Egress and multi-story apartments

[manifold]

2022 Denver Building Code (2021 IBC), R-2 Apartment building, Type III-B, sprinklered.

A client presented me with some SD drawings for a small apartment building with a single egress stair. This is allowed up to 3 stories. The apartments with their entry on the third floor have 2 floors within them, plus a roof top deck that are accessed by an internal stair. The upper floor and roof deck cover the full foot print of the unit so no mezzanine. Am I correct that the second level of the apartment would be a 4th story which would require a second exit? The occupied roof also has a 1200 SF "Recreation Area" that I would consider an assembly space with 80 occupants, which seems like it would also require a second exit.

Please let me know your thoughts.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

Pertinent code section(s)?

 

[steveray]

2022 Denver Building Code (2021 IBC), R-2 Apartment building, Type III-B, sprinklered.

A client presented me with some SD drawings for a small apartment building with a single egress stair. This is allowed up to 3 stories. The apartments with their entry on the third floor have 2 floors within them, plus a roof top deck that are accessed by an internal stair. The upper floor and roof deck cover the full foot print of the unit so no mezzanine. Am I correct that the second level of the apartment would be a 4th story which would require a second exit? The occupied roof also has a 1200 SF "Recreation Area" that I would consider an assembly space with 80 occupants, which seems like it would also require a second exit.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Not really...it gets complicated...Do you get to the stair within 125'?

 

[manifold]

Pertinent code section(s)?

I’m primarily looking at Table 1006.3.4(1)

 

[manifold]

Not really...it gets complicated...Do you get to the stair within 125'?

It mostly meets the 125’. There are a couple places on the roof deck that are over, but this can be fixed.

What are the details of the ‘complicated’ bits?

 

[steveray]

It mostly meets the 125’. There are a couple places on the roof deck that are over, but this can be fixed.

What are the details of the ‘complicated’ bits?

The upper floor and roof deck cover the full foot print of the unit

I'm not sure what that means, but you have to look at the definition of STORY

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

It mostly meets the 125’. There are a couple places on the roof deck that are over, but this can be fixed.

"Mostly meets" means "partially does not meet" the code. So = FAIL.

If the number is 125 feet, that's a hard maximum. 126 feet is a fail. 125'-6" is a fail. 125'-1" is a fail.

We had a saying when I was in the Army: "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."

 

[steveray]

We had a saying when I was in the Army: "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."

And splitting of atomic nuclei....One of my favorite additions to old sayings...

 

[manifold]

Responding to a few items above:

"Mostly meets" means "partially does not meet" the code. So = FAIL.

If the number is 125 feet, that's a hard maximum. 126 feet is a fail. 125'-6" is a fail. 125'-1" is a fail.

There are a couple of locations at the private roof decks that are a foot or two more than 125' to an exit. These can be resolved by adjusting door, hall, stair locations to get the distance below 125', so not a major issue since fixable.

The upper floor and roof deck cover the full foot print of the unit

The upper floor of the units with their entry on the 3rd floor are 100% of the area of the floor below. So they would not be a mezzanine. I'm reading this as a 4th story that would require access to a second exit, mostly looking for confirmation of this.