System Buildings & Codes Quiz 2

What type of fire resistance rating for columns that are part of the structural frame in a VA building

1 hour

What is the typical fire resistance rating for an interior wall within a Type IIA building?

1 hour or automatic sprinklers

New Occupancies vs. Existing Occupancies

1. occupancy is constructed for that occupancy under current enforced code 2. occupancy relocated to an existing building previously not used for that occupancy 3. occupancy is a new addition to an existing bld previously not used for that occupancy 4. occupancy is remaining in same bld but changing its size or use that affects its subclassification

How much space needed for one person in a chair/seat/etc

18"

A client asks you to select finished for a nightclub he owns. Based on the LSC, what additional information do you need in order to determine the correct occupancy classification?

A

Educational

used for educational purposes by a specified number of persons at any one time through the twelfth grade

If you are designing the interior of a large assisted living facility that accommodates 150 residents and you are using the IBC, which occupancy classification would you use?

I-1, because the occupancy load is greater than 16, you have to take that into consideration when looking at occupancy classification as it becomes institutional.

If you were asked to design the interior of a prison located in a jurisdiction using the IBC, which occupancy classification would you use?

I-3

Using the IBC and the LSC, which occupancy classifications would you use if you were asked to redesign the interior of a hotel?

IBC: R-1 LSC: R

Storage

used for storing or sheltering products, merchandise, vehicles, or animals, low or moderate hazard

Relocation of low-hazard factory use, space is first floor of existing 2 story building, has construction type IIIB. Each floor has 19,250 gross sq feet. Client expects to have 100 employees. If the occupant load factor for this factory is 10 gross sq feet per person will this space work?

No, with these qualifications, the building cannot have more than 18,000 sq feet, so it wouldn't work.

If you are selecting finishes for the same assisted living facility using the LSC, which occupancy classification would you use?

R, there are no occupancy restrictions, but the patients need care as well as boarding is a provided element.

Business

used for the transaction of business such as office, professional, or service-type trades and other similar functions, risk factors low,

Performance Codes

a code that is generally described and gives you an objective but not the specifics of how to achieve it, focus is on the desired outcome and compliance is based on meeting criteria, must substantiate the use of the code requirement

Prescriptive Requirements

a code that provides a specific requirement that must be met for the design, construction and maintenance of a building, focus on a specific solution to achieve an objective or outcome based on historic experience and established engineering

Fire Wall

a separation of different construction types from one another, separation is created by a vertical wall

Residential

acts as a dwelling and provides sleeping accommodations for normal residential purposes

In some cases, unique characteristics call for

additional code requirements so that buildings are safe

Fuel Loads

amounts of finish materials, upholstered furniture, other flammable contents

Considerations that go into choosing a structural system/construction type

building size and height, intended occupancy classification, affordability and sustainability

More than one occupancy type

can affect a number of other codes, two or more can occur in same building, can adjacent horizontally/vertically

Incidental Accessory Occupancies

certain uses within a building are determined to be hazardous when they exist within any occupancy type

Type 3

combo of combust/noncombust materials, considered combustable, exterior usually noncombustible, typical of small office buildings

Risk factors

conditions of the building occupants or space that can potentially cause a hazardous situation

Fire-Resistance Rating-Hourly

construction types are listed across the top of the table in descending order from most fire resistive to least, various structural or building elements are listed to the left, the hourly fire endurance ratings are listed under the construction types for each structural element in the body of the table

Means of Egress

divide occupancy load of room by number of exits from room

Construction Types

every building, whether new or existing, falls under one of the construction types, to be classified, it must meet the minimum requirements for every structure or building element in that type, if it fails to meet even one criteria, it is classified in the next less restrictive type

Occupancy Classification

generally determined by the way that building or space is to be used, have been developed by the codes to address diff hazardous situations often referred to as risk factors associated w/each type of use

Assembly

if people gather for civic, social, or religious functions, recreation, entertainment, eating, drinking, or awaiting transportation, holds lrg number of people (more than 50 usually) unfamiliar w/space

Accessibility Requirements

include specific requirements for certain building types within various occupancies, ADA Standards

