How Do I Know Where Code Danger is Lurking?In my previous blog, Rated Acoustical Tile Systems: A Cautionary Tale, I discussed the problems owners and agents are experiencing with fire-rating building code compliance - or rather the lack of it - in many 1970-1990 era office buildings. Building owners need to be aware of the fire safety of their properties, both before they buy - to negotiate a better purchase price - and after purchase - to avoid potential liability issues. The danger, however, doesn't lurk behind every ceiling tile: some buildings of this era DO have fire-rated ceiling systems; some buildings which don't weren't required to.So, how do you know if YOUR building has a fire-rating problem? The best way to know, of course, is to engage an architect or engineer to assess the building. If you want to get a preliminary idea of the building's status, however, this blog will give you the information you need to 'ballpark' it - before you call in a professional.How? First you determine whether your building should have fire rated acoustical ceiling systems. Next, you find out if it does.What's the Point?To understand whether your building should have fire rating, you have to understand the purpose of it. According to the International Building Code (IBC), there are two main reasons incorporating of fire-rated elements into your building design:The first - and by far most important - is the protection of building occupants and first responders in the event of a fire. You want everyone to get out safely!The second reason - and an important one to owners and investors - is cost effectiveness: The building design should maximize the marketable square footage at a minimum cost. Fire rating systems can help do that.It's the design professional's job to help owners/developers find the "sweet spot": the point at which size, materials cost, codes, and future tenant upfitting costs meet to maximize the ROI. Determining this sweet spot is more of an art than a science. How Do I Know If the Building Required Fire Rating?Determining the need for fire-rating begins with the current International Building Code (IBC), Table 503. This chart offers a guideline of how large - number of floors and square footage - a structure can be when constructed with various material types, under which occupancy codes, and with or without fire-rated elements. The architect uses this chart to find the ROI sweet spot. For purposes of this discussion, we are dealing with mid-rise office buildings - those between 3 and 5 stories. For this category, Type II - non-combustible construction - is the preferred construction type, under which the IBC allows for an increase in the number of floors or in square footage when fire-rated elements are incorporated into the design. For example:As you can see, incorporating fire-rated elements, such as a fire-rated acoustical ceiling system, into the design can shift the construction from Type II-B to Type II-A - dramatically increasing your marketable square footage.How does this information help you determine if your building required fire rating? Simplistically, if it's 3 stories or 23,000 SF/floor or less, it probably didn't require fire rating; if it's above those figures, it probably did. There are, of course, exceptions, so don't rely on this for final determination. It's just an initial guideline. How Do I Know If a Fire-Rated Ceiling System is Present?Just because a building is supposed to be rated, doesn't always mean it has a working system. As I explained in my last blog, situations ranging from cost-cutting to contractor misunderstanding to improper maintenance can compromise a rated acoustical ceiling system. So, can you tell if the ceiling system is rated or not, just by looking at it? Yes, there are visual indicators. Grab a ladder, lift a tile, and look above the ceiling:Tiles are easy to spot: if they are rated, they are marked with a stamp indicating that. Remember, though, that poor operations and maintenance instructions or actions can lead to component replacement with non-rated parts, so non-rated tiles don't automatically rule out a rated system.The rated grid system is a little harder to spot. The most prevalent feature in a rated grid is a crumple zone - a slot about 2" long built into the grid member; this slot keeps the grid from distorting in a fire. Baffles and Dampers are the best indicators of a rated system.A baffle is a 5-sided box, made of rated acoustical ceiling tile material. The baffle fits over the light fixture above the ceiling. Don't be surprised, however, if you don't see the baffles: hands-down, this is the part of the system most overlooked in construction.Dampers are harder to spot. They come in a variety of styles; a typical one is a butterfly damper that springs closed in an extreme heat situation. To spot it, look at an air supply grill below the ceiling system to see if a damper device is present. Use these guidelines only to make an initial assessment, to help raise warning flags of potentially expensive code compliance remediations. For an accurate and complete assessment - give CDA a call! Curt Davis, AIA, LEED AP803.799.6502 | curt@cdacolumbia.com
