First floor offices

[Mushy]

Hi all

In a hospital estates department there is a single staircase leading up to 4 first floor offices that also has a photocopier room and a small kitchen (microwave/kettle)

This first floor is a 'dead end' situation and is a protected route. There is two way travel at ground floor level. There will soon be auto detection in all the rooms in addition to the corridor at present.

Now, at the moment all the offices are closed to the corridor leading to the stairs and the estates have enquired about the following options.

1. Convert one of the offices into a 'reception'  as contractors use this floor all the time to see the works manager and have to keep knocking on doors to find the right person (yes his name is on it!) and also the admin staff want to be able to see the person before they come into the offices. The reception will need a 'hatch' type situation so the admin staff can deal with them initially.

Does this hatch have to be linked to the fire alarm system or would it be ok to manually close it should the fire alarms sound?

2. Making the office in question 'open plan' to the corridor leaving the other rooms intact...which obviously would make them inner rooms

Travel distance from the furthest point to the storey exit door (top of stairs) is 16 metres

any views on this? Thanks

[nearlythere]

Hi Mushy.
Firstly the travel distance should be from the furthest point on the fire floor and not the top of the stairway. Also you should remember not to confuce travel distance and direct distance.
Receptions are normally not permissible in a single stairway conditions and are normally behind a glazed 1/2 screen.
To have the EA consider it an inner room condition might be difficult as the travel distance should not be more than 18M from the inner most point to the final exit from the access room. In  your case it appears to be well in excess of that even to allow cutting a little slack.
I would think that with AFD and sufficient training you could go for a sliding 1/2hr screen which when closed provides good smoke sealing and FR properties. Instructions that this screen must be maintained closed unless in use may be acceptable. A 1/2 FRSS roller shutter linked to the alarm system is certainly a second option.
You could discuss this with your F&R Service.

[CivvyFSO]

If you put detectors the rooms off the corridor there is no need for FR to the corridor in an office occupancy according to CLG guidance. (It is also quite reasonable from a common sense point of view.)

But (Just to be awkward) since ADB recommends that all dead end corridors over 2m should be FR, creating the hole for reception could be seen as making an alteration whereby the building potentially fails to comply with a requirement (B1) where it once did, which would require Building Control approval, but any reasonable BC body would accept detection over FR in this situation. Also, if the detection is in place first then there is an argument that it still complies due the requirement being functional so no BC body approval would be required.

Nearlythere, this seems quite different to having a reception in the staircase enclosure, or even having a reception window opening up into a stair.

[nearlythere]

Nearlythere, this seems quite different to having a reception in the staircase enclosure, or even having a reception window opening up into a stair.

Not sure what you mean there CFSO. Quite different from what?

[CivvyFSO]

It sounds to me like the reception will be in a room off the corridor, as opposed to being in or adjacent to the staircase enclosure. The reception in this form poses no threat to the staircase, and no more threat to the corridor than any office room.

[nearlythere]

It sounds to me like the reception will be in a room off the corridor, as opposed to being in or adjacent to the staircase enclosure. The reception in this form poses no threat to the staircase, and no more threat to the corridor than any office room.

Got you. I read it totally wrong. Lesson learned.

[Mushy]

Hi thanks for that. Yes the reception hatch will be in the first floor office. The TD is measured around the furniture from the furthest point in the room out into the corridor and to the storey exit (protected staircase)

Civvy....can you point me to the bit it CLG guidance that says dead ends don't require FR if served with auto detection...cheers mate

What is the opinions with regard to having it open plan as the second option....it's inside the TD for one way travel

[nearlythere]

Hi thanks for that. Yes the reception hatch will be in the first floor office. The TD is measured around the furniture from the furthest point in the room out into the corridor and to the storey exit (protected staircase)

Civvy....can you point me to the bit it CLG guidance that says dead ends don't require FR if served with auto detection...cheers mate

What is the opinions with regard to having it open plan as the second option....it's inside the TD for one way travel

If the office come reception was opened up to the corridor would there be a short corridor between this new access room and the doors to the inner offices?

[Mushy]

Hi thanks for that. Yes the reception hatch will be in the first floor office. The TD is measured around the furniture from the furthest point in the room out into the corridor and to the storey exit (protected staircase)

Civvy....can you point me to the bit it CLG guidance that says dead ends don't require FR if served with auto detection...cheers mate

What is the opinions with regard to having it open plan as the second option....it's inside the TD for one way travel

If the office come reception was opened up to the corridor would there be a short corridor between this new access room and the doors to the inner offices?

Hi nearlythere

No the new open plan office would be the access room

civvy I think I've found it...

Escape routes with dead-end conditions

If your premises has escape routes from which
escape can be made in one direction only
(a dead end), then an undetected fire in that
area could affect people trying to escape. To
overcome this problem, limit the travel distance
(see Table 2) and use one of the following
solutions:

• Fit an automatic fire detection and warning
system in those areas where a fire could
present a risk to the escape route (see
Figure 30).

• Protect the escape route with fire-resisting
construction to allow people to escape
safely past a room in which there is a fire
(see Figure 31).

• Provide an alternative exit (see Figure 32).
Alternative approaches may be acceptable,
although expert advice may be necessary.

[CivvyFSO]

Mushy, look at the pretty pictures on page 74, but ignore the slight discrepancy where they have failed to put detection in the rooms at the part of the dead end that can affect both choices of exit. (Instead, refer to the second paragraph you quoted.)

[Mushy]

Hi again...

civvy...sorry to labour this subject....are you saying that you are of the opinion that if auto detection is installed prior to any work being carried out, it would not need BC approval...what do you mean by 'functional'

Also if FR is not required to this first floor dead end because of the auto detection, would it be feasible just to have a hole in the office wall for a reception hatch with no shutter?

Thanks

[CivvyFSO]

By 'functional' I am talking about the building regulations. The requirement B1 is "The building shall be designed and constructed so that there are appropriate provisions for the early warning of fire, and appropriate means of escape in case of fire from the building to a place of safety outside the building capable of being safely and effectively used at all material times." i.e. No mention of dead end, no mention of travel distances.

Therefore if the means of escape remains suitable, with appropriate provisions for early warning, then there would be no need for building regs. (Other alterations involved may require building regs, so I would advise discussing it with building control for their take on it)

If no FR is required then what difference does a hole in the wall make?

[Mushy]

ok thanks civvy...

although the opening gambit to the B1 document does state was you mentioned in your post, I'm not sure if a BC surveyor would interpret that statement as you can disregard TD  cos there is no mention of it there and cos we have auto detection...they would have to interprit what is 'suitable'...as you will be aware, there is mention of TD in Table 2 and dead ends in 3.2b and in the diagrams...and as we mentioned before the diagrams say it all really