Institutional

includes care or supervision of the occupants, including medical care, occupants are either limited in their mobility, immobile, or incapable of mobility due to physical or security restraints

Fire Proof

incombustable, is resistant in certain circumstances to fire, can withstand up to a large amount of flame

Which structure or building element does not typically require a fire rating?

interior, non-weight bearing walls

Hazardous

involves the generation, manufacturing, processing, storage, or other use of hazardous materials, require additional precautions

Spatial Characteristics

low light levels, fixed seating, high sound levels

Noncombustible

materials that will not ignite, burn, support combustion, or release flammable vapors when subject to fire or heat, required to pass ASTM test, used to prevent substantial fire spread(steel, iron, concrete, masonry)

Concentration of Occupants

mobility, age, alertness

Type 5

most combustable construction type, basically an all wood structure, typically small, residential house,

Unprotected

no additional treatment or materials are required to be added to the natural fire resistant characteristics of the structural system

An existing non sprinkled building with a construction type of Type IIIB has two floors with 17,500 square feet per floor. Can this building be converted into a hotel?

no, the building cannot have more than 16,000 sq feet per floor to be a hotel

A local developer is planning to develop a series of townhouses, 3 and 4 stories, all Type VB construction. Has two floors with 17,500 sq feet per floor, can it be converted into a hotel?

no, the building cannot have more than 16,000 sq feet per floor to be converted into a hotel

Utility or Miscellaneous

not typical and or cannot be properly classified as any of the other occupancy groups, ex. underground or windowless buildings

Multiple Occupancies

occurs when two or more occupancies exist in a building or space either horizontally or vertically, are intermingled,

Mercantile

open to the public and used for the display, sale, or rental of merchandise, includes most stores and showrooms, and some large malls

Type 4

or mill construction, or heavy timber, composed of heavy timber structural members and wood floors, the char created during a fire results in a natural fire resistance to the structure, can be no concealed spaces

Fire Resistant

refers to construction materials, assemblies, and textiles that prevent or retard the passage of excessive heat, hot gasses, or flame

Occupancy Load for fixed seating

seats are considered fixed if they are not easily moved and/or if they are used on a relatively permanent basis, actual seats are counted

Party Wall

similar to fire wall in separation but located on a shared lot line between two parcels of land

Accessory Occupancies

sometimes 2 or more occupancies exist in a building, but one or more of them is much smaller than the main occupancy type

Type 1 and Type 2

strictest type, designated noncombustible materials, typically steel and concrete, main difference between two is required hourly ratings of structural elements

Protected

structural components must be enclosed or covered in materials that add to the fire resistance of the system, allows for a wide variety of construction systems and components

Count

the method of determining how many occupants can reside in an area with fixed seating

Accessory Space

the square footage of the space in relation to the entire unit is less than 10% of the overall

How to determine occupancy load

total sq. footage/gross for the area

18"

typical allowance of seating for each occupant

24"

typical seating variable for booth seating

Mixed Construction Types

unusual, but they do occur, ex. a medical office building adjacent to a hospital, or a factory connected to its business offices, each could be diff construction types allowed by the occupancy classification/building size

Factory or Industrial

used for assembling, disassembling, fabricating, finishing, manufacturing, packaging, processing, or repairing, certain type of product made, low or moderate hazard

Occupant Loads (OL)

used to determine how many people can safely use the space, sets the number of occupants for which adequate exiting must be provided from a space or building, ppl can evacuate safely and quickly

Occupant Load Primary Spaces&Secondary Spaces

when one or more smaller spaces exists into a larger or primary space before reaching final exit, codes require occupant load of the primary space include the occupant loads of the secondary spaces that exit through it

Mixed Occupancies

when two or more occupancies in a building or space are about the same size or do not meet the requirements to be considered an accessory use, it is this, IBC further divides into separate and non-separate

Occupant Load for More than One Occupancy

whenever there is more than one occupancy in the same space/building, additional calculations are typically required

Combustible

will ignite and continue to burn when the flame source is removed, wood, can be chemically treated to achieve some fire resistance