Open exit access stair openness

[Examiner]

The question asked of me today is; where in the Code (2012 IBC) does it state that putting on a door at one floor of the otherwise open exit access stair disqualifies the open exit access stair allowance? Oh, this is a two story building with fire suppression.

My response was to be an open exit access stair, per Code Congress’s comment to me meant; that you just could leave the doors off to avoid it being an enclosed stair.

I can only find that Exception 1 addresses …or atmospherically communicated between.. implies that it would no longer be atmospherically connected to both floors if a door was put on one floor. As maybe a reason requiring openness.

Also, I responded with being open was to allow any type of hazard to be seen in the stair if it was open.

Never quite liked the idea of leaving only the doors off of the stair deemed it to be an open exit access stair. To me an interior open exit access stair is leaving off one, two or more walls. However, I was told otherwise by Code Congress years ago when open exit access stairs came into play that a door opening without a door could be done.

Any of you have any other comments? They will be welcome.

 

[cda]

Where is the door going to be placed??

Can it still meet 1026.3?

http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/ibc/2009f2cc/icod_ibc_2009f2cc_10_par264.htm?bu2=undefined

 

[Examiner]

It is not an Exterior Stair although it is joining an exterior wall. The problem came up because the energy code requires the first floor to have a vestibule due to the lobby and corridor system is over 3,000-sf in Zone 3. The vestibule needs to be near the stair exit discharge that was discharging into the corridor as an open stair. We can make the stair discharge into a stair vestibule but that requires a rating and shafting of the stair. The college wants the stair not to have doors at the upper floor. Once you put doors on a stair at any level it then causes a shaft condition.

 

[steveray]

It's a shaft with or without doors IMO....If it is allowed to be unprotected, I can't imagine 1 door makes a difference...

 

[cda]

It is not an Exterior Stair although it is joining an exterior wall. The problem came up because the energy code requires the first floor to have a vestibule due to the lobby and corridor system is over 3' date='000-sf in Zone 3. The vestibule needs to be near the stair exit discharge that was discharging into the corridor as an open stair. We can make the stair discharge into a stair vestibule but that requires a rating and shafting of the stair. The college wants the stair not to have doors at the upper floor. Once you put doors on a stair at any level it then causes a shaft condition. [/quote']What code section are you looking at

 

[JBI]

Sounds like a misapplication issue. The stair is permitted to be open. Placing a door at one access point does not change that fact.

 

[Builder Bob]

The single door to a stairway still makes the stairway unprotected....

Also this is the mixing of two different codes - energy code (3,00 SF vestibule ) and the code requirements for the Building code.

Just out of curiosity, why can't an airlock be incorporated the the exterior doors?

The only issue with a door in a stairway is that you may provide a false sense of security if an emergency occurs.........the older codes whose to have provisions to prevent construction which would create a false sense of security such as placing doors on a non-rated stairway.

The second issue, is the endless battles with fire inspectors who perform annual inspections and see a door on a stairway. to them, it appears to be a rated stair shaft enclosure which requires fire rated opening protectives (doors) with closures, locking hardware, and closures.

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