Firewall requirements in strip mall

[Jbb]

I’m looking to open another store in another state about two hours north from me. It is in a strip mall and is just an empty shell at the moment. It is an all steel and brick construction. The conduits running through feeding other units and house lighting and not fire caulked through the single layer of Sheetrock in other units. Will we be required to put a firewall all the way to the ceiling or is this considered a non combustible building? Thank you

 

[TheCommish]

What has your Registered Design Professional analysis of the build and use have to say about the conditions?

 

[ICE]

You should consider a wall that extends to the roof framing between the other tenants for security. While a determined burglar would get through, it might deter amateurs.

 

[Jbb]

You should consider a wall that extends to the roof framing between the other tenants for security. While a determined burglar would get through, it might deter amateurs.

There’s actually double 5/8 rock on each side of our unit in the neighboring units. There’s some existing conduit ran around surface mounted on the studs in ours. It would have to come down if we had to Sheetrock to the ceiling. Or just bow around it maybe.

 

[ICE]

If your looking for security, plywood performs better than drywall.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

A "fire wall" has a very specific definition -- and construction requirements -- in the IBC. Basically, a fire wall subdivides a very large building into smaller areas that are each considered (under the building code) as separate "buildings." One of the criteria for a fire wall is that it must be constructed such that if the construction on one side collapses, the fire wall and the construction on the other side must remain standing.

The typical tenant separation wall in malls is usually not a "fire wall," but more likely a "fire barrier" or a "fire partition." Without seeing a complete plan for the mall and a description of the occupancies on each side of your space it is not possible to determine if your tenant separations need to be fire barriers, fire partitions, or if they can be unrated.

 

[classicT]

Need to know occupancy classifications of each tenant, fire areas, building area, construction type, etc.

As others indicate, likely not a fire wall, but perhaps fire barriers are required for separation of occupancies, fire area reduction, etc.