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Help with exterior door swing

Tim Cannon

Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
23
Location
Virginia Beach, Va.
Working on submittal for a job. All of the doors on the exterior were swinging in the direction of egress. The owner sent a note back wanting the doors to now swing into the building. It is a public gang restroom and storage/maintance building on a city golf course. I have told them that I believe by code the doors must swing in the direction of egress. The owner (the city) is insisting that they swing into the building. CDA you could probably answer this one. I would like to be able to show them the specific code that says they shall swing in the direction of egress.
 
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What is the total calculated Occupant Load for the building, and

the applicable Building Code & edition ?



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1008.1.2 Door swing.

Egress doors shall be of the pivoted or side-hinged swinging type.

Exceptions:

1. Private garages, office areas, factory and storage areas with an occupant load of 10 or less.

2. Group I-3 occupancies used as a place of detention.

3. Critical or intensive care patient rooms within suites of health care facilities.

4. Doors within or serving a single dwelling unit in Groups R-2 and R-3.

5. In other than Group H occupancies, revolving doors complying with Section 1008.1.4.1.

6. In other than Group H occupancies, horizontal sliding doors complying with Section 1008.1.4.3 are permitted in a means of egress.

7. Power-operated doors in accordance with Section 1008.1.4.2.

8. Doors serving a bathroom within an individual sleeping unit in Group R-1.

9. In other than Group H occupancies, manually operated horizontal sliding doors are permitted in a means of egress from spaces with an occupant load of 10 or less.

Doors shall swing in the direction of egress travel where serving a room or area containing an occupant load of 50 or more persons or a Group H occupancy.
 
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That MT has got that darned Search & Find capability on his `puter...

Schweet ! :cool:

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I don't see this unit in the exception area. The max load is estimated at 10. It is a public restroom in a government operated building. Would occupant load drive it, or would the fact that they are handicap accessible drive it? Common sense tells me that a person in a wheelchair would need an outswing unit versus inswing for egress...even if it is one person.
 
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What is the total calc'd Occupant Load for the building, not just your Restroom Area ?

If the calc'd Occ. Load for the entire bldg. is 50 or more, then the "required" MOE

doors must swing outward.

Also, ...yes, Accessible MOE are required to the Public Way.



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No, 10 doesn't drive it, and if the space allows it, door can swing either direction. Someone in a chair has to deal with the door on both sides, so they will get both swings anyway.
 
One other reason the door may need to swing in is an out swinging door may reduce the required egress width in the adjoining hall/corridor to be non-compliant

1005.7 Encroachment.

Encroachments into the required means of egress width shall be in accordance with the provisions of this section.

1005.7.1 Doors.

Doors, when fully opened, shall not reduce the required width by more than 7 inches (178 mm). Doors in any position shall not reduce the required width by more than one-half.

A required 44 inch corridor with an out swing 36 inch door encroaching into the corridor would be a code violation
 
MT-it swings out into the great outdoors; unlimited turning space...if it swings in there is a wall 42" from the opening. The door is a 3' so there is only a foot of inside space. But, the actual opening is not effected by the door- when opened in either direction the opening is still 36".
 
The "owner" probably wants the door to swing in so that noone can get to the hinges to get the door open when the space is looked or so that that no one can brace the door traping people inside.
 
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