Good old boy politics,
Given: Existing School (Group E) of Type II-B construction with a fully automatic fire suppression system. One story building.
School has been in operation a year and is planning on additions to its structure. Floor plan shape/design is similar to a Y shape with a central entrance at the intersection of the V part of the Y. You could say the parts projecting from the center intersection are the classroom wings. Classrooms do not have additional doors to the outside at each classroom so unlimited area is out of the question. The School District will not put in additional doors either.
Allowable building area at time of CO: 14,500 Table 503 + 300 % spr + 75% perimeter = 68,875-sf
Actual building area at time of CO; 64,875-sf
Leaves an allowable addition to no more than 4,000-sf. Planned additions exceed 4,000-sf.
School district wants to add additional classrooms to two wings. Additions will exceed maximum allowable building area per floor.
Evaluations:
1. Firewall on one wing at the planned edition’s locations will reduce the allowable maximum building area of the existing building to below 68,875-sf. Leaving no room for the other wing’s possibility of any addition to the existing structure. The second wing cannot be added!
2. Firewall on each of the two wings reduces the allowable maximum area of the CO’d Building to less than is currently constructed. Say under 63,000-sf. Existing building is now in violation with new two firewalls!
3. Each abutment to the existing building using a firewall affects the existing building’s allowable area. I have confirmed this with Code Congress. Thus the reason why you cannot just put up a firewall every time you add onto a building.
4. Changing the existing Construction Type to a protected Type I-A or Type II-A is not an option.
Good old boy politics;
The owner is going to see the local Building Official to ask for a waver for adding additional classrooms to one wing and put a firewall at the other wing where more classrooms are planned to be added.
Remember, the one fire wall on one wing reduces the original building’s maximum allowable area where no other wings can be added even using a firewall at the other wings due to reduction of the maximum allowable area of the existing / CO’d building.
A wavier for two firewalls, if presented to the AHJ, reduces the existing / CO’d building’s allowable area to below the actual constructed existing building.
The owner will probably get his waiver request for the additional classrooms on the two wings.
Given: Existing School (Group E) of Type II-B construction with a fully automatic fire suppression system. One story building.
School has been in operation a year and is planning on additions to its structure. Floor plan shape/design is similar to a Y shape with a central entrance at the intersection of the V part of the Y. You could say the parts projecting from the center intersection are the classroom wings. Classrooms do not have additional doors to the outside at each classroom so unlimited area is out of the question. The School District will not put in additional doors either.
Allowable building area at time of CO: 14,500 Table 503 + 300 % spr + 75% perimeter = 68,875-sf
Actual building area at time of CO; 64,875-sf
Leaves an allowable addition to no more than 4,000-sf. Planned additions exceed 4,000-sf.
School district wants to add additional classrooms to two wings. Additions will exceed maximum allowable building area per floor.
Evaluations:
1. Firewall on one wing at the planned edition’s locations will reduce the allowable maximum building area of the existing building to below 68,875-sf. Leaving no room for the other wing’s possibility of any addition to the existing structure. The second wing cannot be added!
2. Firewall on each of the two wings reduces the allowable maximum area of the CO’d Building to less than is currently constructed. Say under 63,000-sf. Existing building is now in violation with new two firewalls!
3. Each abutment to the existing building using a firewall affects the existing building’s allowable area. I have confirmed this with Code Congress. Thus the reason why you cannot just put up a firewall every time you add onto a building.
4. Changing the existing Construction Type to a protected Type I-A or Type II-A is not an option.
Good old boy politics;
The owner is going to see the local Building Official to ask for a waver for adding additional classrooms to one wing and put a firewall at the other wing where more classrooms are planned to be added.
Remember, the one fire wall on one wing reduces the original building’s maximum allowable area where no other wings can be added even using a firewall at the other wings due to reduction of the maximum allowable area of the existing / CO’d building.
A wavier for two firewalls, if presented to the AHJ, reduces the existing / CO’d building’s allowable area to below the actual constructed existing building.
The owner will probably get his waiver request for the additional classrooms on the two wings.
