Appeal 7281

OSSC 1998 1005.2.3

1005.2.3 Travel through intervening rooms. Exits shall not be interrupted by intervening rooms.

Summary: This Appeal seeks to apply an nearly identical, already approved appeal (Appeal ID #6447 based on 2007 OSSC for the same private school building) for a temporary egress stair during construction. The only differences are that we must appeal the 1998 OSSC because we are now revising an old permit and need the temporary stair immediately for demolition work, and the duration that the stair will be in use has changed. It is our understanding that Appeals are tied to the building and not the building permit so this appeal is easily tranferrable from the first permit application to this one.

Background:
This appeal is part of an attempt to close out a phased seismic upgrade (Permit No. 02-121488) of a currently occupied private school building referred to here as the “Neighborhood House”. Under this permit, the unoccupied ‘”Annex” building abutting the occupied Neighborhood House was required to be demolished. Now, our new project team is proposing to expand school functions into the “Annex”, giving it a complete renovation/seismic upgrade it rather than demolishing it. (Permit No. 10-151721) This total Annex renovation/complete seismic upgrade permit is currently awaiting review.

Also in that 10-151721 scope is the installation of an elevator in the Annex to provide first-time ADA accessibility to the third floor of the Neighborhood House. The corridor connection to the elevator occurs in the same location as an exterior egress stair that serves as a second means of egress for all three levels of the Neighborhood House. This exterior stair will need to be taken out of use and reinstalled at the end of construction of the work in permit 10-151721.

For this reason, an appeal (Appeal ID 6447) was filed and approved for 10-151721 Annex renovation, granting temporary egress plan. This temporary egress plan included the construction of an egress stair to be built within the existing gymnasium of Neighborhood House to serve as the second means of egress while the existing exterior egress stair was relocated.

Herein lies our problem: The City has stipulated that the review of this total renovation permit 10-151721 (beyond approving a temporary egress plan) cannot begin until the 02-121488 permit has been closed out (Annex seismically separated). Jed Sampson, structural reviewer, has stated that the current exterior egress stair cannot remain in its current use as the second egress stair out of the Neighborhood House if the “Annex” building it is adjacent to has not yet been seismically separated. Therefore, in conjunction with filing this appeal we are submitting a revision to the 02-121488 permit that proposes a 12” seismic separation only between the Annex and Neighborhood House in lieu of complete Annex demolition. This seismic separation work means that the exterior egress stair must be removed under the 02-121488.

This appeal proposes to revise the 02-121488 permit to include the construction of the temporary egress stair that was approved in Appeal ID 6447 associated with 10-151721.

Our appeal proposes that the 3rd floor and the 2nd floor will egress through the gym instead of using the exterior stair. The gym is a large open space free of obstructions and has discernible path of egress travel to a double-door exit. The gym is also an intermittently occupied space with remaining empty for periods of time during the school day. The ground floor has two exits already and is not dependant upon the exterior stair as a means of egress.

The alternate is required to provide a means of egress while the existing exterior egress stair is relocated several feet to the west and the seismic joint separation is created under Permit 10-151721. The construction period that the stair will be out of service will be the duration of the school year from August 2010 through December 2011. The school cannot close for any part of its regular school year.

To mitigate the change in egress route by the closing of the existing egress stair, the team proposes signage illustrating the temporary egress route and school meetings to educate occupants on the new egress route. Two means of egress (including the egress through gym) will be provided at all times. On all floors the common path of egress travel and the total travel distance remain code compliant.

The Neighborhood House is currently a fully sprinklered building and it has completed several permitted life safety improvements over the past several years.

The existing exterior stair will not be demolished if the Annex renovation project 10-151721 stalls and does not happen. However if that situation occurs, the Annex would eventually be required to be separated from the Neighborhood House and demolished regardless, and the existing exterior egress route would remain in its current position in addition to the proposed new stair in the gym. Therefore approving this appeal would provide the equivalent life safety standard to the approval we received for Appeal ID 6447.

The seismic separation of the Annex from the Neighborhood House will ultimately make both buildings safer for its occupants for many more years, and granting this appeal for proposed means of egress is critical to ensuring that the separation under permit 10-151721 can occur.

