Appeal 33714

1010.2.5

1. Per the administrative building code appeal #553862, item #13 dated 07/26/1995, one of the main entry doors is to be provided with panic hardware.
2. Per 1010.2.5 locks and latches shall be permitted in the main entry doors in buildings in occupancy Group A, if the building has an occupant load of 300 or less.

To allow the removal of the existing panic hardware and the use of key-operated locks with a visual indicator to prevent egress use through the front entry doors after operating hours.

Original 1995 Appeal Text:
To allow the removal of the existing panic hardware and the use of key-operated locks with a visual indicator to prevent egress use through the front entry doors after operating hours.
Reconsideration Text:
See attached Sheets G101A, G101B. The following design changes are proposed to address issues with the existing hardware for the Main Entry door while providing sufficient egress requirements and retaining the character-defining-features of the historic building:

1. Remove existing panic hardware at one set of wood doors and the existing key-operated deadbolts at the other two sets of doors. Provide matching key-operated deadbolts with locked/open indicator at all three sets of doors.
2. Provide key-operated latches at all three sets of historic iron security gates that allow them to be locked in the open-position during operating hours and locked in the closed position during non-operating hours.
3. Provide signage that indicates the historic iron security gates are to remain locked in the open position during operating hours.
4. Provide signage that indicates the wood doors are to remain unlatched during operating hours.

Original 1995 Appeal Text:
The project is a voluntary upgrade of the facility. Appropriate emergency exiting is being provided directly from the Large Meeting Room as required by the UBC. Installing panic hardware on the three pairs of main entry doors would violate the historic appearance of the doors as viewed from the inside the building. The hardware to be reused and refinished is a push/pull type, does not latch, and will remain unlocked during building occupancy. New fire alarm and enunciation system and a new fire sprinkler system throughout the building contribute to enhanced user protection as well.

Reconsideration Text:
The existing panic hardware at the north pair of doors does not operate as intended. Occupants exiting through this pair of doors after operating hours would be faced with the locked iron security gates.

1. Per section 1010.2.5, the main doors are permitted to be equipped with key-operated locking devices at Group A buildings having an occupant load of 300 or less. When the library is closed, the highest building occupancy is on Tuesday before opening with about 80-90 staff members, all trained to take any of the other alternate exits within the building (2 at ground level, 2 at the basement level, and 1 at sub-basement level).
2. The historic iron security gates are a character-defining-feature listed as part of the National Register Of Historic Places nomination. They are designed to swing inward and fit exactly along the sidewalls within the main entry portals when the library is open. For the iron gates to be code-compliant egress paths they would need significant modifications, including new hinges, panic hardware, and some type of solid or mesh-like barrier to prevent the doors from being unlocked and opened from the exterior. These changes would significantly impact the appearance of the iron gates and compromise the historic character of the library’s primary exterior elevation.