BCAB #1031 - Theatre Stage Floor, Clause 3.1.4.5.(3)(d)

November 1, 1988

BCAB #1031

Re: Theatre Stage Floor, Clause 3.1.4.5.(3)(d)

With reference to your letter of September 13, 1988 regarding a stage in noncombustible construction. We have dealt only with the specific Code requirements for this situation, not with any possible compromise as suggested, between yourselves and the municipality.

Clause 3.1.4.5.(3)(d) of the Code is very specific in accepting combustible stage flooring, and as the complete Sentence deals with finishing materials, we must conclude that it intends only the actual floor finish. We take this to mean the normal combination of subfloor, underlay and surface covering. It further requires that the supporting structural members be noncombustible, which is reinforced in Sentence 3.3.2.14.(1). Under the circumstances we consider that joists supporting a stage floor must be noncombustible, except for the provisions of Clause 3.1.4.5.(2)(a), which permits combustible furring strips up to 38 mm by 38 mm. These would either be attached directly to, or set into, noncombustible backing; we regard the requirement as permitting only a single layer of furring strips.

The design submitted contravenes the Code, in that it includes two layers of furring, each oversize. The condition is further aggravated by the fact that each layer is at right angles, good for ventilation, but bad for fire safety.

J.C. Currie, Chair