The Ontario Building Code | Protection on Floor Areas with a Barrier-Free Path of Travel

3.3.1.7. Protection on floor Areas with a Barrier-Free Path of Travel

(1) Except as provided in Sentences (2) and (3), every floor area above or below the first storey that has a barrier-free path of travel shall,

(a) be served by an elevator,

(i) conforming to Sentences 3.2.6.5.(4) to (6),

(ii) protected against fire in conformance with Clause 3.2.6.5.(3)(b) or (c), and

(iii) in a building over 3 storeys in building height, protected against smoke movement so that the hoistway will not contain more than 1% by volume of contaminated air from a fire floor during a period of 2 h after the start of a fire, assuming an outdoor temperature equal to the January design temperature on a 2.5% basis determined in conformance with MMAH Supplementary Standard SB-1, "Climatic and Seismic Data", or

(b) be divided into at least two zones by fire separations conforming to Sentences (4) to (6) so that,

(i) persons with physical disabilities can be accommodated in each zone,

(ii) the travel distance from any point in one zone to a doorway leading to another zone shall be not more than the value for travel distance permitted by Sentence 3.4.2.5.(1) for the occupancy classification of the zone, and

(iii) a barrier-free path of travel is provided to an exit.

(2) In residential occupancies, the requirements of Sentence (1) are waived if a balcony conforming to Sentence (7) is provided for each suite, except for suites on the storeycontaining the barrier-free entrance described in Article 3.8.1.2.

(3) The requirements of Sentences (1) and (2) are waived when the building is sprinklered.

(4) Except as permitted by Sentence (5), the fire separations referred to in Clause (1)(b) shall have a fire-resistance rating not less than 1 h.

(5) The fire-resistance rating of the fire separations referred to in Clause (1)(b) is permitted to be less than 1 h but not less than 45 min provided the fire-resistance rating required by Subsection 3.2.2. is permitted to be less than 1 h for,

(a) the floor assembly above the floor area, or

(b) the floor assembly below the floor area, if there is no floor assembly above.

(6) A door acting as a closure in a fire separation referred to in Clause (1)(b) shall be weatherstripped or otherwise designed and installed to retard the passage of smoke.

(7) A balcony required by Sentence (2) shall,

(a) be provided with a door way having a clear width of not less that 800 mm when the door is in the open position,

(b) have no projection above the walking surface more than 13 mm,

(c) be not less than 1.5 m deep from the outside face of the exterior wall to the inside edge of the balcony, and

(d) provide not less than 0.5 m²for each occupant of the suite.