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Thread 'Exit Through Intervening Space'

Opinions please on whether the arrangement below is compliant. This is the back of house plan of a food service establishment that uses real firewood for some cooking. The wood is stored in stacks in the Utility area. The door circled in orange out of the Kitchen is not a required exit but I would like to treat it as an exit. The Utility area is under roof but open to the atmosphere at the left end as it is closed off with a chain link fence with gate. My question is: are the exit paths in...

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Thread 'Landing at Base of Ramps'

I know ramp landings need to be 60" x 60" minimum, but I thought I saw a code section that says landings at the base of a ramp need to be 72". Am I hallucinating?

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Thread 'Can I simply add fire ratings ?'

While protecting columns, can we simply add fire ratings achieved by different rating methods? I mean, if we have a column with 1 hour of fire rating based on vermiculite or intumescent paint and we enclose it in gypsum boards calculated for say 1 hour, do we get a two hours fire rating on the column?

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Thread 'Extents for fire protection of structural framing at fire barriers'

Per 707.5.1 (IBC 2021), any structural framing supporting a fire barrier needs to be fire rated to match the rating of the fire barrier. How far past the wall does that need to extend? Say I have a fire barrier running a long a column line, would I just need to protect the steel along that line, or would I need to go 1 bay back from it as well to leave some fire protected steel to support the steel supporting the wall? Logically a single unbraced line of steel doesn't seem to offer much...

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Thread 'IBC Art. 903.2.1.5 - sprinklers in A-5 accessory use areas >1,000 sqft'

According to art. 903.2.1.5: "Group A-5. An automatic sprinkler system shall be provided for all enclosed Group A-5 accessory use areas in excess of 1,000 square feet (93 m2)." Does this refer to the aggregate area, or standalone fire areas of 1,000 square feet? In an outdoor swimming pool installation I have 900 square feet of storage on ground level some 20 feet away from the pool water surface, and another 500 square feet at 10 feet below that , separated by a concrete slab. Both areas...

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Thread 'Single Exits - 2020 BCNYS Sec. 1006.3'

Hello All, Long time reader, first time posting. I am currently reviewing a proposed house of worship (A-3) under the 2020 Building Code of New York State. This is in reference to the second story of the assembly space - see below. The occupant load of the second story is 46 and the common path of egress travel is 73’-10”. Per Section 1006.3.3 Single Exits. A single exit or access to a single exit shall be permitted from any story or occupied roof where one of the following conditions...

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Thread 'How to inspect balcony framing through soffit vent?'

Many of you know that California Health and Safety code requires inspection of balcony framing every 6 years. The industry has responded by designing soffit vents with removeable covers, however, these are much more expensive than a typical fixed mesh soffit vent. Do any of you know if it is possible to inspect balcony framing via a borescope or endoscope poking through soffit vent fixed screening?

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Thread 'Can the Kiosk standing space overlap Travel Path in NYC Building Code?'

Can the kiosk standing space overlap the travel path in NYC building code? I've done some work for an architect who always wanted to avoid this, but I was looking in the 2022 NYC building code to see if I could find anything about this. Some of my colleagues have said that if there is a fire, there is not going to be anyone there so it is not an issue but I was trying to find out if there is anywhere in the code where they say this is allowed. It just says that the travel path cant have any...

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Thread 'Double fire wall opening protective t716.1(2)'

For a double fire wall, per the 2021 IBC and 2021 NFPA 221. Given a required 2-hr fire wall, with the option to construct 2 1-hr walls. A proposal for 2 1-hr walls constructed so that their is a single opening not supported by either wall so that either wall could collapse and the door would remain. 2021 IBC t716.1(2) incudes a new line for NFPA 221 fire walls, which indicates a single opening protective of 1-hr. This is a deviation from NFPA 221 which does not contain opening...

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Thread 'Country Club in Wisconsin 2015 IBC'

We're doing an addition to a country club in Wisconsin. 99% of our projects are workplace interiors, so I'm not very familiar with the country club occupancy classification for my plumbing calcs. So, from table 2902.1, I'm looking at A-2 (restaurants, banquet halls, etc.) which asks for 1 WC per 75 occs. each gender. instead of the above category (bars, taverns, dance halls, etc.). Which requires 1 WC per 40 occupants. But I'm questioning myself. Is A-2 (restaurants, banquet halls the...

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Thread 'IBC 2021, Table 721.1(2)'

Are there visual wall designs to go with the verbiage designs? I've got to relay this information to the novice builder!

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Thread 'Marina Comfort Station - Occupancy Classification?'

I'm having a tough time determining the occupancy classification of a new free-standing comfort station at a county park marina. The building has (1) male and (1) female multi-user toilet room with (2) showers each and a family use toilet room. Any recommendations are appreciated. Thanks.

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Thread 'IBC exterior deck'

2018 IBC. I have a design using the IBC for a residential deck. It is woefully short on details. Some are pretty easy to call using the IBC, others not so much. Why they chose to do this is a bit of a mystery, but it is their choice. One thing I don't see is any specific requirement for lateral load support specific to exterior decks. IBC 1604.9 says the lateral force resisting system must meet the code and ASCE-7. The engineer has not specified any specific lateral load resistance...

