# Small mezzanine in even smaller room in a small building.



## Rick18071 (Nov 3, 2017)

2009 IBC. Barn being converted to club house for gulf course with restaurant (A2)and pro shop (M). 5B construction 2050 sq ft., no sprinklers, all one fire area so A2 use with a mezzanine. Sprinklers are required if 5,000 sq. ft. or 2 floors. Pro shop has a door between it and the restaurant. Mezzanine has a open office and storage area in it. The restaurant and pro shop is separated by bathrooms and a connecting door that are under the mezzanine. . The 440 sq. ft. mezzanine is only open to the 388 sq. ft. pro shop (not the 1,500 sq. ft. restaurant) and is over the restrooms, connecting door and the kitchen which are the only rooms with a ceiling. All other rooms are open to the roof. 

IBC 505.2 says the mezzanine.can only be 1/3 the size of the floor area of the room or space it serves. The mezzanine is larger than the room or space it serves (pro shop) which would make it a 2nd. floor by definition.

Trying to find away around this 2nd floor or mezzanine problem so they don't need sprinklers.

They want a lockable door between the pro shop and the restaurant when the pro shop is closed, but if the door wasn't there then they would have a 1,940 sq. ft. space (pro shop and restaurant) that the mezzanine serves.

What if they put in a lockable gate instead of the door between the pro shop and restaurant. Would the mezzanine then be serving the pro shop and the restaurant?

Or if they put in a window between the mezzanine and the restaurant would the mezzanine be also serving the restaurant. 

Then the mezzanine would be less than 1/3 of the room or space it serves?

Could this window close? Would the mezzanine.still be serving the restaurant if the window is closed?
Can a mezzanine serve 2 rooms or spaces?


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## steveray (Nov 3, 2017)

I don't think the mezzanine needs to be "open" <10 OL?.......


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## RLGA (Nov 3, 2017)

steveray said:


> I don't think the mezzanine needs to be "open" <10 OL?.......


Steveray is correct (Section 505.4, Exception 1). 

However, what is the occupant load of the building? If more than 100, then a sprinkler is required regardless of the mezzanine situation.


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## steveray (Nov 3, 2017)

We are still holding 300 OL for restaurants or A2's that are not "clubs" to some extent....For some strange reason


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## Francis Vineyard (Nov 3, 2017)

I believe in accordance with the existing building code provided the "Pro-Shop" is classified as Group B (not M), can separate the restaurant with fire barriers to avoid the sprinkler system.

Or in accordance with 912.2.1 and 912.2.2 only requires the fire protection systems be installed in the restaurant area. Separation from non-sprinklered areas of other occupancy classicfications is not required IMO.


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## Rick18071 (Nov 3, 2017)

Occupant load is only 53 for the whole building.

If the mezzanine is not open to a room how do you know what room it is serving? This mezzanine is only open to the pro shop with a stairway to the pro shop. How could I say it's serving the restaurant?

Can they say they are doing book work for the restaurant in the mezzanine office so that means the mezzanine is serving the restaurant?

How about they put a water heater in the mezzanine for the restaurant kitchen. Does this means the mezzanine is serving the restaurant?


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## RLGA (Nov 3, 2017)

Rick18071 said:


> If the mezzanine is not open to a room how do you know what room it is serving? This mezzanine is only open to the pro shop with a stairway to the pro shop. How could I say it's serving the restaurant?


Actually, the words used in the IBC are "...shall not exceed one-third of the floor area *of that room or space in which they are located*." It doesn't need to "serve" the space, just be located adjacent to it.


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## Francis Vineyard (Nov 3, 2017)




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## Pcinspector1 (Nov 3, 2017)

steveray said:


> We are still holding 300 OL for restaurants or A2's that are not "clubs" to some extent....For some strange reason



Are ya using an old code like the 2003 or did you amend your code?


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## Rick18071 (Nov 4, 2017)

Odd.  I have two 2009 IBC's. One says room or space it is serving and the other says room or space that it is in. Not sure which one is right.  

