BS 85500:2015

This British Standard gives recommendations and guidance on how to improve the resistance and resilience of buildings to reduce the impacts of flooding from all sources, by the use of suitable materials and construction details. Specifically, it provides:

1. recommendations for the adoption of flood resistant and resilient construction measures, including when to apply resistance and when to apply resilience; and

2. guidance on the design and specification of flood resistance and resilience for new buildings, extensions and retrofits.

The guidance covers masonry, light-weight steel-frame and timber-frame buildings.

It is not applicable to:

1. the structural design or layout of buildings;

2. the selection, fixing and deployment of flood protection products which are covered by other standards, such as PAS 1188 and Delivering benefits through evidence: Temporary and Demountable Flood Protection Guide [1];

3. the design of watertight concrete, which is specified in BS EN 1992‑3;

4. the construction of amphibious or floating properties;

5. the construction of properties on stilts; or

6. detailed avoidance measures outside the perimeter (footprint) of the building, such as local land raising above the predicted flood level.