# Door swing direction



## Robert (Oct 9, 2017)

I have an existing Assembly space with OL greater than 49. The 2 exits from that space swing in the direction of egress into 2 opposite corridors. Am I correct in the resulting OL in each corridor is 1/2 of the Assembly OL? And if so, the resulting OL in each corridor would be less than 50, then do the corridor doors still need to swing in the direction of egress? The client wants to add a door in the existing corridor, and client would prefer it to swing opposite of egress travel because of some existing layout issues. Thank you.


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## cda (Oct 9, 2017)

No 

Unless you can get half the people to go to one door

And the other half to the other door


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## TheCommish (Oct 9, 2017)

once you reach  more than 49 all the doors in the exit route have to swing in the direction of travel


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## fatboy (Oct 9, 2017)

Agree with the posts, has to stay in the direction of travel........


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## Robert (Oct 10, 2017)

Thanks!


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## Robert (Oct 12, 2017)

I'm revisiting this (with posted image). Do these two new doors in the corridor need to swing toward egress (as drawn) and do they need panic hardware? It seems that all 54 occupants from the assembly area would exit through either of the two exterior exits (rather than down the corridor). The occupants in the corridor would come from the offices and only account for an OL of 16 or so. What do you think?


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## cda (Oct 12, 2017)

I would tell you yes


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## TheCommish (Oct 12, 2017)

do the corridor doors have latching  hardware? Do the door need to be there  and for what reason?


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## Robert (Oct 12, 2017)

Doors are requested by the owner for privacy reasons between certain offices and public/private separation at the entry. I can't see a scenario where the 54 occupants would ever backtrack down this corridor after exiting the assembly space (pretty much running past the exit), but if they are required by code to handle that load then I will certainly oblige.


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## cda (Oct 12, 2017)

Robert said:


> Doors are requested by the owner for privacy reasons between certain offices and public/private separation at the entry. I can't see a scenario where the 54 occupants would ever backtrack down this corridor after exiting the assembly space (pretty much running past the exit), but if they are required by code to handle that load then I will certainly oblige.




Without measurements on the plan, I would say still yes that panic hardware is required.

You are not creating dead end corridor issue are you??


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## Robert (Oct 12, 2017)

O.K...thanks. Drawing is not to scale but we have about 26' (left to right) before the first door location, then another 25' to the next door. If we don't provide a latch or lock, I believe the doors will not need panic hardware. I'm waiting on owner input of their desire for locks. Doors still need to be fire rated though.


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## cda (Oct 12, 2017)

Robert said:


> O.K...thanks. Drawing is not to scale but we have about 26' (left to right) before the first door location, then another 25' to the next door. If we don't provide a latch or lock, I believe the doors will not need panic hardware. I'm waiting on owner input of their desire for locks. Doors still need to be fire rated though.





Doors still need to be fire rated though.


¿Que?


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## Robert (Oct 12, 2017)

Bldg. is 1 hour construction throughout, so corridor doors need to be 20 minute if I remember right.


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## cda (Oct 12, 2017)

Robert said:


> Bldg. is 1 hour construction throughout, so corridor doors need to be 20 minute if I remember right.




No do not have to be rated, in your drawing


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## Msradell (Oct 12, 2017)

Looking at your sketch, the right hand door in that corridor obviously has to swing outward towards the exit. The one in the middle of that hallway is questionable as to which way it should swing. I could make an argument for either direction of swing.


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## Robert (Oct 12, 2017)

Thanks. cda, building is type 5A (I did not sketch the whole plan which includes a second story).. According to table 716.5 (CBC) corridor fire partition, doors need to be 20 minute....unless I'm missing an exception somewhere? Regardless of how I swing the middle, I'm hearing that I need panic hardware to exit the 54 occupants from the assembly space, even though it does not seem to be a direct exit.


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## cda (Oct 13, 2017)

Robert said:


> Thanks. cda, building is type 5A (I did not sketch the whole plan which includes a second story).. According to table 716.5 (CBC) corridor fire partition, doors need to be 20 minute....unless I'm missing an exception somewhere? Regardless of how I swing the middle, I'm hearing that I need panic hardware to exit the 54 occupants from the assembly space, even though it does not seem to be a direct exit.




The doors across the corridor are not part of a rated wall


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## Robert (Oct 13, 2017)

Thanks CDA...that's new information to me.


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## cda (Oct 13, 2017)

Robert said:


> Thanks CDA...that's new information to me.




Sometimes doors across a corridor are part of a rated wall,,

But in your case more than likely not.

