32A-255(3) M
Table No. 3
Sample Calculations
Height and Area Limits
Hotel Northampton
Building Characteristics
Occupancy: Use Group A-3
Construction Type: 2A
Height: 6 stories / 75 ft
Area: 10 ,000 sf
Fully sprinklered
75% perimeter access
Allowable Area Calculation
(1) Basic allowable area (Table 305) 19 ,950 sf
(2) Reduction due to height (20% - 3 ,990 sf
of Item 1 - See Table 305.4)
(3) Net Allowable Area 15,960 sf
(4) Increase in allowable area for + 15, 960 sf
sprinklers (100% of Item 3 -
See Section 306. 3)
(5) Increase in allowable area for + 15,960 sf
excess accessible perimeter
(100% of Item 3 - See Section
306.2)
(6) Total allowable area (Sum of 47, 880 sf
Items 3 , 4 and 5)
Allowable Height Calculation
(1) Allowable height from Table 305 5 st / 65 ft
(2) Increase in allowable height for 1 st / 20 ft
sprinklers (See Section 308.1)
.(3) Total allowable height (Sum of 6 st / 75 ft
Items 1 and 2)
Note: Results listed as Example 3 in Tables No. 1 and 2 .
Table No. 2
Summary of Area Restrictions
Hotel Northampton
Example Construction Sprinkler Occupancy Area Allowable
Type Protection Limit* Situation?
1 2A No R-1 36,480sf Yes
2 2A No A-3 31,920sf Yes
3 2A Yes R-1 54, 720sf Yes
4 2A Yes A-3 47, 880sf Yes
5 3C No R-1 11,520sf Yes
6 3C No A-3 10,080sf Yes
7 3C Yes R-1 17,280sf Yes
8 3C Yes A-3 15,120sf Yes
9 4B No R-1 5 , 760sf No
10 4B No A-3 5 , 040sf No
11 4B Yes R-1 8 ,640sf No
12 4B Yes A-3 7,560sf No
Note: The extended building will have an area of approximately
10 ,000 sf.
* Assumes a six story building for which the allowable area must
be reduced in accordance with MSBC Table 305.4. Also assumes 75%
of the perimeter of the building is accessible under the
criteria of MSBC Section 306. 2 . This latter condition justifies
a 100% increase in the allowable area.
J
Table No. 1
Summary of Height Restrictions
Hotel Northampton
Example Construction Sprinkler Occupancy Height Allowable
Type Protection Limit Situation?
1 2A No R-1 9st/100ft Yes
2 2A No A-3 5st/65ft No
3 2A Yes R-1. 10st/120ft Yes
4 2A Yes A-3 6st/85ft Yes
5 3C No R-1 3st/40ft No
6 3C No A-3 2st/30ft No
7 3C Yes R-1 4st/60ft No
8 3C Yes A-3 3st/50ft No
9 4B No R-1 2-1/2st/ No
35ft
10 4B No A-3 1st/20ft No
11 4B Yes R-1 3-1/2st/ No
55ft
12 4B Yes A-3 2st/40ft No
Note: The extended building will be 6 stories and 75
feet in height.
i
Tris Metcalfe, M*T Page 6 May 9 , 1989
main building based on the technical arguments listed above.
If you have any questions concerning this letter or
when you are ready to proceed with seeking of a variance,
please contact me.
Very truly yours
i �
�'7rt
Harold R. Cutler
Encls. (3)
a
Tris Metcalfe, M*T Page 5 May' 9 , 1989
result from providing sprinklers in the entire
building.
* The fact that installation of sprinklers would
compensate for some non-complying existing
conditions including exits stairs which
discharge through grade floor use spaces and
unenclosed stairs which connect the basement,
first and second floors .
* The fact that the cost of installing sprinklers
could only be justified economically if the
two additions are allowed.
Conclusions
The existing Hotel Northampton is of mixed construction
including Construction Types 2A, 3C and 4B and of mixed use
including Use Groups R-1 and A-3 . Areas of the building
classified in other use groups (A-2, M and B) are considered
incidental to the main uses.
