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When is does theater stadium-style seating get called a "balcony"?

Y

Yikes

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Nov 2, 2009
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Location
Southern California
Question: at what height does a steeply sloped "stadium"-style floor in a single-story building get considered as an "interior balcony" or "gallery" per CBC 1028.5, requiring a means of egress that leads DIRECTLY to an exit instead of just going down to the main floor?

Background: I have another church project where the sanctuary was originally built with a flat floor in 1991. In 1999 they secured permits to created stadium-style seating. Unfortunately, that project did not have an architect who successfully resolved lines-on sight, and now they want to further modify the floor to be even steeper.

The finished effect will be similar in layout to a movie theater, where occupants enter via "tunnels" at the main floor, at the middle cross-aisle. In order to get to the sloped seating at the rear of the sanctuary, they go up aisles with stairs, so the row just behind the cross aisle is 5' above the main floor. The floor keeps sloping up to the rear of the building. The area underneath the sloped seating is dead space / unoccupied.
 
Does not sound like you have a 1028.5 and terms not defined

How about travel distance problems???
 
1028.5 Interior balcony and gallery means of egress. For

balconies, galleries or press boxes having a seating capacity of

50 or more located in Group A occupancies, at least two means

of egress shall be provided, with one from each side of every

balcony, gallery or press box and at least one leading directly to

an exit.

1 a platform that projects from the wall of a building and is enclosed by a parapet or railing

2 an interior projecting gallery in a public building (as a theater)

Balcony." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 10 July 2014. .

seem like you have

1028.9 Assembly aisles are required. Every occupied portion

of any occupancy in Group A or assembly occupancies accessory

to Group E that contains seats, tables, displays, similar fixtures

or equipment shall be provided with aisles leading to exits

or exit access doorways in accordance with this section. Aisle

accessways for tables and seating shall comply with Section

1017.4.

1028.11 Assembly aisle walking surfaces. Aisles with a slope

not exceeding one unit vertical in eight units horizontal

(12.5-percent slope) shall consist of a ramp having a slip-resistant

walking surface. Aisles with a slope exceeding one unit

vertical in eight units horizontal (12.5-percent slope) shall consist

of a series of risers and treads that extends across the full

width of aisles and complies with Sections 1028.11.1 through

1028.11.3.
 
Thanks, TheCommish. so, it would appear that since the sloping stadium floor does not "project" from the building walls (because it is fully enclosed below), it is neither a balcony nor a gallery.
 
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