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Gross Floor Area - include Egress Balcony or Exterior Exit Stairway?

DNW-KW

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Joined
Oct 10, 2022
Messages
4
Location
Washington
3-story multifamily R-2 building (1 occupant per 200 gross SF), 3-story, egress achieved at Levels 2 & 3 via egress balcony (44" wide, Trex walking surface, covered by roof projection only above Level 3), which is then served by two remote exterior exit stairways (36" wide, Trex landings, precast concrete treads, covered by roof projection only above Level 3).
  1. Level 3 - should egress balcony be included in Gross Floor Area for occupant load? Roof projects above egress balcony, but it's not usable space that someone could occupy as its circulation outside of the building.
  2. Level 3 - should remote exterior exit stairways be included in Gross Floor Area for occupant load? Roof projects above exterior exit stairways, but it's not usable space that someone could occupy.
  3. Level 2 - should egress balcony and/or exterior exist stairways be included in Gross Floor Area? No roof projection or floor above (roof projection considered over Level 3).
  4. Level 1 - should exterior area (outside of and not surrounded by exterior walls) be included in Gross Floor Area, where egress balcony and/or exterior exit stairway/landing above project over? The projections above are not a floor (Trex deck material) and not a roof (roof projection considered over Level 3). This outdoor area at Level 1 is exterior, doesn't have a story projecting above, and is all egress court at level of exit discharge.
 
My short answers:
  1. Yes.
  2. Yes.
  3. Yes.
  4. Yes.
The egress balconies are floors, not unlike interior corridors. On the third story, the roof projects over the egress balcony, so the egress balcony is part of the gross floor area of that story. On the second story, the floor of the third-story egress balcony projects over the second-story egress balcony; thus, the area of the egress balcony is part of the gross floor area of the second story. On the first story, the floor of the second-story egress balcony extends over the walkway at grade level, which is "usuable" area (i.e., usable for egress). The definition for gross floor area does not allow the deduction for stairways, so since they are covered by either the roof or the stair flights above, they are to be included in the floor area.

Unless I incorrectly understood your descriptions, all are considered part of the building area and the gross floor area.
 
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