3.4.4.3. Exterior Passageway Exceptions

Articles need to know!!! hashtag#Exitseparation 3.4.4.3. Exterior Passageway Exceptions 1) The requirements of Sentence 3.4.4.1.(1) (Fire resistance rating of Exit Separation) and 3.2.3.13. (1) and (3) (Protection of Exit Facilities) don't apply to an exterior exit passageway provided a) not less than 50% of the exterior side is open to the outdoors, and b) an exit stair is provided at each end of the passageway

Articles need to know!!! #exitwidth

Articles need to know!!! #exitwidth

3.4.3.3. Exit Width Reduction

1) Except as permitted by Sentence (2) and (4), no fixture, turnstile or construction shall project into or be fixed within the required width of an exit.

2) Swinging doors in their swing shall not reduce the required width of exit stairs or landings to less than 750mm or reduce the width of an exit passageway to less than the minimum required width.

3) Doors shall be installed so that, when open, they do not diminish nor obstruct the required width of the exit.

4) Handrails and construction below handrails, including handrail supports and stair stringers, shall not project more than 100mm into the required width of a means of egress.

Articles need to know!!! hashtag#interconnectedfloorspace

Articles need to know!!! hashtag#interconnectedfloorspace 3.2.8.2. Exceptions to Special Protection 6) An interconnected floor space need not conform to the requirements of Article 3.2.8.3. to 3.2.8.8., provided a) it consists of the first storey and the storey next above or below it, but not both, b) it is sprinklered throughout or, where the building area is not more than one half of the area permitted by Subsection 3.2.2., the openings through the floor are used only for stairways, escalators or moving walks, and c) It contains only Group A, Division 1, 2 or 3, Group D, Group E, or Group F, Division 2 or 3 major occupancies. There is an important change in this article from the old code. That is: the interconnected floor space is permitted without special protection as long as the building is sprinlered.

Articles need to know!!! #spatialseparation

Articles need to know!!! #spatialseparation

9.10.15. Spatial Separation Between Houses

9.10.15.1. Application

1) This Subsection applies to 

a) buildings that contain only dwelling units and have no dwelling unit above another dwelling unit, and

b) houses with a secondary suite including their common spaces.

2) This Subsection does not apply to hotels or motels.

Article need to know!!! # firewall

Article need to know!!! # firewall 3.1.10.6. Exposure Protection for Adjacent Walls 1) The requirements of Article 3.2.3.14. Shall apply to the external walls of 2 buildings that meet at a firewall at an angle less than 135 degree. This article tells you how to stop a firewall when the building face of two buildings forming a corner.

Article need to know!!!

Article need to know!!! #buildingcode

3.1.3.2. Prohibition of Occupancy Combinations

3) A building conforming to Article 3.2.2.50. shall not contain

a) except as provided in Sentence (5), a Group A, Division 1 or 3, Group B, or Group F, Division 2 or 3 major occupancy, or

b) a Group A, Division 2 or Group E major occupancy above the second storey.

4) A building conforming to Article 3.2.2.2.58. shall not contain

a) a Group A, Division 1 or 3,  or Group B, or group F, Division 1 major occupancy, or

b) except as provided in Sentence (5), a Group A, Division 2, Group E, or Group F, Division 2 or 3 major occupancy above the second storey.

5) A building conforming to Article 3.2.2.50. or 3.2.2.58. is permitted to contain a storage garage below the forth storey.

Article need to know!!!

Article need to know!!!

3.2.2.16 Heavy Timber Roof Permitted

1) Unless other wise permitted by Articles 3.2.2.20. to 3.2.2.90., a roof assembly in a building up to 2 storeys in building height is permitted to be heavy timber construction regardless of building area or type of construction required, provided the building is sprinklered throughout.

2) If Sentence (1) permits a roof assembly to be of heavy timber construction, structural members in the storey immediately below the roof assembly are permitted to be of heavy timber construction.

This Article allows one or two storeys sprinklered building to have heavy timber roof. The structure members immediately  below the roof assembly can be heavy timber construction. Please be careful for that it doesn't say  the floor below the roof can be heavy timber construction and it doesn't say non-structure members can be combustible.

How did you find a designer for your tenant space alteration? Had you been considering hiring a code expert to help you saving time and money?

I was a professional plans examiner in the City of Calgary. I reviewed thousands of projects in the past 12 years. I found one fact that more than 50% of the building permit plans have to be on hold after the preliminary review. Some of them are on hold for more than one year to get approved. The main reason for this kind of delay is that the designers have difficulties to understand the  building code requirements. Unfortunately, as  business or building owners, they don't have any idea of which designer is the best for their job. Their might pick one from the yellow pages randomly or be attracted by one with fancy website. It is really hard to avoid a disastrous  result.

Another fact I found is that up to 80% of projects, including interior renovations, additions and new buildings have the space to save at least 20% of the construction cost. Thinking about an unnecessary fire separation, the cost can be saved is more than 50% of that wall.   If you can use wood studs instead of steel studs for your partitions, you can save more than 40% of the studs cost.

One example I have reviewed recently is a six storey new building. It was designed as a noncombustible building. I found if we could make the grade 600mm higher, the whole building can be built as combustible building. The cost saving is more than a million.

One of the extreme projects I found is a primary school building. The Building area is more than 3000sqm. The cost of the building is more than 30 million. It should be built as noncombustible building as per the building code, but it is actually built with combustible materials. What a danger to the school kids and what a waste of the money!

I hope this question is helpful when you plan to hire a designer for your next project. No matter which designer you are going to use, it will be beneficial to have a code expert to back you up.  

3.2.1.8 Height of Combustible Residential Buildings

Do you know this Article?

3.2.1.8 Height of Combustible Residential Buildings

1) Except for building that is constructed in accordance with Article 3.2.2.50., a building of combustible construction that contains a residential occupancy shall have no occupied floor level more than 11m above the lowest exit level.

Important defined terms for building classifications

Important defined terms for building classifications: A. First storey -- The uppermost storey having its floor level not more than 2m above grade. B. Grade -- The lowest of the average levels of finished ground adjoining each exterior wall of a building, except that localized depressions need not be considered in the determination of average levels of finished ground. C. Building height (in storeys) -- The number of storeys contained between the roof and the floor of the first storey. D. Building area -- The greatest horizontal area of a building above grade within the outside surface of exterior walls or within the outside surface of exterior walls and the centre line of firewalls.