BCAB #1467 - Horizontal Exit, Article 3.4.6.9.

July 15, 1998

BCAB # 1467

Re: Horizontal Exit, Article 3.4.6.9.

Project Description

The project in question is a new residential condominium. Phase I and Phase II are separated by a firewall. One exit from Phase II is through the firewall into Phase I. This horizontal exit leads from the public corridor in Phase II to the entry lobby/common room of Phase I.

Reason for Appeal

A horizontal exit is defined as "an exit from one building to another by means of a doorway, " Article regulates the design of horizontal exits by specifying the amount of room needed on each side to accommodate occupants from both buildings as well as the design of facilities such as vestibules, ramps and doors.

Appellant's Position

The appellant contends that it is acceptable to discharge the occupants of Phase II from a public corridor into the entry lobby/common room of Phase I without requiring a "protected" passage to the exterior such as a public corridor, exit corridor or exit lobby. There is adequate room in the entry lobby/common room to accommodate the Phase II occupants and access to exits leading to the exterior is available.

Building Official's Position

The building official maintains that where a public corridor leads to a horizontal exit that exit must discharge into a similar "public" access to exit facility, not a "non-public" suite. The official does not believe that the code permits the public to exit into a suite that does not comply with the requirements of a public corridor or exit lobby. The building official agrees that the design conforms to Article 3.4.6.9.

Appeal Board Decision #1467

It is the determination of the Board that the design in question complies with requirements of the code for horizontal exits.

George R. Humphrey, Chair