Occupancy rating

[JohnBoy1]

Has anyone out there come up on a situation where there is a building with mixed occupancy. I have one where the overall building is a "B" but within the same building there is also "M" and "A-3". The "A-3" is over 1000 load which requires voice-evac but the rest of the building would not require voice. My concern is there are areas that you could be hearing the voice message and the horns all at the same time. The city is using 2003 IFC. Also there is no one room in the four story building that has over 1000 occupancy, but combined comes to 1200. Any thoughts as to what might be required?

 

[stookeyfpe]

How are you getting a "B" occupancy and an "E" occupancy? E occupancies are limited to students in the 12th grade or younger. Is the B occupancy an accessory use to the E occupancy?

Regarding the voice communication system, IFC 907.2.1.1 contains an exception that would allow school officials to use the system for live announcements for 3 minutes after activation. This exception requires approval of the fire code official.

 

[stookeyfpe]

I just re-read your post again. You are aggregating the occupant loads to achieve the Group A-3 classification. That is an improper use of the International Building Code. Your occupancy classification is based on the occupant load of the room and its use.

What is the room with the largest occupant load and is that room separated from the remainder of the building by a 1-hour or greater fire barrier?

Please clarify the building use.

 

[JohnBoy1]

This is a strange building. It is a municipal complex that is also going to house the school district persional. It is a four story building. Like I said, the overall building is a "B" but for some of the city government areas they have called it "A-3". There are three main areas that are classified as "A-3". There is a court room that has an occupancy load of 96, an auditorium, that will be used mainly for city councle meetings, that has a load of 209, and the big one is a public corridor which they indicate a load of 856. Each room off of the corridor is seperated by a 1-hour fire wall.

 

[stookeyfpe]

First - you do not have an E occupancy based on the explanation. I would classify it as a Group B and A-3 occupancy.

Because the occupant load of each of your Group A occupancies is < 1,000 and because they are separated the emergency voice/communication system is not required by the IFC.

Is the building protected throughout by an automatic sprinkler system?

 

[JohnBoy1]

Yes it is sprinkled throughout. Look back at my original message. I never said anything about an "E" occupancy. I said it was "A-3", "M", and "B". You have confirmed what I thought all along, no voice e-vac needed. Thanks for your help, it is greatly appreciated!!!