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jinsp

J

Jmciver

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Jun 1, 2011
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We have a new one story, unrated, fully sprinklered office building(26,000 sq.ft.) being built with S-1 and F-1 occupancies attached to it. The F-1 occ.'s are wood working and metal shops(both shops are under 5,000 sq. ft. about ), there are also elect. shops ,etc. and various storage rooms. What are the thoughts on heating and cooling the F-1 occupancies, especially with exhaust and dust control systems, Section 1204.1 (exception #1) of the CBC is pretty ambiguous. And the types of combustible control that is needed for wood and metal shops. thank you
 
1204.1 Equipment and systems. Interior spaces intended forhuman occupancy shall be provided with active or passive

space-heating systems capable of maintaining a minimum

indoor temperature of 68°F (20°C) at a point 3 feet (914 mm)

above the floor on the design heating day.

Exceptions:

1. Interior spaces where the primary purpose is not associated

with human comfort.
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The primary purpose of any F-1 occupancy is not associated with human comfort.
 
ICE said:
The primary purpose of any F-1 occupancy is not associated with human comfort.
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The primary purpose of an office is work are you implying no heating or cooling of an office? Or a retail establishment?

Primary purpose of almost any building is not human comfort. ?..

Another poorly written section of the code. ?...
 
I believe the intent of that was for freezers and other similar areas that the purpose of the heating or cooling is for a product or process/procedure. I do not believe this was intended to make sweat shops out of factories. Will check the commentary on this one.
 
mark handler said:
The primary purpose of an office is work are you implying no heating or cooling of an office? Or a retail establishment? Primary purpose of almost any building is not human comfort. ?..

Another poorly written section of the code. ?...
Click to expand...
there will be heating and cooling in the B occupancy area: break room, locker rooms, offices, etc. yes, i agree very poorly written section, i know we don't want the factory to become sweat shops but as section 1204.1 ex #1 states "the primary purpose" . would you guys require conditioned air in the F-1 occupancy? how the dust collection and exhaust systems for combustible dust effect your call?

yes, i have heard from the commentary that section pertains walk in freezers and coolers but no where in the CBC does it state that.

appreciate all the feed back
 
Section 1204 requires heat but not cooling so sweat shops are still legit.

Whether or not you can get humans to work in one is another story.

I disagree that the following statement deals with freezers/coolers:

"Interior spaces where the primary purpose is not associated with human comfort".

The words "primary purpose" refer to the space, not the HVAC equipment.

Perhaps I have a jaded take on the subject since I am located in the easy climate of southern California but gosh there's a dearth of heating equipment in just about every type of business that I can think of.

This is the land of warehouse/factories. From dinky to wow this is huge. People work in all of them. Some have a couple people and some have a crowd. The temperature does get below 68°. Few have a means of providing heat. That would be because the primary purpose of the space is not associated with human comfort.
 
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From 2009 commentary:

The intent of this section is to require some form ofspace heating system for all interior spaces intendedfor human occupancy. The heating appliances listed inthis code and in the IFGC can be used individually or incombination to provide the heat source to meet this requirement.It should be noted that the IFGC prohibitsthe use of unvented room heaters as the sole sourceof heat in a building.The prescribed temperature of 68°F (20°C) is consideredthe minimum temperature to maintain an acceptablecomfort level for humans. This was the temperaturesetting for thermostats the federalgovernment recommended for energy savings followingthe oil shortages of the 1970s. This section doesnot allow portable space heaters to satisfy the requirementfor space heating.The exception exempts spaces in which human occupancyis not the primary use of the space. An example

​
would be a large storage warehouse.

 
OCCUPIABLE SPACE. (OCCUPIABLE is not a word)A room or enclosed space designed for human occupancy in which individuals congregate for

amusement, educational or similar purposes or in which occupants are engaged at labor, and which is equipped with means

of egress and light and ventilation facilities meeting the requirements of this code.
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Human activity such as work constitutes human occupancy as used in the context of section 1204.

Everywhere except So Cal.

So it has been shown that if work takes place, the space where that work takes place is an occupiable space. An occupiable space is intended for human occupancy.

Interior spaces intended for human occupancy shall be provided with active or passive space-heating systems
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There is however, an exception.

Exceptions:1. Interior spaces where the primary purpose is not associated with human comfort
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How can the primary purpose of a factory be associated with human comfort? How about a restaurant? Doctor's office? Barbershop? Shoe store?
 
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