Given the existing height, area and lack of sprinkler
protection, the existing building is noncomplying with respect
to the height and area limitations of the MSBC. This
non-complying situation is allowed to continue to exist under
the provisions of Article 22 of the MSBC.
Expansion of the building by addition of a partial
sixth story and a five story addition is not permitted by the
MSBC because the combined height and area of the existing
building plus additions would exceed the height and area
allowed for a new building of the same occupancy and
construction type.
A variance could be sought to permit the additions to
the existing building. The primary justification for the
variance would be that the level of fire safety in the expanded
hotel with sprinklers would be greater than the level of fire
safety in the existing, unsprinklered building.
The building with the added story would be required to
be sprinklered by the Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 148,
Section 26a-1/2 concerning retroactive installation of
sprinklers in existing high rise buildings.
I believe the next step in this process should be to
seek a variance from the code to permit the additions to the
Tris Metcalfe, M*T Page 4 May 9 , 1989
construction and provided with automatic sprinklers to be
allowed to be of the height (6 stories and 75 feet) and area
(10,000 sf) proposed for the expanded Hotel Northampton.
MSBC Sections 304. 2 and 2200.3 (5) both specify that an
addition to a building is permitted only when the combined
height and area of the existing building and new addition do
not exceed the limits allowed by Table 305 and Sections 305,
306 and 307. In this situation, the existing building is of
mixed construction including Type 2A, 3C and 4B. The height and
area limits for the building plus any addition would,
therefore, be based on the lowest of the construction types,
Type 4B.
The data documented in Examples 9 through 12. 0f Tables
No. 1 and 2 document indicate the expanded hotel would not
satisfy either the height or area limits of the MSBC for an
unsprinklered or sprinklered hotel of Type 4B construction.
Under these circumstances, the only means of bringing
the expanded building into strict code compliance would be to
isolate the portions of the building of less than Type 2A
construction (the Annex, the porches and the receiving dock)
from the main building by free standing fire walls and to
construct the new additions of Type 2A construction. This
approach is, for practical purposes, impossible given the
configuration and construction of the existing building.
Another approach to gaining acceptance of the increased
height and area of the building would be to seek a variance
from the building code to allow the noncomplying conditions.
Under the circumstances, several factors could be used to
support such a variance. They include:
* The practical impossibility of providing a
fire wall separation of the sections of
the building of Types 3C and 4B construction
from the section of Type 2A construction.
* The fact that the one story porches and
receiving dock would, by themselves, be
permitted to be of Type 4B construction.
* The fact that the three story Annex would, by
itself, be permitted to be of Type 3C con-
struction if provided with sprinklers.
* The increased level of fire safety that would
Tris Metcalfe, M*T Page 3 May 9 , 1989
construction type.
Section 306.2 allows the area limit for a building to
be increased by as much as 150% when that building faces on
public streets and other unoccupied spaces not less than 30
feet wide. Section 306.3 allows the area limit for a
multi-story building to be increased by 1.00% when the building
is fully sprinklered.
Tables No. 1 and 2 attached document the height and
area restrictions of the MSBC respectively for several
combinations of occupancy and construction type present or
planned for the Hotel Northampton both with and without
automatic sprinkler protection. The right hand columns of these
tables indicate which combinations of construction type,
sprinkler protection and occupancy would be acceptable in a
building with the actual height and area characteristics of the
extended hotel .
A sample calculation of the data documented in Tables
No. 1 and 2 is provided in Table No. 3 attached.
The implications of these specific restrictions are
discussed below.
Other Considerations
Massachusetts has two laws which require automatic
sprinklers in high rise buildings. Massachusetts General Laws,
Chapter 148 , Section 26a requires that sprinklers be provided
in all new high rise buildings . MGL, Chapter 148, Section
26a-1/2 requires retroactive installation of sprinklers in most
existing high rise buildings by the mid 1990 ' s . Enforcement„,of
these two laws is assigned to the local fire department.
