Rooftop parking deck

[Yikes]

I have a project that is an existing car dealership being converted to a lmber / building supply store. The old dealership used to park their inventory on the store's roof (it was designed for this). The new owner wants to put public parking up there instead. The parking will be "open to the sky" ( we're removing the carport roofs that used to keep unsold inventory in the shade).

Don't worry, we'll have an accessible elevator, etc. - - but meanwhile, to clarify the code analysis, here's my understanding:

1. The rooftop parking itself has zero BUILDING area per 502, because it is open to the sky. The only building area is the enclosed space below. The parking will not count towards my maximum allowable building area.

2. The rooftop parking has NET FLOOR area per chapter 10 (that will count towards occupant load), because it is bounded by 42" parapet / guardrail walls.

3. The need for exit width and number of exits is now determined by table 1004.1.1 for "parking garages", not the former "stock / mercantile" load of the car storage.

The roof deck has a 13.56% concrete ramp leading up to it. so, we're just shy of the 12.5% slope to continue to use it as non-accessible MOE. However, we can add a series of 6" rise / 44.25" run steps on the ramp that will not require handrail per 1009.12 exc. 3.

Is this correct?

 

[steveray]

ACCESSIBLE VAN PARKING? 3409.6 Should be taken care of with an elevator....Most of what you are saying sounds good....(without opening the books) Under the IEBC (2003) I do not believe that you need an accessible MOE anyway... as long as the egress from the roof is handled, should be OK....

 

[Examiner]

If the entire parking structure slopes where the vehicles are parking, then the accessible van parking stall and its aisle may have issues with the 2% flatness and maybe even the accessible route to the elevator.

 

[Yikes]

Thanks. Examiner, I should clarify it is a "flat" (<2%) sloped roof deck. Only the ramp leading up to it has a steep slope.

 

[peach]

you'll never see a "flat" parking garage floor. Automobile fluids and melting snow, etc., need to go to an interceptor.

What about it would make it a change of use.. last time I bought a new car (not all that long ago), we took the elevator to the level the type of vehicle I wanted were all parked, and I shopped there. Cars are cars..

 

[mark handler]

1009.12 Handrails. Exceptions: Decks, patios and walkways that have a single change in elevation where the landing depth on each side of the change of elevation is greater than what is required for a landing do not require handrails.

Yikes

I think you are misreading this, you will need rails, and guards

Also remember

1009.7 Vertical rise. A flight of stairs shall not have a vertical rise greater than 12 feet between floor levels orlandings.

You will need to protect the Pedestrians from the two way traffic.

How wide is this ramp.....?

 

[Yikes]

good questions, Mark. We're building a second, new, wider ramp to accomodate the minimum width requried by planning code for public parking. The first, old ramp will remain in place (because it's too expensive to demolish), will be physically separate from the new ramp, and the old ramp will no longer be used by cars. Instead, the old ramp is the "real estate" upon which we will put our pedestrian emergency egress POT (stairs).Since each tread is as long as a stair landing (44"), should I be worried about providing an intermediate landing?the ramp is about 14' wide, so if we put the stairs down the middle of the ramp, there is no code need for guardrail, right?The IBC commentary shows a photo example of 1009.12 exc. 3 that looks similar to our condition, except that it is a walkway in the middle of nature...

View attachment 442

20110607151136708.pdf

20110607151136708.pdf

 

[peach]

you're thinking of using the vehicle ramp as required MOE? really?

 

[Yikes]

Peach, I'm thing of using a FORMER vehicle ramp, now vacated, as a concrete base upon which to build a new MOE.

 

[mark handler]

Will be great for rollerblades