narrow and non-rated corridors

[BayPointArchitect]

Given: Codes used for this jurisdiction: 2009 IBC and 2000 LSC9,000 Square foot office building, Type VB construction, non-sprinkled.Three entry-exits with all doors 36 inches wide and lever handled hardware operable from the egress side, etc.The overall calculated occupant load is 98 occupants with 49 being distributed to the main entry-exit and the remainder divided equally between the second and third exits.Question #1oes the overall occupant load for the entire building require that each and every hallway be a minimum 44 inches in width?Or only those corridors with more than 50 people expected to egress through that particular corridor?Question #2oes the overall occupant load for this non-sprinkled building require that each and every hallway be one-hour rated if that occupant load is 30 people or more?Or only those corridors with more than 30 people expected to egress through that particular corridor?Question #3:Is it acceptable to have the Employee Break Room located adjacent to a corridor as shown in the illustration if that corridor is not required to be rated?Thank you. I have had these questions for a very long time but the answers have not come easy for me.RichICC Certified Plan Reviewer

View attachment 1903

NonRatedCorridors.pdf

NonRatedCorridors.pdf

 

[cda]

all corridors are open to each other???

if so looks like you would have to apply the continutiy rules, which in my mind would make the entire corridor system rated.

with the entire system rated, than in my opinion the breakroom would have to be seperate from the corridor

possibly if you seperate area 3 and 4 from the rest of the building, the corridor serving those two areas would not need to be rated.

 

[mark handler]

Question #1:

1018.2 Corridor width. The minimum corridor width shall be as determined in Section 1005.1, but not less than 44 inches

Exceptions: 2. Thirty-six inches —With a required occupant capacity of less than 50.

Yes your designated occupancy per exit maybe less than 50, your overall occupancy is over 50 and the minimum corridor width based on overall occupancy shall not be less than 44 inches.

Question #2:

imo, yes the corridors are based on the overall occupancy.

Question #3:

Corridor can be adjacent to the employee break room but should be seperated from the exit Corridor

 

[peach]

I agree with Mark and CDA. It's really one corridor, not three since they appear to communicate freely with each other. You only need one exit to be blocked for the OL to be >50 in any one corridor.

 

[BayPointArchitect]

Thanks fellow code enthusiasts.

It is the principal of continuity that I was missing.