As an example, the table lists 100 gross sf per occupant in a business occupancy. If you have a 1,000 sf office then you are designing for 10 occupants.  However, the 10 really functions as a minimum rather than a maximum. You must design adequate exiting and fixture count for 10 occupants.

If your space is actually designed for more occupants that's absolutely fine as long as you are following all of the code provisions for more occupants. In this example if your 1,000 sf is a call center with 25 people, then you need to make sure your exiting, plumbing, mechanical and so forth are designed to handle 25. You just have to make sure you don't exceed 1 person per 7 square feet, that's an absolute maximum and very tight quarters. I've never seen it, but the code official can ask you to show a diagram for your increased occupant load.

On the other end of the spectrum, you can actually design for less that the maximum occupant load, but only with approval of the building department, and I've never seen this happen.

The code section uses the phrase "design occupant load" and that is really a more accurate phrase.

Originally posted 2009-09-26 00:01:19.

Related posts:

1. Residential Occupancy Group as Defined in the International Building Code
2. Assembly Occupancy Groups as Defined in the International Building Code
3. Educational Occupancy Group as Defined in the International Building Code

This is a must see for architects, real estate agents, housing property managers, and owners of rental housing. In addition to the free lecture DORA provides stacks of detailed brochures and other materials you can take and hand out at your office to build awareness.

The material covered in this presentation includes an overview of the many levels of fair housing regulations, how they overlap and how to be sure you comply. Fair Housing regulations cover a broad range of classes and vary at the Federal, State and Local level.

Federal Law requires that one can not discriminate based on:

• Race
• Color
• Religion
• Sex
• Handicap (disabilities)
• Familial Status
• National Origin

Colorado State Law adds:

• Marital Status
• Creed
• Ancestry
• Sexual Orientation

Local Ordinances (City and County of Denver) add yet again:

• Age
• Military Status
• Gender Variance

Keeping in mind that fair housing covers many different protected classes the most common issue for architects is disability. Many of the discussions I have had with clients that must provide accessibility in their buildings revolve around the loss of square footage in a living room or bedroom due to more space required in bathrooms and kitchens. Of course, if these requirements are carried out within the building it could result in very costly alterations in the future in order to comply. During this lecture you are given clear ideas of how to communicate why these requirements are necessary.

Educating architects, real estate agents, developers and owners on this topic is one way to ensure we are preventing future noncompliance. This key for the DORA Civil Rights Division because currently the division is a reactionary or complaint-driven agency. Meaning, the division needs to improve its education and outreach to transform into a more preventative department.

The more we can educate our clients the more we can provide fair housing! The next FREE lecture is June 1st 9:30 am-11:30 am offered at 1560 Broadway, Conference Room 110 B (first floor), Denver. The following two lectures are offered September 7, 2010, 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. and November 2, 2010, 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. at the same location.

Another helpful organization to check out is Fair Housing Accessibility First. This site gives you a detailed look at design and construction requirements with regard to accessibility.

Originally posted 2010-04-13 00:01:57.

Related posts:

1. AIA Denver Housing Committee and the Housing Investment Fund Initiative
2. ANSI 117.1 Accessibility Standard Voluntary or Enforceable
3. SB 29

The International Residential Code section R613.2 Window Sills states:

In dwelling units, where the opening of an operable window is located more than 72 inches (1829 mm) above the finished grade or surface below, the lowest part of the clear opening of the window shall be a minimum of 24 inches (610 mm) above the finished floor of the room in which the window is located. Glazing between the floor and 24 inches (610 mm) shall be fixed or have openings through which a 4-inch-diameter (102 mm) sphere cannot pass.

Basically its saying if your opening is within 2' of the floor your window can't open more than 4". It means paying attention to the hardware ordered for low windows and making sure that egress window openings are at least 24" above the floor. You can still have fixed windows close to the floor or openings for ventilation only. Anything that needs to open for egress will need to be paired to another window for glazing below 2'.

Originally posted 2008-08-31 09:22:01.

No related posts.

When installing a drinking fountain in a renovation project, there may not always be a water source nearby.  A water cooler would be the more practical choice.  In a recent educational renovation, we specified an Elkay EZH20 Water Cooler which has a faster fill rate than a traditional drinking fountain, and is smaller in size than a traditional water cooler.  With the unit being in the center core of the building, a traditional drinking fountain would have only been able to provide water at room-temperature, since there is quite a distance to the nearest water source.

Although the Elkay EZH20 is a wall-mounted unit, we framed a small alcove for the water cooler to fit into in order to keep the required floor space clearance in the corridor.  We made sure to leave room on each side for the side pushbar use.  The client also chose to include the optional bottle filling station that attaches to the unit, in order to help minimize disposable plastic bottle waste.  The unit also has an innovative ticker that counts the number of 12 oz. bottles saved from landfills for refrigerated units.

Originally posted 2010-05-25 02:00:26.

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1. Accessible Drinking Fountain Guidelines ADA
2. Drinking Fountains – The Plumbing Fixture That May Be Overlooked
3. Primo Plant Based Water Bottles and Denver Recycles Options

A Solar Array at Fort Carson. Photo courtesy of USAEC.

