Wood framing/wood roof structure for 1 story commercial building?

[palikona]

Hi,
All of my previous commercial new build experience has been with buildings built with steel, CMU, concrete and metal studs. I'm beginning a project which is a 1 story dental office, with a 6000sf footprint. The roof will be flat with parapets around, and there will be a full basement as well. My structural engineer is recommending building this in wood (exterior wall and roof structure). Is(are) there a code section(s) I need to check in order to make sure this is acceptable? And do I need to discuss this with the local municipality early on to make sure it's ok?
Thanks for the help.

 

[Mr. Inspector]

Per 2016 IBC A dentist office would be occupancy B. All wood construction would be construction type VB A non sprinklered building like this can be up to 9.000 sq feet and 2 stories. It could be even bigger it there is empty space around it.
Of coarse there may be local laws that are stricter.

 

[palikona]

Per 2016 IBC A dentist office would be occupancy B. All wood construction would be construction type VB A non sprinklered building like this can be up to 9.000 sq feet and 2 stories. It could be even bigger it there is empty space around it.
Of coarse there may be local laws that are stricter.

Hi,
Thanks for the post. I see that in Chapter 5. Does 9,000 sf refer to the max footprint for 1 floor or the max area of the whole building? The project I’m working on is 6,000sf on level 1, with a 6,000sf basement. I guess it will need to be sprinklered, correct?

 

[Paul Sweet]

2018 IBC 506.1.3 says:
"Basements need not be included in the total allowable floor area of a building provided the total area of such basements does not exceed the area permitted for a one-story above grade plane building."

The old height/area table used to specify that it was area per story. When ICC split the tables they complicated the allowable area calculation. Unfortunately, I have forgotten my college calculus, so I can't figure it out anymore

 

[palikona]

So the code official I discussed this project with referenced IBC 2018 section 903.2.11.1: Stories without openings. Sounds like I need an egress stair or opening in the basement or else it needs to be sprinklered, since it's over 1,500 sf? Would this requirement change if we have metal studs for the exterior wall instead of wood? Thank you.

 

[Mr. Inspector]

So the code official I discussed this project with referenced IBC 2018 section 903.2.11.1: Stories without openings. Sounds like I need an egress stair or opening in the basement or else it needs to be sprinklered, since it's over 1,500 sf? Would this requirement change if we have metal studs for the exterior wall instead of wood? Thank you.

No, this would not change with a different type of construction.

 

[Mark K]

Listen to your architect and engineer regarding the need to talk with the building official prior to submitting the application.

In my experience unless there is something unusual regarding the building such preapprovals have not been necessary to require significant changes after submittal.