SLIDING DOOR IN A CONFERENCE ROOM

[Nicole Brooks]

This is an existing office suite. We bought the building two years ago and do not have any of the tenant permit sets to reference. I have a room that is 167 sf that my interior designer has decided to use as as the tenant's conference room. Rooms or spaces that have an occupant load of 10 or more require a swinging doors for exit access. I have no idea if this room was used as an office or conference room prior to this new tenant. Do we need to replace the sliding door with a swinging door, or can we use the space as-is?

 

[ICE]

The AHJ might retain commercial plans. Appears that an occ. load of 12 would require a side hinged door.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

This is an existing office suite. We bought the building two years ago and do not have any of the tenant permit sets to reference. I have a room that is 167 sf that my interior designer has decided to use as as the tenant's conference room. Rooms or spaces that have an occupant load of 10 or more require a swinging doors for exit access. I have no idea if this room was used as an office or conference room prior to this new tenant. Do we need to replace the sliding door with a swinging door, or can we use the space as-is?

What's the occupant load of the conference room? What are the dimensions? Sure, if we blindly say "Tables and chairs" and use 1 person per 15 square feet from the occupant load table we come up with 11.13333333 people. But the 15 s.f. per person is generally based on restaurant seating. A conference room typically has a large conference table that along may occupy 50% of the floor area.

167 s.f, isn't really all that large. It's basically 12' x 14'. If your FF&E layout shows a large conference table with 6, 8, 0r 10 chairs in a reasnoable arrangement, you can discuss with the AHJ the exception to IBC 1004.5:

Exception: Where approved by the building official, the
actual number of occupants for whom each occupied space,
floor or building is designed, although less than those determined
by calculation, shall be permitted to be used in the
determination of the design occupant load.

 

[walker.t]

I have no idea if this room was used as an office or conference room prior to this new tenant.

Why would the previous use be a factor affecting egress from the new use in the space?

an occupant load of 10 or more require a swinging doors for exit access

Don’t mean to seem nitpicky, but it’s 11 or more when you need the swinging door, see reference below.

2018 IBC 1010.1.2 Door Swing
Egress doors shall be of the pivoted or side-hinged swinging type.
Exceptions:
1. Private garages, office areas, factory and storage areas with an occupant load of 10 or less.
9. In other than Group H occupancies, manually operated horizontal sliding doors are permitted in a means of egress from spaces with an occupant load of 10 or less.
[emphasis added]

do not have any of the tenant permit sets to reference

You might check with the previous owner, they might have been sent PDFs of the drawings.

 

[JPohling]

the 1/15 occupant load is also a "net" load factor. any fixed cabinetry area could be eliminated from the calculation. also 1004.5 is a good option.

 

[Tim Mailloux]

What's the occupant load of the conference room? What are the dimensions? Sure, if we blindly say "Tables and chairs" and use 1 person per 15 square feet from the occupant load table we come up with 11.13333333 people. But the 15 s.f. per person is generally based on restaurant seating. A conference room typically has a large conference table that along may occupy 50% of the floor area.

167 s.f, isn't really all that large. It's basically 12' x 14'. If your FF&E layout shows a large conference table with 6, 8, 0r 10 chairs in a reasnoable arrangement, you can discuss with the AHJ the exception to IBC 1004.5:

I filed a code mod in CT to try this once, The now retired Dan T. gave me a call with some choice words telling me what to do with my request as only he could