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Karaoke Lounge - occupancy/ sprinklers

M

Monique Harby

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Joined
Apr 5, 2018
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1
Location
Moscow, ID
I worked on a Karaoke Lounge that has an occupant load of 150. There are 12 individual karaoke rooms. The business got up and running serving packaged snacks and canned drinks. A few months later they began serving beer. The planning department found out and is requiring us to move from an A1 to an A2 which means we need a firewall or sprinklers because we are over 100 in the occupant load.

I didn't think this would be an issue because I would consider the food/alcohol an accessory occupancy. The planning department didn't agree that the kitchen (which is just to serve snacks and beer from) was an accessory occupancy. My reasoning was;

1. The accessory occupancy is subsidiary to the main purpose of the space. The main purpose is to sing karaoke, having food and drink is secondary. The planning department is saying our intent is to eat and drink food, but the business was up and running without food and drinks, so it’s obviously not the primary purpose, it’s just there to support the karaoke.
2. The accessory occupancy is less than 10% of the square footage - The kitchen, which is A2, is less than 10%.
3. There are no separation requirements between A2 and A1/A3. the occupant load of the A3 is under 300 people, so does not require sprinklers and the A2 of the kitchen is less than 100 people so therefore does not require sprinklers.

Is there any work around? It's too expensive for the owner to retrofit the space for sprinklers just so he can serve beer. Or do you agree that the whole space should be A2?

This is in Washington State.

Thanks!
 
If you can separate it some how, so the occupant load is less enough to negate sprinklers?

Wall with door or doors, that have door holders with stand alone smoke detectors to release the doors/??

That way the entire spaces is still kind of open, and customers can flow.

Not a karaoke person, but have not heard of individual rooms before
 
I just picked up on the fact that these are individual rooms and not one large room. I think this changes the dynamic a bit.

If there are 12 rooms and 150 occupants, that roughly 12-13 occupants per room. At 15 sq. ft. per occupant, that would make each room about 180 to 195 sq. ft. each. Per IBC Section 303.1.2 (2015 edition), these would be classified as Group B occupancies (less than 750 sq. ft. and less than 50 occupants). The kitchen, in this case, would be classified as Group F-1. Thus, the entire building would not have a Group A occupancy (unless there is a larger room not mentioned that is greater than 750 sq. ft. and the occupant load is 50 or greater).

In that case, a sprinkler system would not be required for the Group B occupancies, except if the entire building is greater than 12,000 sq. ft. and there is no fire barrier separation between the Group F-1 and Group B per IBC Section 707.3.10 for fire areas, since a Group F-1 fire area requires a sprinkler system if the fire area is greater than 12,000 sq. ft.
 
RLGA said:
I just picked up on the fact that these are individual rooms and not one large room. I think this changes the dynamic a bit.

If there are 12 rooms and 150 occupants, that roughly 12-13 occupants per room. At 15 sq. ft. per occupant, that would make each room about 180 to 195 sq. ft. each. Per IBC Section 303.1.2 (2015 edition), these would be classified as Group B occupancies (less than 750 sq. ft. and less than 50 occupants). The kitchen, in this case, would be classified as Group F-1. Thus, the entire building would not have a Group A occupancy (unless there is a larger room not mentioned that is greater than 750 sq. ft. and the occupant load is 50 or greater).

In that case, a sprinkler system would not be required for the Group B occupancies, except if the entire building is greater than 12,000 sq. ft. and there is no fire barrier separation between the Group F-1 and Group B per IBC Section 707.3.10 for fire areas, since a Group F-1 fire area requires a sprinkler system if the fire area is greater than 12,000 sq. ft.
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I was wondering if someone would go that way.

Not sure if I agree.

Maybe in special cases, in this instance would have to see a floor plan.


Plus it has to soar past the ahj

Seems like at some point, opening night, there will be a crowd of over fifty in one place, and having a cold one.
 
cda said:
I was wondering if someone would go that way.

Not sure if I agree.

Maybe in special cases, in this instance would have to see a floor plan.


Plus it has to soar past the ahj

Seems like at some point, opening night, there will be a crowd of over fifty in one place, and having a cold one.
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If a series of small assembly rooms must be classified as a Group A occupancy, then all college classroom buildings would need to be classified as Group A occupancies regardless of occupant load and floor area for each classroom.
 
RLGA said:
If a series of small assembly rooms must be classified as a Group A occupancy, then all college classroom buildings would need to be classified as Group A occupancies regardless of occupant load and floor area for each classroom.
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Yea but,,,,
 
Without seeing a floor plan, I think I would lean to have made it an A-3 to begin with. It seems to clearly be an A-2 (with beer) today though. the cheapest way to not do sprinklers would probably be to create fire areas of less than 100 persons.
 
If they were alcoves without doors opening off another space then they couldn't be considered "individual rooms" with a limited occupant load in each, so you would have to count everybody that could be in the other space as well as people in the alcoves, so the occupant load would be the 150 of the OP - hence A occupancy.
 
Paul Sweet said:
If they were alcoves without doors opening off another space then they couldn't be considered "individual rooms" with a limited occupant load in each, so you would have to count everybody that could be in the other space as well as people in the alcoves, so the occupant load would be the 150 of the OP - hence A occupancy.
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Will agree somewhat

Missed you were asking for a rated corridor,
 
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