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  1. MarkRandall

    Rafter bay venting on buildings with parapets

    I'm surprised that it is more of the norm for your area. I don't see that being done much in Washington State, but then again, I don't get onto other architect's job sites too often, so maybe it does happen more than I think.
  2. MarkRandall

    Rafter bay venting on buildings with parapets

    This is exactly why rigid insulation is common on top of the deck. I see no way around the venting requirements. I can remember a discussion with another Architect several years ago and she was saying they wanted to use batt insulation and eliminate the venting requirements by not providing the...
  3. MarkRandall

    Batt insulation w/ cedar shingles

    Not sure what your concern is. It is installed in the framing cavity with air space and properly vented, correct? If so, it is fine.
  4. MarkRandall

    Dark during daytime

    I digress a bit. Not sure I've ever seen a storm that reduced exterior lighting to below 1 FC, so I would think timers should suffice. Next big storm, I just might take my meter out and see what the lumens end up being. Besides solar eclipses (short in duration), the only thing I've...
  5. MarkRandall

    1hr rated Fire rated partition meeting mullion of aluminum storefront

    A few years ago i butted a one hour rated wall for my stair enclosure up to the mullion on the exterior wall. Exterior had no rating.
  6. MarkRandall

    Posting of Occupant Load

    RJJ, I think I've made my point and this will will most likely be my last comment on this topic. It doesn't really matter whether it's co-workers or clients stepping into my office and likewise with the conference room. If you allocate 49 occupants to the conference room (even though area...
  7. MarkRandall

    Uh Oh.......

    As soon as you create the market for the byproducts, pretty soon there after it becomes a hot commodity and price skyrockets :-(
  8. MarkRandall

    NY Residential Code(s)

    If the International code (energy portion) is not adopted, let the inspector know he is referencing a code that is not adopted and show him how your meeting the current code. If this inpector is good which I assume he is to get your respect, he'll most likely back down. He can't enforce...
  9. MarkRandall

    High Rise 14th floor

    It needs to be sprinklered. how in the world did sprinklers no get roughed into that space to begin with. I do a lot speculative buildings and all unoccupied spaces are provided with sprinkler piping ready for tenant build out.
  10. MarkRandall

    Posting of Occupant Load

    RJJ, I design based on floor area. In my example, I calculated occupant load to show it was under 50 to show exiting complied. I could have very easily shown my calcs = 38, but to post signage for maximum of 49 occupants. As long as exiting can handle 49 occupants, does it really matter to post...
  11. MarkRandall

    Uh Oh.......

    By what date do they have to meet this?
  12. MarkRandall

    Posting of Occupant Load

    A project last year; I noticed an occupancy sign had been posted in a conference room. Occupancy calculated out as 30 something (don't remember exact). Occupancy calculation where shown on my drawings for review by plans examiner. I was kind of surprised to see it posted. Inspector must have...
  13. MarkRandall

    Curves for Women

    You need not design for the next tenant, it's the current tenant that counts. Additional facilities can always be added if needed when the next tenant comes along. I don't know how strict letter of intent of code would treat this, but it's certainly a good case to have predominately women's...
  14. MarkRandall

    Help w/ occupancy IBC

    Looks like I may have mis-interpreted this section. The word thereof at the end makes me think that 50SF is for each occupant after the first one at 70SF. All in all, it's all water under the bridge for me. We moved out of that place in 1995 into a house around the corner that is nearly 4x the...
  15. MarkRandall

    Help w/ occupancy IBC

    I'm just curious, do many jurisdictions adopt the Property Maintenance Code? I have no idea whether my own state has (Washington State). Looking at 404.4.1 that JBI posted, got me thinking. The first house my wife and I lived in was a 2 bedroom, each about 100 SF. Older home built in the...
  16. MarkRandall

    Help w/ occupancy IBC

    Like I said, there is no maximum occupancy of a bedroom (single room). Calculations by building code are based on gross SF of an entire dwelling unit. You could have two sets of double bunk beds in a 100SF bedroom (25 SF per person) and there's nothing that could be done to make them remove any...
  17. MarkRandall

    retro fit gym wood floor

    They want to raise the court floor and slope all the way around the perimeter??? Sounds like an extremely bad idea. First kid running off the court and breaking an ankle stepping on the sloped surface, is going to sue the school/designer. Unless you're in a stadium size building, about the only...
  18. MarkRandall

    Help w/ occupancy IBC

    What syarn posted is correct from a building code perspective for calculating egrees requirements. I don't believe you will get anywhere making complaints to the building department for occupancy over 1 person per 200 SF of floor area. By the way, this is for gross floor area of the entire unit...
  19. MarkRandall

    Exiting through a Break Room?

    I agree this is okay under IBC. Door can't be locked from the inside, but panic hardware would only be required where occupant load demanded it, not because of the break room (intervening space).
  20. MarkRandall

    allowable building area (frontage and sprinklered),

    Mtlogcabin, I was thinking along the same lines, but I'm not a fire fighter (and I don't play one on TV) so I avoided commenting. If a fire lane was provided close to a building, I agree, I can't imagine it being used for the fire truck to fight a fire. The truck would be toast in no time.
  21. MarkRandall

    allowable building area (frontage and sprinklered),

    ara4help, My interpretation has been a yard that's large enough to be counted towards area increases (20'). As long as the yards are contiguous, not sure why it would matter. Fire personnel need room to move around the building to fight the fire. There's distances in the fire code of 150' to...
  22. MarkRandall

    allowable building area (frontage and sprinklered),

    Does anyone have the commentary for section 506.2.2? I may have made that mistake, I don't recall a specific project, but it's a matter of interpretation. I have always interpreted that the access could be through the side yard to the street. If no side yards, then no using the back yard...
  23. MarkRandall

    What call would you make?

    Excuse my ignorance, but what effect could a fire have on the concrete foundations and by what methods would an engineer analyze it.
  24. MarkRandall

    I need to report some locked exits

    I thought the headlines for this story to be a little comical. He was never "locked out". First couple doors he tried were locked, then he found one unlocked and entered (this video doesn't continue to him opening a door). Since when is that considered locked out? What would have been funny is...
  25. MarkRandall

    30 story wood high rise building

    I'm in Vancouver, WA
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