OSSC 1998 1004.2.4

1004.2.4 Where two or more exits or exit-access doorways are required from any level or portion of building, at least two of the exists ... shall be placed a distance apart equal to not less than %2 the length of the maximum overall diagonal dimension of the area served measured in a straight line between the center of such exits...

Summary: This Appeal seeks to apply an nearly identical, already approved appeal (Appeal ID #6447 based on 2007 OSSC for the same private school building) for a temporary egress stair during construction. The only differences are that we must appeal the 1998 OSSC because we are now revising an old permit and need the temporary stair immediately for demolition work, and the duration that the stair will be in use has changed. It is our understanding that Appeals are tied to the building and not the building permit so this appeal is easily tranferrable from the first permit application to this one.

Background:
This appeal is part of an attempt to close out a phased seismic upgrade (Permit No. 02-121488) of a currently occupied private school building referred to here as the “Neighborhood House”. Under this permit, the unoccupied ‘”Annex” building abutting the occupied Neighborhood House was required to be demolished. Now, our new project team is proposing to expand school functions into the “Annex”, giving it a complete renovation/seismic upgrade it rather than demolishing it. (Permit No. 10-151721) This total Annex renovation/complete seismic upgrade permit is currently awaiting review.

Also in that 1 0-1 51 721 scope is the installation of an elevator in the Annex to provide first-time ADA accessibility to the third floor of the Neighborhood House. The corridor connection to the elevator occurs in the same location as an exterior egress stair that serves as a second means of egress for all three levels of the Neighborhood House. This exterior stair will need to be taken out of use and reinstalled at the end of construction of the work in permit 10-151721.

For this reason, an appeal (Appeal ID 6447) was filed and approved for 10-151721 Annex renovation, granting temporary egress plan. This temporary egress plan included the construction of an egress stair to be built within the existing gymnasium of Neighborhood House to serve as the second means of egress while the existing exterior egress stair was relocated.

Herein lies our problem: The City has stipulated that the review of this total renovation permit 10-151721 (beyond approving a temporary egress plan) cannot begin until the 02-121488 permit has been closed out (Annex seismically separated). Jed Sampson, structural reviewer, has stated that the current exterior egress stair cannot remain in its current use as the second egress stair out of the Neighborhood House if the “Annex” building it is adjacent to has not yet been seismically separated. Therefore, in conjunction with filing this appeal we are submitting a revision to the 02-121488 permit that proposes a 12” seismic separation only work means that the exterior egress stair must be removed under the 02-121488.

This appeal proposes to revise the 02-121488 permit to include the construction of the temporary egress stair that was approved in Appeal ID 6447 associated with 10-151721.

According to the 1/3 diagonal separation rule, the two means of egress should be 31’-5” apart. For the temporary period of construction only, we appealing this distance to be 23’-0” to utilize the new stair.

The alternate is required to provide a means of egress while the existing exterior egress stair is relocated several feet to the w est and the seismic joint separation is created under Permit 10-151721. The construction period that the stair will be out of service will be the duration of the school year from August 2010 through December 2011. The school cannot close for any part of it s regular school year.

To mitigate the change in egress route by the closing of the existing egress stair, the team proposes signage illustrating the temporary egress route and school meetings to educate occupants on the new egress route. Two means of egress (including the egress through gym) will be provided at all times. On all floors the common path of egress travel and the total travel distance remain code compliant.

The Neighborhood House is currently a fully sprinklered building and it has completed several permitted life safety improvements over the past several years.

The existing exterior stair will not be demolished if the Annex renovation project 10-151721 stalls and does not happen. However if that situation occurs, the Annex would eventually be required to be separated from the Neighborhood House and demolished regardless, and the existing exterior egress route would remain in its current position in addition to the proposed new stair in the gym. Therefore approving this appeal would provide the equivalent life safety standard to the approval we received for Appeal ID 6447.

The seismic separation of the Annex from the Neighborhood House will ultimately make both buildings safer for its occupants for many more years, and granting this appeal for proposed means of egress is critical to ensuring that the separation under permit 10-151721 can occur.