This past week, I attended a conference titled NDIA E2S2 in Denver.  The acronym NDIA refers to National Defense Industrial Association, and the E2S2is an acronym for Environment, Energy Security & Sustainability.  It was a great conference full of fantastic information in terms of sustainability from a wide array of perspectives within the Department of Defense realm.  I was at the conference as a part of my personal contract with Fort Carson as a Sustainability Coordinator in.  This contract is outside the scope of what I do at EVstudio, however it does provide a good knowledge base of military practices for EVstudio's military work.

It was quite fascinating to learn what the military installations are doing across the United States in terms of sustainability at the conference.  Some installations have a high-tech approach to sustainability with state of the art equipment and others use a historical approach to sustainability in quality materials, durability and increased exterior insulation.  After attending the conference, I left pleased with what the Department of Defense (DoD) is doing and really leading as an example of sustainability across the country.  With the DoD leading the way with goals and mandates from the President on sustainability (including the most recent titled EO 13514), the hope is that others will follow suit.

As you may or may not know, all DoD new construction is now required to meet the standards of LEED Silver.  Some Departments have taken the executive orders further including the Department of Navy, which has the following goals for 2020:

• 50% Alternative Energy Use DON-wide
• 50% Alternative Energy and Net Zero on all Bases
• 50% Petroleum Reduction in non-tactical vehicles
• “Sail the Great Green Fleet (Tactical)”

Originally posted 2010-06-22 00:01:27.

Related posts:

1. Saving Places Conference: Historic Preservation & Sustainability
2. Fort Carson LEED Neighborhood Development Discussion
3. Sustainability Bike Tour in Colorado Springs: An Article from The Colorado Urbanist

Many of our school and performance space projects have a stage that is tall enough that the client will inevitably ask what we can do to access the space under the front of the stage for storage. That space can be used as long as the following items are addressed.

First, the code requirements in the International Building Code require that any space under a stage used for storage or any other purpose besides equipment, wiring or plumbing the floor assembly must be 1-hour fire rating which generally will mean two layers of fire rated gypsum board.

Second, remember that the structure holding up the stage has depth, so the space under your 36" high stage may only be 24-28" tall. Generally any stage under 3o" high won't have enough height to be useful.You also need a series of posts to hold up the stage and those need to be coordinated with the openings to the space.

Finally, you can practically only access what you can grab from the front. Having a space 20' deep and only 2' high is unlikely to be very useful. In most cases we end up designing a chamber between 4' and 10' deep. This chamber is built with the 1-hour lid and a 1-hour wall at the back and sides.

Originally posted 2010-04-19 00:01:54.

Related posts:

1. Fire Extinguisher Requirements During Construction
2. 2009 International Residential Code Fire Sprinkler Requirements
3. Fire Door Protection Ratings May Be Less Than the Rating For the Wall Assembly

What we needed to do was have the stage area properly classified as a "platform" rather than a "stage" which makes many of the requirements go away. The difference in the definition is that platforms cannot have "overhead hanging curtains, drops, scenery, or stage effects other than lighting and sound". By removing the main curtain we were able to get the building department to permit the renovation without the additional cost of the additional requirements.

Now, that being said, the purpose of having the stage area reclassified is to more clearly reflect the actual use of the space. I would not advise a client to reclassify it if they intended to use it for full scale productions with a high occupancy. In this case the school is using it for small audiences and small classes and doesn't have any plans for drops or anything that requires the additional code protections.

The interesting battle for another day is about any future curtain. The section about the automatic sprinkler system clarifies that sprinklers are not required on stages where curtains, scenery or other combustible hangings are not retractable vertically. The Denver building department was fine with this section allowing a traveler curtain but the Fire department references the International Fire Code which does not have exactly the same provisions.

Originally posted 2010-07-11 17:18:09.

Related posts:

1. Storage Under the Stage – Code Requirements
2. Construction Types V-A and V-B in the International Building Code
3. Change of Occupancy in the International Building Code

Pros:

• It can go faster because it moves the design time for MEP into the construction phase.
• There may be cost savings on the engineering fees when they are bundled with the install
• The contractor will attempt to pick their most cost effective solution

Cons:

• The biggest con is that contractors are pricing a guess and the bids are not easily comparable
• You may be getting a price for the cheapest system rather than the right system
• If the systems require changes to the architecture you'll face additional services
• Some jurisdictions will not allow it

I think that both delivery methods have their place, you just need to make sure that you're picking a delivery method that is in line with your priorities.

Originally posted 2009-11-14 00:01:08.

Related posts:

1. The Design-Build Project Delivery Process – Architect Led
2. Potential Difficulties of the Design Bid Build Project Delivery Process
3. When Should You Contact an Architect? What Phases of Your Project Can an Architect Help With?

The primary deciding factor that separates platforms from stages, is that stages have overhead hanging curtains, drops, scenery or stage effects. Overhead lights and sound equipment don't count.

This is only a small part of the code for platforms, stages and assembly spaces but a very important piece.

Related posts:

1. When is a Stage a Platform in the International Building Code?
2. Storage Under the Stage – Code Requirements
3. Cafeteria & Stage at Denver Montclair International School

We recently completed the design of a lecture hall for the Christian House of Prayer in Killeen, Texas. The lecture hall complements their existing facilities and provides an opportunity for collegiate style lectures on their campus. We have also completed design for a neighboring retail center.

Related posts:

1. Retail Buildings on Clear Creek Road in Killeen Texas
2. 64 Acre Master Planning Church Project Underway
3. Our EVstudio Texas Office is Now Open and Providing Architecture and Planning Services in Central Texas