Wall rating for ice vending and cleaning gear in hotel

[blugosi]

I am looking at an existing design , high rise hotel, where the original design shows a small recess for the ice vending machine and the cleaning staff gear room walls rated 1 hr.
What would be a possible reason for that, for a fully sprinklered building?
Looking at section 420.3 and table 1020.2 I understand that 30 minutes rating is adequate.
Am i missing something?

 

[RLGA]

The reduction to a 30-minute corridor wall was introduced in the 2003 IBC. If the building was constructed prior to that code adoption, it would have been required to have a 1-hour rating.

 

[blugosi]

The reduction to a 30-minute corridor wall was introduced in the 2003 IBC. If the building was constructed prior to that code adoption, it would have been required to have a 1-hour rating.

No, it is not that old. The rest of the corridors between guestroom to guestroom and guestroom to corridor are rated 30 minutes.
Any way the cleaning staff room would classify as high hazard due to the cleaning chemicals? This seems far fetched....

 

[Mr. Inspector]

I have seen some buildings that are built better than the code minimum.

 

[steveray]

As I don't think I have ever actually seen a 30 min. assembly, they may have just shown/ used 1hr....

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

I am looking at an existing design , high rise hotel, where the original design shows a small recess for the ice vending machine and the cleaning staff gear room walls rated 1 hr.
What would be a possible reason for that, for a fully sprinklered building?
Looking at section 420.3 and table 1020.2 I understand that 30 minutes rating is adequate.
Am i missing something?

Section 420.3 addresses horizontal separations (floors), and doesn't say anything about a 30-minute rating.

When was the hotel built? What code was in effect when it was built? Since it is an existing building, have you looked at the International Existing Building Code (if it has been adopted in the jurisdiction where the hotel is located)? What is the nature of the project? Do you even need to be concerned with the corridor rating?

 

[blugosi]

Section 420.3 addresses horizontal separations (floors), and doesn't say anything about a 30-minute rating.

When was the hotel built? What code was in effect when it was built? Since it is an existing building, have you looked at the International Existing Building Code (if it has been adopted in the jurisdiction where the hotel is located)? What is the nature of the project? Do you even need to be concerned with the corridor rating?

My bad, I meant 420.2 , not 420.3. Thanks for pointing this out.

It turns out that the walls are indeed 30 minutes rated for hotel occupancy, the as built layouts were wrong without anyone noticing before.

This is 5 years old, my question was related to a modification on quite a few floors and the general contractor's attempt to secure a variation order for upgrading wall ratings.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

Hmmm ...

Perhaps the designers considered the cleaning staff gear room to be an accessory occupancy.

508.2.4 Separation of occupancies. No separation is
required between accessory occupancies and the main
occupancy.

Exceptions:

1. Group H-2, H-3, H-4 and H-5 occupancies
shall be separated from all other occupancies in
accordance with Section 508.4.

2. Group I-1, R-1, R-2 and R-3 dwelling units and
sleeping units shall be separated from other
dwelling or sleeping units and from accessory
occupancies contiguous to them in accordance
with the requirements of Section 420.

420.2 Separation walls. Walls separating dwelling units in
the same building, walls separating sleeping units in the
same building and walls separating dwelling or sleeping
units from other occupancies contiguous to them in the same
building shall be constructed as fire partitions in accordance
with Section 708.

 

[blugosi]

Hmmm ...

Perhaps the designers considered the cleaning staff gear room to be an accessory occupancy.

Even in that case, 420.2 points to 708, which specifies 30 minutes per 708.3 exception #1 due to sprinklers.....

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

Even in that case, 420.2 points to 708, which specifies 30 minutes per 708.3 exception #1 due to sprinklers.....

That exception is for corridors and for separations between dwelling units and sleeping units. The exception does not extend to separations between sleeping units and accessory occupancies.

 

[blugosi]

That exception is for corridors and for separations between dwelling units and sleeping units. The exception does not extend to separations between sleeping units and accessory occupancies.

Good point.

The exact wording is

420.2 Separation walls. Walls separating dwelling units in the same building, walls separating sleeping units in the same building and walls separating dwelling or sleeping units from other occupancies contiguous to them in the same building shall be constructed as fire partitions in accordance with Section 708.


In our case, the wall for the cleaning gear room is not contiguous to the guestrooms. It abuts 2hr rated shafts on three sides and the circulation corridor.

 

[steveray]

Good point.

The exact wording is

420.2 Separation walls. Walls separating dwelling units in the same building, walls separating sleeping units in the same building and walls separating dwelling or sleeping units from other occupancies contiguous to them in the same building shall be constructed as fire partitions in accordance with Section 708.


In our case, the wall for the cleaning gear room is not contiguous to the guestrooms. It abuts 2hr rated shafts on three sides and the circulation corridor.


View attachment 15239

Nice designation of rated assemblies BTW.....