On the left drawing above if the mezzanine was enclosed which room would would it be in? The one underneath or the one next to it?

My building is like the left drawing but with the building continuing to right with the restaurant. The pro shop would be on the left. There are bathrooms under the mezzanine and a hallway connected to the restaurant with a door that goes into the pro shop. But this mezzanine is larger than the pro shop. 

What would needed to be done to make the mezzanine be in the restaurant and the pro shop so the mezzanine is not a 2nd floor and sprinklers would not be required?


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## Francis Vineyard (Nov 4, 2017)

The areas that atmospherically communicates with the mezzanine is included.

There are options of using features to either expand the floor area below with cubicles instead of (enlosed) rooms, provide observation opening in the floor of the mezzanine over the restaurant, or reduce the mezzanine; lower a portion of the ceiling to less than 7 ft. above or below  the mezzanine, etc.


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## Francis Vineyard (Nov 4, 2017)

Pcinspector1 said:


> Are ya using an old code like the 2003 or did you amend your code?


Virginia also kept the 299 max. for restaurants but added 99 max. for night clubs without fire sprinklers.


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## Rick18071 (Nov 4, 2017)

Francis, would you accept a window through the wall to make the mezzanine part of the restaurant room or space?

What would be the minimum size of window?


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## Rick18071 (Nov 4, 2017)

So your saying a mezzanine Cannot be enclosed?


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## Francis Vineyard (Nov 4, 2017)

Rick18071 said:


> Francis, would you accept a window through the wall to make the mezzanine part of the restaurant room or space?
> 
> What would be the minimum size of window?


No, it needs to be (atmospherically) open and unobstructed as similarly using cubicles to avoid creating a corridor.


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## Rick18071 (Nov 6, 2017)

Francis Vineyard said:


> No, it needs to be (atmospherically) open and unobstructed as similarly using cubicles to avoid creating a corridor.



Francis, where do you get this information? Not in my code book.

Why wouldn't an open window make it atmospherically open?


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## Rick18071 (Nov 6, 2017)

Ok I found it in 505.4 where there an exception for this mezzanine:

1. Mezzanines or portions thereof are not required to be open to the room in which the mezzanine is located, provided that the occupant load of the aggregate area is of the enclosed space does not exceed 10.

The occupant load of this mezzanine will only be 1. But the mezzanine is not is not enclosed. It is open to the pro shop which is too small.
Would this exception let me say this mezzanine is part of the restaurant?


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## Francis Vineyard (Nov 7, 2017)

Rick, you are correct "atmospherically open" is not in the code but used in commentary to explain the opposite of enclosed to allow occupants visibility and odor detection to help in avoiding areas during evacuations


Rick18071 said:


> Occupant load is only 53 for the whole building.
> 
> If the mezzanine is not open to a room how do you know what room it is serving? This mezzanine is only open to the pro shop with a stairway to the pro shop. How could I say it's serving the restaurant?
> 
> ...



Could the restaurant be limited to 49?
*
303.1.1 Small buildings and tenant spaces*. A building or
tenant space used for assembly purposes with an occupant
load of less than 50 persons shall be classified as a Group
B occupancy.


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## JBI (Nov 7, 2017)

Non-separated mixed use building. A-2/M/B. The A-2 portion would drive the fire protection requirements (most restrictive). Were the A-2 itself located on other than the level of exit discharge there might be a discussion regarding sprinklers, but since the A-2 is at grade and the B is in the mezzanine (or 2nd story if you view it as such) there is no requirement for sprinklers IMHO. 
The Code is a minimum standard, but should not be used to complicate a simple project.


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## Rick18071 (Nov 7, 2017)

I'll tell them to use 505.4 exception 1 enclose the mezzanine then they can say it's part of the restaurant instead of the pro shop then the mezzanine will be less than 1/3 of the  restaurant.

I have no idea why enclosing the mezzanine would be safer than letting the mezzanine stay open to the pro shop, but it works per code.


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## steveray (Nov 8, 2017)

Minimum standard or code as the case might be....Good call!


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