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Thread 'For the required 2nd exit from a (B) tenant on the 2nd floor, can it go through another tenant space?'

For the required 2nd exit from a (B) tenant on the 2nd floor, can it go through another tenant space? This is sprinklered Type VB. I would think it could since the corridor (dashed blue line), in the red tenant space, doesn't need to be a rated corridor, since it is sprinklered. I know about '1016.2 Egress Through Intervening Spaces`, but would that apply here, as the area with the(dashed blue line, is basically a corridor.

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Thread 'Beams going through protected stairways, rating requirements'

I have a type IA high rise where some beams cross through the protected stairways. Since there are no combustibles in the stairways, do the beams still need to be fire rated?

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Thread 'Basic Question on UL Assemblies'

This is a very basic question I haven't really thought about - when is a UL assembly actually needed? I always assumed only when there was a need for some fire rated assembly? And in all other cases, i.e. a non-rated Type VB construction, we didn't need a UL assembly and could create wall types for our needs?

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Thread '2 Hour firewall'

I have A 2 hour firewall that they want the steel fireproofed with intumescent at the roof, can I reduce this to 1 hour if the steel is only supporting the roof ? Table 601 says I can Thanks

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Thread 'Assisted living with memory care'

Who and how is the capability of a resident to respond to an emergency determined? In an assisted living facility with memory care it would B an I-1 classification, but 2 conditions are identified. Cond. #1 is no assistance, cond. #2 is limited assistance. I assume no assistance could likely not include memory care units, and limited is anything short of needing to be wheeled out by someone else.

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Thread 'Anyone have any idea what use this would be considered?'

I have a fire protection engineer that wants to build a fire research lab in the warehouse of their tenant space, and I have no idea what its use/occupancy would be. The AHJ uses both IBC and NFPA 101. My guesses are Business (IBC) and Non institutional labs looks like it falls under Industrial in NFPA 101, but I'm not sure what hazard label to give it. High Hazard? Any advice is much appreciated.

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Thread 'TABLE 722.6.2(5) TIME ASSIGNED FOR ADDITIONAL PROTECTION'

Does table 722.6.2(5) Time assigned for additional protection apply to floor-ceiling assemblies, or only to wall assemblies? The language of the 722.6.2(5) chart states "Add to the fire rating of wood stud walls". However chapter 722.6.2.5 Additional Protection states that, "Table 722.6.2(5) indicates the time increments to be added to the fire resistance where glass fiber, rockwool, slag mineral wool or cellulose insulation is incorporated in the assembly."

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Thread 'Fire barriers at roof truss in wood construction'

Regarding vertical continuity of a fire barrier at the roof (IBC 705.5), when you have roof truss/joists perpendicular to a fire barrier, in order to maintain continuity is it standard practice to design the fire barrier to bear the roof joist? Otherwise you have to frame the wall below the roof joist, the run the drywall above and between the joist up to the roof sheathing.

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Thread 'UL Assembly for 2x6 at 24" oc ?'

All, Thank you in advance and hoping you can help. R-2 Apartment Building under IBC - with load bearing 2x6 exterior wall, exterior sheathing, rigid insulation and vinyl siding. Exempt from NFPA 285 as type 5 construction. Structural engineer would like exterior wall to be 24" o.c. since floor joists and roof trusses are at 24" o.c. as well but I cannot find any tested assemblies that would allow 24" oc!! Everything I see calls for 16" o.c. examples U356 and V302.... Thank you!!!!

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Thread 'WHAT HAPPENS WHEN...'

This is a general question, so I'm just providing a fictitious scenario. Original building is a 21,000 sf single story, sprinklered warehouse building (S-1 occupancy) (type II construction) with a 7000 sf enclosed mezzanine (business occupancy) which has two enclosed exit access stairs that lead directly outside (stair shafts not rated). What happens when somewhere along the line, the owner decides they want to subdivide that warehouse into two spaces (10,500 sf ea), by installing a full...

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Thread 'What is it?'

We're reviewing an application to construct a new 1,100 s.f. building that will be a drive-thru coffee shop. Only employees inside, no front door, no public access to the building. Site plans all show a detached 4' x 4' "shelter" for a drive-thru attendant. There are NO details and NO information about this structure in the structural or architectural drawings, but the electrical drawings show a 120-volt circuit feeding this structure from the lighting panel in the main building. Since the...

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Thread 'Min. egress width requirement comment'

Regarding the previous posting, long story short, I received the comment below. "Response does not appear to relate to comment. Please see clouded area on sheet LS001 at base of rear stairs. The 2nd floor stairs appear to encroach on the egress path where the 2nd floor converges with the 1st floor. After speaking with the reviewer he indicated that I need to show the total number of occupants who will pass through the clouded area (48" width). This includes tenants 1-A (total 230...

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