated by the postal address or in direct view of that location.

3rd family B

• Dwellings for which the highest floor is located 28 m above the ground, generally accessible to the emergency services and their vehicles
  AND
• At least one of the Family A conditions has not been met,
  AND
• Access to stairways must be within 50 m of a road that complies with the specifications below (vehicle lanes).
• The furthest horizontal walking distances between the door of an apartment and an enclosed staircase must not exceed 15 m and must be either smoke-free or open to the air (with air circulation limited to 25 m).

4th family

• Dwellings for which the bottom floor of the highest unit of accommodation is located between 28 and 50 metres above ground level, generally accessible to the emergency services.
• These dwellings shall be designed so that access to protected stairways can be found within 50 m of a road that complies with the specifications defined for vehicle lanes.

High-rise buildings classification

A high-rise building is a building where the bottom floor of the top-most level is located (in relation to the highest floor level that can be accessed by the emergency services):

• Above 50 m for all buildings. High-rise buildings are classified according to two criteria:
• The height of the building
• The activity or activities carried out within the building

The activities carried out in an high-rise building are divided into classes as follows:

• GHA: residential buildings
• GHO: hotel buildings
• GHR: educational buildings
• GHS: archiving buildings
• GHTC: control tower buildings
• GHU: buildings with sanitation facilities
• GHW 2: office buildings where the height of the bottom floor of the top-most level (as defined above) is greater than 50 metres;
• ITGH: very high buildings with a height of over 200 metres.

Mid-rise building classification

Mid-rise buildings represent a new category created by the law on the French ELAN (Evolution du Logement, de l'Aménagement et du Numérique - Evolution of housing, development and digital technology) law of 23 November 2018. The mid-rise buildings system is modelled on that used for high-rise buildings. However, it has been simplified in some senses and restricted in others.

In mid-rise buildings, fire safety personnel no longer need to present 24 hours a day, unlike for high-rise and public access buildings. However, the materials used, in particular on the façade, must perform better in terms of reaction to fire.

The buildings targeted by this new category are all buildings where the top-level floor is located between 28 m and 50 m above ground level. 4th family residential buildings therefore fall within this category, as do buildings for non-residential use within these height limits (previously considered to be high-rise buildings).

Public access buildings classification

Public access buildings are categorised into two groups depending on the number of people who may be in the high-rise building at the same time:

• First group:

Category 1: > 1500 people

Category 2: from 701 to 1500 people

Category 3: from 301 to 700 people

Category 4: < 300 people (unless there are 5 categories)

• Second group:

Category 5: number fixed by the regulation and based on the type of public access building