Table 6. Category of Buildings

 

Category

Description

A

 Governmental, municipal, public service or of public use (such as police stations, power plants and telephone exchanges, post offices and telegraphs, broadcasting stations, television channels, waterworks and pumping stations, etc.), and those whose use is of special importance in the event of a catastrophe (such as hospitals, first aid units, fire stations, garages for emergency vehicles, terminal stations, etc.).

B

Buildings whose content is of great value (such as libraries, museums, etc.) and those which frequently receive a great number of people:

-          assembly rooms for 100 people or more;

-          stadiums and bleachers for 2000 people or more;

-          schools, nursery schools and university buildings;

-          prisons and detention precincts;

-          commercial stores with an area equal to or greater than 500 m2 per floor, or more than 12 m in height;

-          shopping malls, with a total area greater than 3000 m2 ,not including the parking lot.

C

Buildings intended for private or public use that do not belong to category A or B, and constructions of any type, whose failure may jeopardize other constructions classified as A, B or C.

D

Isolated or provisional structures not intended for living and which cannot be classified in any of the aforementioned categories.