Shops and retail outlets

[stugood]

When does a shop/retail warehouse over 2000 square metres not require compartmentation and/or sprinklers??

[kurnal]

If it is existing and has not been substantially altered or subject to a change of use for many years. The standard solution in the curent ADB is to limit compartment size or install sprinklers to limit the size of a fire and reduce risk to environment and fire fighters.  But this has not always been the case.
And of course the Building Regualtions are only applied on erection, alteration or material change of use.
In some cases fire and building authorities have accepted extensions to existing unsprinklered shops because it seemed excessive to require a full installation in an existing unsprinklered building just becasue of a relatively small extension taking it over 2000 sq m. In other cases other engineered solutions may have been found.

[Tom Sutton]

When was it built and is it single storey because it appears at one time compartmentation was not required in single storey buildings? (1965 Building Regs)

[CivvyFSO]

When does a shop/retail warehouse over 2000 square metres not require compartmentation and/or sprinklers??

When it's a warehouse.

[Phoenix]

Just off the top of my head, so correct me if I'm wrong, the size limit given in ADB changed in the 2000 iteration of the document from 4000 sq m to 2000 sq m, so if it was built before the year 2000 and is below 4000 sq m then it may well not have sprinklers.

Stu