Ascending egress on upper levels?

[Blazer]

I want to use an interior exit stairway, that doesn't extend to the level of exit discharge, on level 3 to ascend to level 4 where the exit discharge is through a horizontal exit. Those on level 4 wont have access to the stair (Permitted to lock doors: 1010.2.7 Ex.1) There is no language in the code that specifies direction of travel to an exit discharge. No definition or code indicates that portions of means of egress must descend levels. Its much quicker to reach safety going up (by horizontal exit and refuge area) than it would be going down.

Commentary from 1028.2 Ex. 3 (Reference 2021 IBC):
Exception 3 acknowledges that horizontal exits offer
refuge areas that will have access to an exit on the
other side; therefore, a stairway that exits through a
horizontal exit is not required to exit to the exterior.

Construction is Type IA

 

[walker.t]

I want to use an interior exit stairway, that doesn't extend to the level of exit discharge, on level 3 to ascend to level 4 where the exit discharge is through a horizontal exit. Those on level 4 wont have access to the stair (Permitted to lock doors: 1010.2.7 Ex.1) There is no language in the code that specifies direction of travel to an exit discharge. No definition or code indicates that portions of means of egress must descend levels. Its much quicker to reach safety going up (by horizontal exit and refuge area) than it would be going down.

There’s no question mark in your post but I guess you’re asking if it’s OK to egress upwards to reach the exit discharge? In my mind the point of egress is to reach the exit discharge and ultimately the pubic way, doesn’t matter what direction or path has to be followed. So for example, in a one-story building there may be a room where the occupant has to enter a corridor or exit passageway that takes the person east then south to snake around something in the building so they can then head west to the exit discharge. I think the main concern is travel distance, not the direction of travel. Maybe I don’t understand what you’re saying, but if a building has a basement people are ascending up to the level of discharge while people on upper floors are going down.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

How can a stair be an "exit" stair if it doesn't extend to an exit discharge?

Paths of exit travel can certainly go up -- after all, that what happens from a basement. But what happens to the people from the third floor when they get to the fourth floor? You say they exit via a horizontal exit, but where is the horizontal exit relative to the stair enclosure? An exit stair is an enclosed, protected route of egress travel. Once you make it into an "exit" [enclosure], you're not supposed to have to leave it until you reach the point of exit discharge. This means that at the fourth level the stair has to discharge directly through the horizontal exit, or be connected to it by an exit passageway, The stair will also need a gate at the third level to prevent people from going down it in an emergency.

Don't forget that horizontal exits now require a standpipe on each side. Do you have that, or are you willing to install them?

 

[steveray]

The HE and the exit/ re-entry section both have 50% max numbers attached....do you have that? This is a tough one without plans...

 

[Blazer]

How can a stair be an "exit" stair if it doesn't extend to an exit discharge?

Paths of exit travel can certainly go up -- after all, that what happens from a basement. But what happens to the people from the third floor when they get to the fourth floor? You say they exit via a horizontal exit, but where is the horizontal exit relative to the stair enclosure? An exit stair is an enclosed, protected route of egress travel. Once you make it into an "exit" [enclosure], you're not supposed to have to leave it until you reach the point of exit discharge. This means that at the fourth level the stair has to discharge directly through the horizontal exit, or be connected to it by an exit passageway, The stair will also need a gate at the third level to prevent people from going down it in an emergency.

Don't forget that horizontal exits now require a standpipe on each side. Do you have that, or are you willing to install them?

Section 1028 ex. 3 permits my exit to discharge through a horizontal exit.

The interior exit stairway sits adjacent to the horizontal exit (shares same wall). Level 3 and 4 each have over 1,000 occ. so requires four exits. 3 stairs used to exit to level of exit discharge. The fourth exit (0.25% of exits) uses horizontal exit on level 4 which will include standpipes on each side. I can't use a H.E. on level 3 unfortunately (reason for asking to go up a level to H.E.). I won't necessarily need a gate at level 3 since its the bottom of the stair enclosure (sitting on 2-hour floor slab).

Thanks for your help without giving out plans to look at. The design is in schematic phase and is kept confidential so I can't give away too much information. I can say the H.E. actually will be the exterior wall of existing building to which this new addition is being constructed.