Proper Importance factors depending on category

[Big Mac]

Submittal

Three-story 88,000 square foot medical building. This is not a hospital but does contain an emergency room that by the tenants statement is expected to serve approximately 35,000 patients a year.

The applicant is trying toclaim this is a Category II structure, with regard to structural design.

I have maintained that it is a Category IV structure in accordance with ASCE7-05, Table 1-1 and 2006 IBC Table 1604.5.

In each of these tables, among the structures identified as belonging to Category IV are "hospitals and other health care facilities having surgery or emergency treatment facilties. This seems very cut and dried to me. Anybody out there disagree? If so, why?

I'm going to post this in the seismic structural site too, so I can get additional feedback.

 

[Glennman CBO]

Re: Proper Importance factors depending on category

Sounds like IV to me. I could see them trying to slide it through with a catagory III and try to get away with it, but a II?

 

[globe trekker]

Re: Proper Importance factors depending on category

Did the applicant provide a standard by which s/he was making the claim, or were they simply putting an

un-standardized type out there?



.

 

[BayPointArchitect]

Re: Proper Importance factors depending on category

That's interesting. I'm just curious as to how/why anyone would try to call this building something other than an "essential facility"? It is occupancy category IV with an importance factor of 1.5.

Not category III - since it has the emergency treatment room.

 

[Big Mac]

Re: Proper Importance factors depending on category

The applicant seems to have a different story for each different agency they are dealing with. The bottom line seems to be that they want to operate as an emergency room but don't want to spend the money it would take to design for one. The importance factor with regard to seismic desing issues for a Category II (which would be appropriate for a normal building housing doctors offices) is much more cost effective than designing for a Category IV structure (emergency room)

 

[brudgers]

Re: Proper Importance factors depending on category

Do they have a CoN?

 

[Big Mac]

Re: Proper Importance factors depending on category

FYI - As I expected, this came down to a politically charged conclusion. Of course it is a 'Use Group B' non-essential facility. They said so.

 

[Dr. J]

Re: Proper Importance factors depending on category

Big Mac - you wisely broke up the two points of your issue into two separate posts - Occupancy Category and Importance factor. From a straightforward IBC angle, the call on both are no-brainers - occupancy group B and Occupancy Category IV.

While the decision to classify it as a Category II may not be exactly in accordance with the code (the words of the code are clear "health care facilities having surgery or emergency treatment facilties"), I can understand why a "variance" was granted. From a community standpoint the question that should be asked is "will this facility need to continue to serve the community after the big one hits?" An ambulatory surgery center or urgent care facility located in a remote area may be more of an essential facility to the community than another Docs-in-the-box in the 'burbs. I mean, outside of Palm Springs, is a plastic surgery clinic really essential?

Brudgers asked a good question - is there a CON (Certificate of Need). If your state requires a CON, the "need" for the facility would have been stated.

I am involved in the design of this type of faclity all the time. Rarely a question of B vs I, but always a question of occupancy category. Also, as Coug Dad indicated on the other post, usually also a mix of NFPA 101 and IBC due to CMS.

 

[D a v e W]

Re: Proper Importance factors depending on category

Type IV