What makes something a separate room or space?

[Sifu]

I have a t/i in an apartment building clubhouse with two rooms, one is a game lounge/media room, the other a gathering room. The occupant load in the game lounge room is large enough that it requires to exit access doorways, which exit through the adjacent gathering room. The designers response was to open up the single access that he initially provided from the 3' to 12'. The 12' does not provide the required separation for two exit access doorways. He wants to call these two areas part of the same room by providing the enlarged opening. So is there criteria for when a room is a room or two rooms? Like an opening percentage?

 

[RLGA]

Do you have a drawing to post?

 

[cda]

I would say you have one room, if it is a case opening,

Now do you have the required exit separation, using the exits in both rooms???

If so, I would say you are good to go, with and exit sign on both sides of the cased opening.

 

[Sifu]

An exit access doorway is defined as a an access point in the IBC. By the occ. load we need two exit access doorways (access points), separated by 1/2 the diagonal (N/S). The required separation is 16', the jambs of the single access point are 11'6". So if the separation element is the criteria used it is not compliant. However, I am wondering if there is some other criteria that makes two spaces one space based on communicating openings.

 

[cda]

An exit access doorway is defined as a an access point in the IBC. By the occ. load we need two exit access doorways (access points), separated by 1/2 the diagonal (N/S). The required separation is 16', the jambs of the single access point are 11'6". So if the separation element is the criteria used it is not compliant. However, I am wondering if there is some other criteria that makes two spaces one space based on communicating openings.

Lost on the terminology

Each room has an exit door?

So to me if they are the diagonal distance apart
It meets code, even if you have to walk thru a cased opening to get to the exit doors


Done all the time!!

 

[Sifu]

Quick sketch, not sure if it will upload. See if it clears it up.

 

[cda]

Quick sketch, not sure if it will upload. See if it clears it up.

Ok that is a goat of a different color!!!

No I would not approve that, unless the occupant load in the room with no doors is under 50.

Can they put a three foot case opening at the other end also?

To me that is about the only fix.

 

[JPohling]

Looks non compliant to me. Only a single exit although a wide one from the area with 65 occupants. Need more width on the opening to achieve the separation of exits, loose wall between completely or add second exit with proper separation. A single opening that was 19' wide I would buy.

 

[cda]

Or if they can punch another exit at the top and space them 16 feet apart

Or put one at the bottom of the room with no exits??

A few ways to resolve it.

 

[Sifu]

The only options I can see is an additional access at the other end or wider to meet the separation distance (intent). It looks like we are all on the same page. I was hoping there might be something in the code that gave more specifics, but I couldn't find anything.

 

[Sifu]

On the bright side, I learned how to upload a sketch!

 

[TheCommish]

If it was considered 1 room then the diagonal would be far larger then the doors would not be complaint as arranged

 

[Sifu]

If it was considered 1 room then the diagonal would be far larger then the doors would not be complaint as arranged

That is a great point!

 

[Sifu]

If it was considered 1 room then the diagonal would be far larger then the doors would not be complaint as arranged

But I checked the actual plan and their actual separation would make it.