Fire Prevention Code for NEW venue within existing building

[Noia]

Hi there! I've recently leased a space I found to be perfect for a wedding/event venue! The space is on the 2ND Floor of a commercial office building. I'd like to obtain a certificate of use for the space on the second floor that's highlighted in red to an Assembly A-2.

Here lies the issue: I wouldn't be using the entire 2nd floor, just the main function room and few extra rooms. We are willing to create a barrier wall to separate the remaining rooms next to the elevator that will also be sound proof. Space has NO fire sprinklers! Also main entry is from the first floor lobby area of the building.
Will it be complicated to get a Certificate of Use for the space now AS IS?, considering all the above mentioned. I'd like to have as much information as possible going to the city next week.

 

[TheCommish]

Changing a business use to an assembly use, hire a registered design professional to prepare An analysis of the change and let them tell you what you need.
It's quite possible you may need sprinklers, The main room with lose tables and chairs has the capacity of over 300 people.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

The occupant load of the two major assembly spaces, based on tables and chairs, is 436. If the AHJ wants to consider the possibility of using even the large space for lecture-type seating (no tables, just moveable chairs), the occupant load would then be 711 people, which would require three exits. You only have two. I didn't check exit access travel distance, but without sprinklers exits have to be remote from each other by a distance of one-half the maximum diagnal of the space served. Your two exits are only remote by roughly one-third the maximum diagonal.

Any way you view it, you don't have enough exits by number. Each of your exit doors is a single door. Assuming they are 3-foot doors, a 3' door provides capacity for 220 people, so your maximum egress capacity limited by the doors is 440 people. I don't have dimensions on the stairs, so that could further reduce the available egress capacity.

 

[Noia]

Changing a business use to an assembly use, hire a registered design professional to prepare An analysis of the change and let them tell you what you need.
It's quite possible you may need sprinklers, The main room with lose tables and chairs has the capacity of over 300 people.

Yes that's exactly what the city is requesting! "Architectural plans that meet the minimum requirements of the Florida Fire Prevention and the Florida Building Code proposed use". Trying to figure out if they will eventually require fire sprinklers or not.

Main Function Room: 4977 SF
2nd smaller adjacent room for smaller functions: 1560 SF
We will have separate rooms used as "Storage" 780 SF, "Office" 780 SF, "Kitchen" 780 SF, and POSSIBLY an extra room that is a 2-story area as a "Bridal Suite".

 

[Noia]

The occupant load of the two major assembly spaces, based on tables and chairs, is 436. If the AHJ wants to consider the possibility of using even the large space for lecture-type seating (no tables, just moveable chairs), the occupant load would then be 711 people, which would require three exits. You only have two. I didn't check exit access travel distance, but without sprinklers exits have to be remote from each other by a distance of one-half the maximum diagnal of the space served. Your two exits are only remote by roughly one-third the maximum diagonal.

Any way you view it, you don't have enough exits by number. Each of your exit doors is a single door. Assuming they are 3-foot doors, a 3' door provides capacity for 220 people, so your maximum egress capacity limited by the doors is 440 people. I don't have dimensions on the stairs, so that could further reduce the available egress capacity.

3 Exits, with one double door 6'. For the occupant load I calculated less than 300. Can you show me how you calculated it please? Another possibility I was looking at is to create a 2hr barrier wall to close off that corner space where the unused offices/rooms are and reduce the sf of the main function area. There is an elevator in that corner so I'll have to add a double door there as well.

 

[Noia]

The occupant load of the two major assembly spaces, based on tables and chairs, is 436. If the AHJ wants to consider the possibility of using even the large space for lecture-type seating (no tables, just moveable chairs), the occupant load would then be 711 people, which would require three exits. You only have two. I didn't check exit access travel distance, but without sprinklers exits have to be remote from each other by a distance of one-half the maximum diagnal of the space served. Your two exits are only remote by roughly one-third the maximum diagonal.

Any way you view it, you don't have enough exits by number. Each of your exit doors is a single door. Assuming they are 3-foot doors, a 3' door provides capacity for 220 people, so your maximum egress capacity limited by the doors is 440 people. I don't have dimensions on the stairs, so that could further reduce the available egress capacity.

the X are the rooms I won't use.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

3 Exits, with one double door 6'. For the occupant load I calculated less than 300. Can you show me how you calculated it please? Another possibility I was looking at is to create a 2hr barrier wall to close off that corner space where the unused offices/rooms are and reduce the sf of the main function area. There is an elevator in that corner so I'll have to add a double door there as well.

Okay, I didn't notice the ramp, so I didn't include that as an exit. That makes three.

Occupant load: The large space plus the ballroom alone equal 6,537 square feet. The occupant ratio for assembly with tables and chairs is 1:15, so that equals an occupant load of 436. But for a "flex," multi-use assembly space, I would have to consider the possibility that it could be used with lecture type seating (chairs in rows, no tables). the ratio for that is 1:7, which would bring the occupant load to 711 for just the large space, and 934 for the two together.

Adding in the double doors, the egress capacity (unless limited by the stair/ramp width) would be 880.

How did you arrive at an occupant load of 300? At a ratio of 1:15, the large space alone would have an occupant load of 332.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

Hmmm. The Ballroom has an occupant load of more than 100, but it only has a single exit. I don't believe you can exit through a kitchen. Even if you can, the kitchen doors swing against the direction of egress travel.

 

[TheCommish]

Yes that's exactly what the city is requesting! "Architectural plans that meet the minimum requirements of the Florida Fire Prevention and the Florida Building Code proposed use". Trying to figure out if they will eventually require fire sprinklers or not.

Then your architect needs to answer the questions and advise you the client on the required work, permitting and provide construction supervision.

Unless you remove the rooms you say you are not using, or divide them off the main space and make them their own entity with required existing you cannot just say I am not using them, they are part of the second floor space.

also you need top consider parking for the assembly use and it there is land planning approval need for the proposed use.

 

[mtlogcabin]

What type of construction is the existing building? If it is a construction Type V-B building then the A-2 use is not allowed on the second floor without sprinklers and you might be over the maximum allowable square footage without sprinklers.
You need to get an architect involved before going to the city.

 

[Penguin87]

You are going to definitely need to hire a licensed architect, and probably submit an early plan to the city for a pre-app.
I don't work for free here.