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Two new buildings (combustible construction) of F-2 major occupancy will be connected by a walkway.
QUESTION:
Do limiting distance and exposing building face considerations apply to the wall of the walkway facing the existing building? What is the code reference?
DISCUSSION:
According to the OBC's definition, " Walkway means a covered or roofed pedestrian thoroughfare used to connect 2 or more buildings in which the least horizontal dimension of the thoroughfare is less than 9 m."
Since a walkway connects 2 or more separate buildings, the walkway is not a part of any of the buildings. In the OBC, it appears that the walkway is a separate building. [Ontario differs from the NBC because the NBC's definition of " building" depends on occupancy.]
The limiting distance and exposing building face requirements for the walkway are determined from either subsection 3.2.3 or subsection 9.10.14 of the OBC. In either case, one must determine the MAJOR OCCUPANCY of the walkway. Since the walkway does not have a major occupancy, one cannot employ either subsection 3.2.3 or subsection 9.10.14 to determine the limiting distance or the exposing building face.
CONCLUSION:
At this time, the OBC is silent on the exposing building face requirements for the walkway exposed to the existing building. Therefore, the OBC does not require spatial separation considerations to apply to the wall of the walkway facing the existing building.
February 23, 1996
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