Enclosed to Open Exist Access Stair

[rgeiser]

We have a new 7 story building - floors 1 and 2 will be A2(bar/restaurant), floor 3 will be A3 (conference/ballroom) with occupant load >1,000, floor 4-7 will be R-2 (hotel). Will be reviewing under the 2024 Ohio Building Code - based on 2021 IBC.

We will have 4 stairs from floor 3 to floor 1/grade. We are trying to find a way to have one of the stairs open from floor 1-3. The problem is this will continue on to be one of the two stairs that will serve floors 4-7.

Is it possible to have an enclosed exit access stair from floor 7 down to floor 3, but then the occupants would exit the enclosed stair on 3 and use an open stair from floor 3 to floor 1 - assuming we comply with the provisions to allow this stair to be open?

Everything we are finding is that the exit access stairway has to be continuous once you enter it to floor 1 and then a rated passageway to the exterior. Any thoughts on how something like this could work?

 

[walker.t]

We will have 4 stairs from floor 3 to floor 1/grade. We are trying to find a way to have one of the stairs open from floor 1-3. The problem is this will continue on to be one of the two stairs that will serve floors 4-7.

Is it possible to have an enclosed exit access stair from floor 7 down to floor 3, but then the occupants would exit the enclosed stair on 3 and use an open stair from floor 3 to floor 1 - assuming we comply with the provisions to allow this stair to be open?

Sounds like you want a three-story atrium with this stairway going through it.

I think if you enclose this open stairway at the third floor (this enclosed portion continues up to the seventh floor) that you actually create a second stairway, the definition of “stairway” says that the flights of stairs must form a “continuous and uninterrupted passage from one level to another” - I’m assuming the door used to enclose the stairway is considered an interruption.

I wonder if IBC 1019.3 Exception 5 may help: “Exit access stairways and ramps within an atrium complying with the provisions of Section 404.” That is an exception to when exit access stairs have to be enclosed, but it seems odd to have an exit access stairway in a rated shaft be interrupted by the atrium before it reaches the exit.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

Is it possible to have an enclosed exit access stair from floor 7 down to floor 3, but then the occupants would exit the enclosed stair on 3 and use an open stair from floor 3 to floor 1 - assuming we comply with the provisions to allow this stair to be open?

No.

Each residential floor (story) must have access to two independent/remote exits. The IBC definition of "Exit" is:

EXIT. That portion of a means of egress system between
the exit access and the exit discharge or public way. Exit
components include exterior exit doors at the level of exit
discharge, interior exit stairways and ramps, exit passageways,
exterior exit stairways and ramps and horizontal exits.

You can only travel one story vertically for exit access. Once in an "exit," you must remain in an enclosed, protected exit or exit passageway until you reach the exit discharge. The stairs from floor 4 through 7 are exit stairs. They can't discharge on the third floor and transition back to exit access.

 

[Feanor]

We have a new 7 story building - floors 1 and 2 will be A2(bar/restaurant), floor 3 will be A3 (conference/ballroom) with occupant load >1,000, floor 4-7 will be R-2 (hotel). Will be reviewing under the 2024 Ohio Building Code - based on 2021 IBC.

We will have 4 stairs from floor 3 to floor 1/grade. We are trying to find a way to have one of the stairs open from floor 1-3. The problem is this will continue on to be one of the two stairs that will serve floors 4-7.

Is it possible to have an enclosed exit access stair from floor 7 down to floor 3, but then the occupants would exit the enclosed stair on 3 and use an open stair from floor 3 to floor 1 - assuming we comply with the provisions to allow this stair to be open?

Everything we are finding is that the exit access stairway has to be continuous once you enter it to floor 1 and then a rated passageway to the exterior. Any thoughts on how something like this could work?

Can you provide a sketch? It would help some more. Can you place the ballroom at ground level? Do you serve food/alcohol in the ballroom?

 

[NCRooster]

We have a new 7 story building - floors 1 and 2 will be A2(bar/restaurant), floor 3 will be A3 (conference/ballroom) with occupant load >1,000, floor 4-7 will be R-2 (hotel). Will be reviewing under the 2024 Ohio Building Code - based on 2021 IBC.

We will have 4 stairs from floor 3 to floor 1/grade. We are trying to find a way to have one of the stairs open from floor 1-3. The problem is this will continue on to be one of the two stairs that will serve floors 4-7.

Is it possible to have an enclosed exit access stair from floor 7 down to floor 3, but then the occupants would exit the enclosed stair on 3 and use an open stair from floor 3 to floor 1 - assuming we comply with the provisions to allow this stair to be open?

Everything we are finding is that the exit access stairway has to be continuous once you enter it to floor 1 and then a rated passageway to the exterior. Any thoughts on how something like this could work?

We pulled off something similar a few years ago. 4 story building, with one of the stairs being an exit access stair that went from the fourth floor to the first floor. We were able to do it because the stair was only open to the bottom two floors; the upper two floors were enclosed with glass smoke barriers. It was considered an atrium and had an (expensive) smoke control system at the roof above that was designed by a fire protection consultant. The building was also sprinklered and was Type IIB. We had 2 other stairs to the fourth floor that were enclosed exit stairs, and we met the exit access travel distance requirement, so we were allowed to have this one be exit access.

Not sure what your budget is like and whether a smoke control system would be an option. Agree with Yankee Chronicler that you can't fully enclose it, then have it exit back inside the building onto an exit access stair. But you could potentially do an exit access stair for the entire stair if it were an atrium, as long as you have enough enclosed exit stairs to meet code for the upper floors, and you meet travel distances etc. I would wonder if you would be able to keep your exit access travel distance to under 200' with 7 stories though.

 

[Feanor]

We have a new 7 story building - floors 1 and 2 will be A2(bar/restaurant), floor 3 will be A3 (conference/ballroom) with occupant load >1,000, floor 4-7 will be R-2 (hotel). Will be reviewing under the 2024 Ohio Building Code - based on 2021 IBC.

We will have 4 stairs from floor 3 to floor 1/grade. We are trying to find a way to have one of the stairs open from floor 1-3. The problem is this will continue on to be one of the two stairs that will serve floors 4-7.

Is it possible to have an enclosed exit access stair from floor 7 down to floor 3, but then the occupants would exit the enclosed stair on 3 and use an open stair from floor 3 to floor 1 - assuming we comply with the provisions to allow this stair to be open?

Everything we are finding is that the exit access stairway has to be continuous once you enter it to floor 1 and then a rated passageway to the exterior. Any thoughts on how something like this could work?

Does any of the other three stairs discharge directly outside the building? If you have three more stairs serving the ballroom which are fully enclosed, the fourth can become an atrium with the proper fire protection. (404.6 Enclosure of atriums).