Just confirm that


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## Francis Vineyard (Oct 14, 2017)

*CORRIDOR.* An enclosed _exit access_ component that defines and provides a path of egress travel.

"The determination as to when a corridor exist is essentially left to the building official.

To provide for a greater degree of consistency some jurisdictions have established a set of guidelines that expand on the definition having four (4) common characteristics as regulated in the code.
1. A space formed by enclosing walls over 6 ft. in height.
2. Has a length to width greater than 3 to 1.
3. It's primary function is for the movement of occupants in the means of egress system, and
4. It has a length greater than permitted for a dead-end condition."
Ref. 2015 INC Handbook

The code requires _panic hardware_ or _fire exit hardware _for doors serving an _occupant load _of 50 or more in a Group A or E.

Corridor (fire) doors shall be self- or automatic-closing. However the doors that serve Group B occupancy are permitted to have a lever lock set.


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## Robert (Oct 14, 2017)

Thanks Francis...the 4 attributes of a corridor you listed are helpful. I would consider this a corridor. It is flanked by B occupancy, however the Assembly space just around the corner is an A occupancy greater than 50, so It appears I need to design the doors to accommodate and exit all of the occupants (A and B).


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## Robert (Oct 19, 2017)

I am getting conflicting information about some input here about the OL distribution among exits from a space. All of the resources I am reading are telling me the OL is distributed EQUALLY among exits. Per my original question, this means the 54 occupants in the assembly space are divided in half when sizing the two egress doors and corridors (for simplicity here I'm ignoring the office spaces).  So my question now is, if the assembly space needed panic hardware because OL was greater than 50...do ALL of the doors on the MOE require panic hardware (even though the OL is now less than 50 in the corridors)? Thank you.


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## Francis Vineyard (Oct 19, 2017)

These are two separate provisions; 1. panic hardware that serve the assembly area and 2. MOE width.

1. All means of egress doors serving the Group A shall not be provided with a latch or lock other than panic or fire exit hardware.

2. Where there's more than one exit the means of egress capacity i.e size or width must be designed for at least 50 percent of two exits.


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## cda (Oct 19, 2017)

Well if you can get the people in the room to agree to divide up and half go thorough one door and the other half go through the other door

I will agree

Till one door is blocked and all the people have to go through the same exit

Will have to see how it reads about 50% through main exit. Might only apply to main building exit,,,,,,
never mind that is when there are 300 or more ol


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## JBI (Oct 19, 2017)

Where 2 or more means of egress are provided, the loss of one shall not result in the loss of more than 50% of capacity is only part of the equation...
The reason I would say that door swing in the direction of egress travel must be maintained is that when one of the 2 available (in this case) becomes compromised, this would result in the entire group of occupants being forced to use the only remaining path of travel. 
What a particular applicant 'wants' is often not consistent with the requirements of the Code.


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## Robert (Oct 19, 2017)

Francis, JBI...yes, I understand the Assembly space needs panic hardware and got the swing direction. My puzzle here is the resulting OL in the corridors which are each now less than 50 (27 each from the assembly space...I'm ignoring the offices now just for simplicity). That said, do the corridor doors need panic hardware since the resulting OL is less than 50....or is there a requirement that once panic hardware is required ANYWHERE in a building, that the MOE must require panic all the way to the exits?


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## cda (Oct 19, 2017)

Robert said:


> Francis, JBI...yes, I understand the Assembly space needs panic hardware and got the swing direction. My puzzle here is the resulting OL in the corridors which are each now less than 50 (27 each from the assembly space...I'm ignoring the offices now just for simplicity). That said, do the corridor doors need panic hardware since the resulting OL is less than 50....or is there a requirement that once panic hardware is required ANYWHERE in a building, that the MOE must require panic all the way to the exits?





I would say yes, because of the room requirement for panic hardware. That has to continue in the means of egress.

The exiting is serving an area or room with assembly


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## JBI (Oct 19, 2017)

Robert, from my prior post... "The reason I would say that door swing in the direction of egress travel must be maintained is that when one of the 2 available (in this case) becomes compromised, this would result in the entire group of occupants being forced to use the only remaining path of travel."
Same logic applies to the operating hardware.


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## Francis Vineyard (Oct 19, 2017)

Robert, in reference to post #23, condition No. 1; where an assembly space require two exits all means of egress doors to the exit discharge that serves the assembly shall have panic hardware regardless of the occupant load.


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## Robert (Oct 19, 2017)

Thank you, panic hardware for the new doors!


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