The NBC's functional statements are listed in Section 3.2. of Division A.

The functional statements are more detailed than the objectives: they describe conditions in the building that help satisfy the objectives. The functional statements and the objectives are interconnected: there may be several functional statements related to any one objective and a given functional statement may describe a function of the building that serves to achieve more than one objective.

Like objectives, functional statements are entirely qualitative and are not intended to be used on their own in the design and approval processes.

The functional statements attributed to the requirements or portions of requirements in Division B are listed in a table following the provisions in each Part.

Intent Statements

Intent statements explain, in plain language, the basic thinking behind each Code provision contained in Division B. Intent statements, each of which is unique to the provision with which it is associated, explain how requirements help to achieve their attributed objectives and functional statements. Like the objectives, the intent statements are expressed in terms of risk avoidance and expected performance. They offer insight into the views of the responsible standing committees on what the Code provisions are intended to achieve.

The intent statements serve explanatory purposes only and do not form an integral part of the Code provisions: as such, they are similar in function to the explanatory notes at the end of each Part. Due to the sheer volume of intent statements-thousands for the NBC alone-they are only available as part of an online Code subscription and as a separate electronic document entitled "Supplement to the NBC 2015: Intent Statements," which is posted on NRC's Web site.

All this additional information-objectives, functional statements and intent statements-is intended to facilitate the implementation of the Code in two ways:

• Clarity of intent: The objectives, functional statements and intent statements linked to a Code requirement clarify the reasoning behind that requirement and facilitate understanding of what must be done to satisfy that requirement. This added information may also help avoid disputes between practitioners and officials over these types of issues.
• Flexibility: The additional information allows for flexibility in Code compliance. A person seeking to propose a new method or material not described or covered in the Code will be able to use the added information to understand the expected level of performance that their alternative solution must achieve to satisfy the Code.