nealderidder
Sawhorse
I'm working on conceptual design for a 4 story mixed use project in California. It's a small building (40'x80') and has frontage on three sides. I've got an exterior exit stair on the back. That exit on the back falls within the maximum allowed travel distance to an exit for the entire building, therefore my second exit doesn't have a limit on travel distance. This is where it gets interesting...
Out of habit I was going to pop an interior exit stair at the front of the building for the second exit. But then I got thinking... if I don't have a distance limit, I can use the front door at grade as my second exit for the entire building (I could probably get to that door even if I had a 250' limit) so why put in an exit stair? Why not move vertically via an Exit Access Stair?
CBC 1019.3 #4 says that with a smoke curtain and some additional sprinklers I can connect an open stair for four stories. My client would love to have the stair open at the main entry (cool stair with glass rails and lots of steel). So can I really have a four story opening in a four story building with an exit access stair in it?
What would require me to enclose this stair? Can it be open to the rest of the building?
Regards,
Neal
Out of habit I was going to pop an interior exit stair at the front of the building for the second exit. But then I got thinking... if I don't have a distance limit, I can use the front door at grade as my second exit for the entire building (I could probably get to that door even if I had a 250' limit) so why put in an exit stair? Why not move vertically via an Exit Access Stair?
CBC 1019.3 #4 says that with a smoke curtain and some additional sprinklers I can connect an open stair for four stories. My client would love to have the stair open at the main entry (cool stair with glass rails and lots of steel). So can I really have a four story opening in a four story building with an exit access stair in it?
What would require me to enclose this stair? Can it be open to the rest of the building?
Regards,
Neal