![]() Occupied roofs are required to meet the provisions for accessibility and means of egress, including accessible means of egress (Sections 1004.7, 1009.1). The language does say “element or structures enclosing the occupied roof,” so growing plants, such as illustrated in the lead photo, would not be considered. ![]() Even higher guards, such as those shown in Figure 1, would make this occupied roof another story. If the occupied roof had other items, such as toilet rooms, storage rooms, cabanas or shade trellises, this would become an additional story to the building. Code change G136–18 now clarifies that penthouses will include stairways and elevators (with their associated lobbies) that are used to provide access to and from the occupied roof. Items that can exceed that height are mechanical penthouses (Section 1510.2), towers, domes, spires and cupulas (Section 1510.5). Figure 1: Rooftop deck with high glass guards.Ī significant warning is that most items on the roof are limited to a maximum of 48 inches in height (Section 503.1.4.1). What has not yet been clarified is if an occupied roof is considered an occupied floor when determining if the building does or does not have to meet the high-rise provisions in the code (definition of “high-rise building,” Section 403). The roof would have to have audible and visible alarms to let people on the roof know if there is a fire in the building. In our example, using this exception the four-story apartment building with a rooftop lounge could be Type 3B construction even though Group A-3 is limited to three stories. There is an exception to this limitation if the building is fully sprinklered and there is an occupant notification system throughout the building and on the roof (503.1.4 Exception 1). ![]() For example, a four-story apartment building, Type 3A construction can have a rooftop lounge area because Group A-3 and Group R-2 are permitted four stories in the table for number of stories (Table 504.4). What this means is that you can have an assembly space on the roof if an assembly space is permitted on the floor below. It is important to note that the occupied roof does not count towards the building height or area (Section 503.1.4). So, for purposes of this discussion we will talk about assembly spaces on the roof, and how this can affect your building design, including provisions for accessibility and accessible means of egress. When I think of an occupied roof, I typically think about rooftop lounges, restaurants or swimming pools. An occupied roof should be classified as the group it most closely resembles (Section 302.1). The 2018 International Building Code (IBC) has greatly expanded its coverage of occupied roofs. More and more occupied roofs are also a place designers provide amenities for building occupants or is open to the general public - such as dining or drinking al fresco, or swimming or lounging in the sun with rooftop pools and decks. With the expansion of solar power and green roofs, this can be an important part of energy considerations. What can be on the roof of your building has literally gone through the roof - pun intended.
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