Jonathan Ochshorn
Room 121-B, Rand Hall
Department of Architecture
Cornell University
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ARCH 262: Building Technology, Materials & Methods
Assign #5: Fire protection/ building code exercise
assigned: Nov. 26, 2001
due: Dec. 3, 2001

1.Assume that you are designing an elementary school with a total floor area of 34,000 square feet, sited on a 5-acre plot with at least 60 feet of separation on all 4 sides of the building.

Check whether the school can be built as a 2-story unprotected wood-frame structure:

  • What is the occupancy group? ________

  • What is the construction type?________

  • Are sprinklers required?_________

  • What is the basic allowable floor area?____________

  • What is the allowable floor area considering all "bonuses?" Show calculations [for example: 5,000 (basic) x 2 (multi-story) x 1.5 (separation on 3 sides) x 2 (sprinklers) = 30,000 sq. ft.]:

    _________________________________________________________________

  • Can school be built as proposed?___________

  • Can school be built as proposed, except as a 3-story structure?__________

  • Can school be built as proposed without sprinklers?__________

  • Can school be built as a 1-story structure without sprinklers using Type V One-hour construction? Show calculations for allowable floor area:

    _________________________________________________________________

  • If the school is built of Type II Fire-resistive construction, what are the fire-resistive requirements in hours -- the "fire rating" -- for the following:

    • structural frame____________

    • floor-ceiling assembly____________

    • shaft walls_____________

  • If the school is built as a 3-story building on an urban site with separation on the street facade only, what construction types are possible? (Circle the possible choices.)

    I FR II FR III One-hour IV V One-hour
    - II One-hour III N - V N
    - II N - - -

  • If the school is built as a 3-story building on an urban site with separation on the street facade only, what construction types are possible without sprinklers? (Circle the possible choices.)

    I FR II FR III One-hour IV V One-hour
    - II One-hour III N - V N
    - II N - - -

2. Where public ways or yards wider than 20 feet are present, the allowable floor area may be multiplied by the factor, X, defined in the handout from 11/21/01 (also posted on the web at http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/arch262/fireCode.html). Find X for the building site shown below; be sure to check separation on 2 sides and 3 sides for largest number:__________

last updated: 26 Nov. 2001 | "fireCode" link updated 21 April 2006

Copyright 2001 J. Ochshorn. All rights reserved. Republishing material on this web site, whether in print or on another web site, in whole or in part, is not permitted without advance permission of the author.