Library guides: Architecture: Standards and codes

Standards and codes

What are standards?

A standard is an official publication that contains technical specifications, requirements and recommendations about the quality, safety, design, construction, methods, symbols or other characteristics of a product. Standards are developed by international and national standard organizations, as well as professional and industry organizations. The following resources provide access to a range of standards relevant to architecture.

Standards websites

Australian Building Codes Board
Provides background information on the National Construction Code.
Queensland Development Code
The Queensland Development Code consolidates Queensland-specific building standards into a single document.
International Organization for Standarization - ISO
National Construction Code
Contains the latest series of volumes for the National Construction Code. The series is a uniform set of technical provisions for the design and construction of buildings and other structures throughout Australia, which allows for variations in climate and geological or geographic conditions. Free to download.

Standards databases

Engineering Workbench by Accuris
Engineering Workbench by Accuris offers access to Australian and International Standards, including ISO, ASTM, BSI, ICAO and ASHRAE standards. The database enables you to search for related bibliographic information including technical articles, journals, books, patents, patent applications, and utility models.
There is a user limit for this database. Ensure you click the blue Close button when you are finished viewing the document to allow other users to access this database.
For issues with File Open and Chrome, refer to the Accuris Help Center for instructions to adjust the settings.
To access your document, search for the Standards Number or Title in the search box. To download a document, follow How Do I Download My Documents?
IEEE Xplore
Access standards from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
IEL provides access to more than 1.7 million full-text searchable conference and journal articles published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). There is a full backfile to 1988, with some content going back to 1913. All active IEEE standards are also included in the IEL subscription.
MOBILE ACCESS: Optimised for use on mobile devices. To access click to icon of mobile phone.
IEEE Xplore

20 simultaneous user limit.

Relevant legislation

Related guides

This guide gives you more complete information about standards and how to find them.

Standards and patents
by Digital Library Services Last Updated Jun 18, 2025 511 views this year