manifold
Member
Designing to 2009 IBC. Existing building is not sprinklered, Type II-B.
The building is a strip mall with multiple tenants. We are combining 3 tenant spaces into one for a new liquor store, Group M occupancy. A new walk-in cooler is being installed (it will have a wall of glass doors into the retail space for beer sales); the reviewer commented that this triggers a requirement for a new sprinkler per 2603.4.1.2 #4. Per this section "where the cooler or freezer is within a building, both the cooler and the freezer and that part of the building in which it is located shall be sprinkled." The 'that part' is creating some contention. My interpretation is that it would apply to the fire area that the cooler is in. To address this we have proposed installing 2-hr fire barriers at the 2 demising walls of the tenant space and just sprinklering that fire area. The reviewer has said that the entire building needs to be sprinklered, which is cost prohibitive and extremely difficult in all of the other occupied tenant spaces. Trying to install 3-hr fire walls on either end of the tenant space to separate the building is going to be huge can of worms and will be extremely difficult with existing construction and fenestration (9' overhangs at the front walkway will require infilling 9' of window on both sides of both walls).
Are fire barriers and just sprinklering the fire area a defensible position or does the entire building need to be sprinklered?
Just to complicate things, the entire building is 24,750 SF, which I am concerned triggers 903.2.7 #3.
If there is any benefit, we would be a Level 2 Alteration under the IEBC. The work area is less than 50% of the building area so there may be some relief from IEBC section 704.2.2 #2.
The building is a strip mall with multiple tenants. We are combining 3 tenant spaces into one for a new liquor store, Group M occupancy. A new walk-in cooler is being installed (it will have a wall of glass doors into the retail space for beer sales); the reviewer commented that this triggers a requirement for a new sprinkler per 2603.4.1.2 #4. Per this section "where the cooler or freezer is within a building, both the cooler and the freezer and that part of the building in which it is located shall be sprinkled." The 'that part' is creating some contention. My interpretation is that it would apply to the fire area that the cooler is in. To address this we have proposed installing 2-hr fire barriers at the 2 demising walls of the tenant space and just sprinklering that fire area. The reviewer has said that the entire building needs to be sprinklered, which is cost prohibitive and extremely difficult in all of the other occupied tenant spaces. Trying to install 3-hr fire walls on either end of the tenant space to separate the building is going to be huge can of worms and will be extremely difficult with existing construction and fenestration (9' overhangs at the front walkway will require infilling 9' of window on both sides of both walls).
Are fire barriers and just sprinklering the fire area a defensible position or does the entire building need to be sprinklered?
Just to complicate things, the entire building is 24,750 SF, which I am concerned triggers 903.2.7 #3.
If there is any benefit, we would be a Level 2 Alteration under the IEBC. The work area is less than 50% of the building area so there may be some relief from IEBC section 704.2.2 #2.
