Mezzanine

[ERICN]

I have a 6013 sq. ft. one story building. There is approx. 1567 sq. ft. office build out in the front with the remainder of the building being used as storage/warehouse. New occupants want to use the space above the offices for mechanicals and "light storage". Would the space above the office area be considered both an equipment plat form and a mezzanine? I understand the 7' height requirement, not sure about the area limitation, the area above the offices (equipment platform/mezzanine is well under 1/3 area. I understnad it contributes to the fire area, my question is, if they do not store anything above the offices and the area is only used for mechanical equipment, does this area need to conform to Sec. 505, less Sec. 505.5?

 

[cda]

You know you can post questions anytime, and also input you endless knowledge to questions asked.

 

[cda]

I have a 6013 sq. ft. one story building. There is approx. 1567 sq. ft. office build out in the front with the remainder of the building being used as storage/warehouse. New occupants want to use the space above the offices for mechanicals and "light storage". Would the space above the office area be considered both an equipment plat form and a mezzanine? I understand the 7' height requirement, not sure about the area limitation, the area above the offices (equipment platform/mezzanine is well under 1/3 area. I understnad it contributes to the fire area, my question is, if they do not store anything above the offices and the area is only used for mechanical equipment, does this area need to conform to Sec. 505, less Sec. 505.5?

How will it be accessed???

If I am standing in the warehouse, is it open to the warehouse, and will it remain open to the warehouse?

 

[ERICN]

How will it be accessed???

If I am standing in the warehouse, is it open to the warehouse, and will it remain open to the warehouse?

Yes, the area will not be closed off to the warehouse. The plans submitted do not show any type of access.

 

[RLGA]

Let's do the math:

• 6,013 sq. ft. building of which 1,567 sq. ft. is enclosed office space.
• That leaves 4,446 sq. ft. of warehouse space.
• Since the mezzanine will be open to the warehouse, the mezzanine will be limited to one-third of the warehouse floor area.
• One-third of 4,446 sq. ft. is 1,482 sq. ft., which is less than 1,567 sq. ft.

That means, the entire area above the office cannot be used as part of the mezzanine--85 sq. ft. will need to be blocked off from use.

 

[Paul Sweet]

Or request a code modification to allow the mezzanine to be 35% of the warehouse floor area instead of 33%.

 

[e hilton]

That means, the entire area above the office cannot be used as part of the mezzanine--85 sq. ft. will need to be blocked off from use.

Count the stairs as part of the first floor, not the mezz. Any mechanical chases between the floors?

 

[cda]

Count the stairs as part of the first floor, not the mezz. Any mechanical chases between the floors?

""""""""""The plans submitted do not show any type of access."""""""""""

 

[ERICN]

Let's do the math:

• 6,013 sq. ft. building of which 1,567 sq. ft. is enclosed office space.
• That leaves 4,446 sq. ft. of warehouse space.
• Since the mezzanine will be open to the warehouse, the mezzanine will be limited to one-third of the warehouse floor area.
• One-third of 4,446 sq. ft. is 1,482 sq. ft., which is less than 1,567 sq. ft.

That means, the entire area above the office cannot be used as part of the mezzanine--85 sq. ft. will need to be blocked off from use.

That would be their only option if they wanted to use any of that space would be to physically block off 85 sq. ft.? How does the space that the mechanical equipment come into play?

 

[e hilton]

""""""""""The plans submitted do not show any type of access."""""""""""

I see that now. Interesting. So you just levitate up to the mezz?

 

[Sleepy]

If it is an equipment platform then it is not a mezzanine and needs to comply with 505.3 (I'm looking at the 2015 IBC), which limits size but not as much as mezzanines. "Equipment platform" is defined in section 202 and would need to be used exclusively for mechanical systems or industrial process equipment. You probably wouldn't want to allow any storage on the equipment platform.

But it seems you could both an equipment platform and a mezzanine used for storage. There is a sentence (in 2015 IBC) saying that equipment platforms "shall not be part of any mezzanine..." but it also offers a way to calculate permitted area if you have both an equipment platform and mezzanine. You'd need to wrestle with the idea of how separate does the equipment platform need to be from the mezzanine to not be "part of" the mezzanine. Would a railing separating the two be enough, or would you need a more substantial barrier and separate access.

 

[cda]

And what does above the office deck look like????? Just some 2x4's??? As in will it hold the weight