Occupant load use

[Examiner]

Church Sunday school rooms; according to Code Congress these type rooms are considered to be assembly spaces. Okay, but can you use the classroom 20-sf/p or do you have to use one of the Assembly net area loads?

Plans show rooms for lower grade kids, toddlers, infants, junior high and high school. It will not function as a Church School it is only Sunday School.

Which one do you think is reasonable? Please list.

 

[AegisFPE]

I do not find that a connection must necessarily be drawn between uses in Table 1004.1.1 and occupancies in Chapter 3.

For example, there is no "Group L" for Libraries in Chapter 3, but there is a library use in Table 1004.1.1. Incidentally, Libraries in Chapter 3 are Group A, but reading rooms use 1/50 rather than a net assembly load.

More to the point, there may be a training room in an office space or a classroom in a college (which are Group B occupancies, not Group E per Chapter 3) where 1/20 could be applicable (even if the space would be considered Group A based on the occupant load). Therefore, it seems reasonable that a Group A occupancy could have spaces where the occupant load is based on a classroom use per Table 1004.1.1.

 

[vegas paul]

Aegis FPE is absolutely correct. Occupant load has NOTHING to do with occupancy classification. Occupant load factors are based on the function/use of each space, not their classification. If it's a classroom, use the table 1004.1.1 value. If it's a seated waiting area, use the table value, if it's conference room with tables/chairs, use the table value... etc. Don't worry about the occupant classification, there is no part of the IBC that connects the two, or directs you to determine occupant classification prior to determining occupant load.

P.S. This is why it is ESSENTIAL for a designer to label each room/space as to its purpose or function. Otherwise, there is no way to calculate the occupant load.

 

[Builder Bob]

What is the designer's choice. Separated or non-seperated? Aegis FPE is correct about OL and occupancy classification. However, if the classrooms are accessory to the assembly, it will really depend upon the arrangment of the seating - tables and chairs vs. chairs with student desks? IF the designers is using the classroom as accessory to the main sanctuary, then I tend to use 15 net or 7 net, depending upon proposed furniture layouts. This is still dependent upon (actual) use of the space as aluded to by Aegis FPE and scope of Chapter 10.

 

[Paul Sweet]

20 SF per occupant would be OK if they're individual classrooms with fixed partitions. However, if they have operable partitions that allow them to open up to the main space, then they should have the same SF per occupant as the main space.

 

[Yikes]

I had a project with sunday school classrooms with moveable partitions. The fire official allowed us to post 2 occupancy loads: one for when the partitions are closed (functioning as classroom), and another when the partitions are open (functioning as assembly/multipurpose).

Church staff have been trained on the effective occupancy limitations, and the project runs on a Conditional Use Permit which gives the fire department the opportunity to address any practical concerns regarding implementation.