CBC exterior 3rd floor balcony egress

[luckyyiu]

1) how do you count occupant of a exterior balcony?

2) If I have a exterior balcony outside of a 300 occupant boardroom on the 3rd floor, do I need to provide two doors (> 50 occupant) in between the board room and balcony? (1) 3'-0" W. door can handle 180 occupant. (2) 3'-0" W. doors should be enough?

3) should these doors swing in or swing out? in egress perspective, balcony need to get back to the boardroom and get out, therefore, these doors should swing in? in user perspective, door swing out to the balcony can maximize usable floor space.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

How big is the balcony? What is its purpose?

 

[luckyyiu]

the balcony is 2224 sq ft. it is like a area, when the board member take a break during the meeting, can breath some fresh air, or if the board room holding an event, wine tasting, wedding... etc. there is an exterior accessory space next to the board room

 

[Yikes]

I see you are located in Los Angeles. If that is also where your project is located, then LADBS has an information bulletin that provides guidance:
https://ladbs.org/docs/default-sour...ng-code/rooftop-garden.pdf?sfvrsn=edc7ff53_16

Excerpt:


In my experience, LA treats the open area of roof balconies as assembly at 15 net SF/ person. If you have raised planters, equipment wells, etc., you first subtract those to get the net area.

I have seen large balconies get subdivided into 2-3 smaller spaces of 749 SF each, such that LABC 303.1.2 treats them as a B occupancy instead of A occupancy. Connections between the smaller balcony spaces are limited to a single opening of maximum 4' width.

 

[luckyyiu]

I see you are located in Los Angeles. If that is also where your project is located, then LADBS has an information bulletin that provides guidance:
https://ladbs.org/docs/default-sour...ng-code/rooftop-garden.pdf?sfvrsn=edc7ff53_16

Excerpt:
View attachment 15045

In my experience, LA treats the open area of roof balconies as assembly at 15 net SF/ person. If you have raised planters, equipment wells, etc., you first subtract those to get the net area.

I have seen large balconies get subdivided into 2-3 smaller spaces of 749 SF each, such that LABC 303.1.2 treats them as a B occupancy instead of A occupancy. Connections between the smaller balcony spaces are limited to a single opening of maximum 4' width.

thank you for the occupant information. the balcony is next to the board room, there is no landscape nor planter in the balcony, it is not really a rooftop garden.

should the door swing have to swing into the boardroom for egress purpose? do I need to provide exit sign on those door? and can those doors be locked?

 

[Yikes]

thank you for the occupant information. the balcony is next to the board room, there is no landscape nor planter in the balcony, it is not really a rooftop garden.

Regardless of whether you have rooftop lawns or decking, the exit concept (including occupant load) is the same. I just wanted to refer you to an LADBS document that would explain how they conceptualize the occupant load of occupied roofs.

should the door swing have to swing into the boardroom for egress purpose?

See LABC 1010.1.2.1.

do I need to provide exit sign on those door?

See LABC 1013.1.

and can those doors be locked?

See LABC 1010.2, including 1010.2.4 item #3.

If your architect or design professional of record has not yet done their code analysis, now is the time. They should be able to answer these kind of questions.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

At 2224 s.f. the occupant load will be 125 even at a ratio if 15 s.f. per person. Based on your description of possible uses, I would use 5 s.f. per person.

The doors absolutely have to swing in the direction of egress travel.

 

[steveray]

I'd start here and maybe work my way up: