1401 MERRILL CREEK PKY SITE DEVELOPMENT 2022-02-23

ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION DATE: July 25, 2005 LOCATION: Merrill Creek Apartments 1401 Merrill Creek Parkway B0505-031 through 048 SUBJECT: Exterior Exit Stairway Construction ACTION: Submitted Design Acceptable With Conditions As Set Forth Below FINDINGS: • The buildings utilize a standard egress condition for multi-family residential structures where two remote exit stairs are connected by an interior corridor. The condition is permitted under Exception 4 to Section 1022.6 if the corridors are open-ended with no separation to complying exterior exit stairways. The proposed design separates the exterior exit stairways with a partition and doors—primarily as a response to climatic conditions. • The Commentary to the 2003 IBC reasons that the open-ended corridor requirements of Exception 4 is to allow for the free-venting through the exit stairways from the corridors to minimize the build-up of smoke and toxic gasses. The prescriptive approach could, however, expose both exterior exit stairways to the products of combustion and render both untenable. The submitted design could provide an equivalent or better solution than free venting through compartmentalization. Properly enclosed, the corridors could contain smoke and inhibit the spread of fire, while protecting both stair enclosures. • The design is found acceptable as an alternative design per Section 104.11 with the following conditions: o The walls separating the stair enclosures from the remainder of the building (corridor and dwelling units)must be of one-hour fire resistive construction. o The doors leading into the stair enclosures from the corridors must be minimum 60-minute rated assemblies. o The buildings, corridors and exterior stairways are fully sprinklered. o The corridors are constructed to the fire-resistive requirements of Section 1016. f`� Buildin fficial