The proposed addition of one story to the main hotel
building will increase the height of that building to more than
70 feet. By the criteria of the MSBC and Massachusetts General
Laws, Chapter 148 , Section 26a and 26a-1/2, this increase will
require that the building be treated as a high rise building. I
expect the Northampton Fire Department would require that the
extended hotel be provided with a complete automatic sprinkler
system under the provisions of Section 26a-1/2.
Discussion
As illustrated by Tables No. 1 and 2 , a new building of
Use Group R-1 and A-3 occupancy would have to be of Type 2A
. s
Tris Metcalfe, M*T Page 2 May 9 , 1989
(unprotected ordinary) construction.
All of the above construction types are assumed by me
on the basis of our discussion on May 3 . They are all subject
to confirmation by additional study of actual field conditions.
The lack of fire walls within this building requires
that it be classified as mixed construction including
construction types 2A, 3C and 4B. For purposes of height and
area restrictions and other code provisions which depend on
construction classification, the building would be treated by
the requirements related to the lowest form of construction. In
this case, the lowest form of construction is Type 4B,
unprotected wood frame, construction.
Planned Additions
One addition to the building is planned to provide a
sixth floor on the main hotel . This new story would be used for
hotel guest rooms and a hot tub room. This addition would raise
the height of the building from the present height of 65 feet
to a new height of 75 feet and increase the number of stories
from five to six.
A second addition is planned on the northwest side of
the building which will contain storage, retail , office, guest
room and recreation (pool) uses. The storage, retail , office
and pool areas will all be incidental or accessory uses to the
main, residential , use of the building.
The building area of the extended building will be
approximately 10,000 square feet, the area of the largest
single floor.
Height and Area Limits
MSBC Table 305 documents the basic height and area
limits of the MSBC for buildings of various occupancies and
construction types. These restrictions may be adjusted for
several different reasons as discussed below.
Section 308.1 allows the height limit from Table 305 to
be increased by one story or twenty feet when the building is
provided with automatic sprinklers.
Section 305.4 requires that the allowable area of a
building as set by Table 305 be reduced by the percentages
listed in Table 305.4 depending upon the building' s height and
Harold R. Cutler,
Consulting Fire Protection Engineer
f ± 165 Landham Road
Sudbury, MA 01776
' (508) 443-7088
.`.. May 9 , 1989
P/N 339
Metcalfe * Thorne, In
150 Main Street
Northampton, MA 01060
Attention: Tris Metcalfe
Dear Tris:
Subject: Height and Area Considerations
Hotel Northhampton
This letter will summarize my review of the issue of
height and area limitations imposed on the Hotel Northhampton
by the Fourth Edition of the Massachusetts State Building Code
(MSBC) . This issue arises because of plans to add an additional
story to the main building as well as a five story addition to
the northwest of the main building.
Existing Conditions
The building is presently occupied by Use Group R-1
(Residential/Hotel) , Use Group A-3 (Restaurant) , and Use Group
B (Business) occupancies. It also contains Use Group A-2 (Night
Club) and Use Group M (Mercantile) spaces which are incidental
to the three main uses.
The existing building consists of the main hotel , the
annex and several small additions and infill structures
constructed at various times in the past. The building is not
subdivided by any free standing fire walls and, therefore, must
be considered a single building in the eyes of the building
code.
The main hotel building is is reinforced concrete
construction which would probably qualify as Type 2A (protected
noncombustible) construction and perhaps as Type 1B (fire
resistive) construction. The original front porch and two added
porches on the east side of the building as well as the
receiving dock at the rear of the building are of Type 4B
(unprotected wood frame) construction.
The annex building has exterior bearing masonry walls
and interior framing of wood. This wooden structural system
does not qualify as heavy timber and has not been protected . in
rated assemblies in all areas (such as the attic) . This part of
the building would, therefore, have to be considered Type 3C
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