The Ontario Building Code | Design Basis
4.1.1.4. design Basis
(1) Except as provided in Sentence (2), buildings and their structural members shall be designed in conformance with the procedures and practices provided in this Part.
(2) Provided the design is carried out by a person especially qualified in the specific methods applied and provided the design demonstrates a level of safety and performance in accordance with the requirements of this Part, buildingsand their structural components falling within the scope of this Part that are not amenable to analysis using a generally established theory may be designed by,
(a) evaluation of a full-scale structure or a prototype by a loading test, or
(b) studies of model analogues.
4.1.2. Specified Loads and Effects
In Plain Language
Buildings and their structural members must generally be designed following the procedures in Part 4, though a specially qualified designer can use alternative methods if the design demonstrates an equivalent level of safety and performance.
This is a plain-language summary of the 2012/2017 Ontario Building Code text above, for general understanding only and not a substitute for the Code. Always confirm current requirements against the 2024 edition (O.Reg. 163/24) or a qualified professional before construction.