Risk Category - High School Career Tech, Small Schools

[CBSE]

What risk category should these be?

Career Tech Building - Pre-Engineered Metal Buildling. This is a building that will be used for learning welding and other trades. Total building footprint is 8,000 sqft. It will have less than 50 kids at a time. Technically it is a school, but does not meet the 250 occupant limit of the codes.

Small Schools - What should the risk category be for schools that house less than the 250 limit stated in the code? I have always defaulted to Risk Category III regardless of size.

I'm being challenged with my methodology and am sticking to my guns at this point, but if the code indirectly eludes to a Risk Category II, then that would be good to know.

 

[sandman21]

CBC/IBC table 1604.5, if you are not listed in I,III or IV, you are II. Unless the owner requires an higher risk category.

 

[mike20793]

I use II if it's under 250.

 

[DETstru]

The ASCE risk categories are defined based on "lives at risk." They have purposely removed direct examples of what types of buildings belong in each category (i.e. warehouse, home, office, hospital, etc.) because they want you to make the determination based on how many lives are at risk given a structural failure.

If you read the chapter 1 commentary in ASCE 7-10, the methodology is explained and there is also a graph that shows the "Number of Persons at Risk" with relation to the risk category. Both the examples you mention should be RC II.

 

[CBSE]

Okay, good information. I always got hung up by the last sentence of "Including but not limited to..."

Category II certainly reduces loading!

Thanks