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422.2 Smoke barriers

skipharper

Registered User
Joined
Dec 23, 2009
Messages
242
Location
Louisa County, Va.
Section talks about dividing the area if it exceeds 10,000 sq. ft. and leads one to believe if the space is 25,000 sq ft you need to cut it in half. Not until I read the commentary do I see it is 10,000 sq. ft. areas so one would need two smoke barriers in this scenerio. We all know commentary is not enforceable so I am obviously missing some table some where. Hope all had a safe and Happy New Year!!
 
Here is the 2012 version--more conflicting:

422.3 Smoke compartments.

Where the aggregate area of one or more ambulatory care facilities is greater than 10,000 square feet (929 m2) on one story , the story shall be provided with a smoke barrier to subdivide the story into no fewer than two smoke compartments. The area of any one such smoke compartment shall be not greater than 22,500 square feet (2092 m2). The travel distance from any point in a smoke compartment to a smoke barrier door shall be not greater than 200 feet (60 960 mm). The smoke barrier shall be installed in accordance with Section 709 with the exception that smoke barriers shall be continuous from outside wall to an outside wall, a floor to a floor, or from a smoke barrier to a smoke barrier or a combination thereof.
 
One barrier would create 2 compartments per story. code compliant per 2009 IBC

One barrier would create 2 compartments per story maximum smoke compartment size is 22,500 sq ft 2012 IBC.

I do not see the conflict

If you have an ambulatory facility greater than 10,000 sq ft you must provide smoke compartments of which no single compartment can be larger than 22,500 sq ft.

If you have a 40,000 sq ft building you do not have to divide it equally. The 22,500 sq ft requirement allows some flexibilty in the building design of larger buildings
 
NEW QUESTION: should second floor patios that egress through the smoke compartment be included in the area of the smoke compartment in I-2 projects?
 
NEW QUESTION: should second floor patios that egress through the smoke compartment be included in the area of the smoke compartment in I-2 projects?

An open patio, with no roof? Not added to the floor area of the smoke/fire compartment, but the occupant load IS added to the occupant load of the interior space.
 
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