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3.3 General Definitions
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See 3.3.23.1.
See 3.3.178.1.
A continuous unobstructed path that complies with this Code and ICC/ANSI A117.1, Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. (SAF-MEA)
The activating mechanism of a panic hardware or fire exit hardware device located on the egress side of a door. (SAF-MEA)
An increase in building area, aggregate floor area, building height, or number of stories of a structure. (SAF-FUN)
See 3.3.291.1.
An aboveground device through which passengers move between a point in an airport terminal building and an aircraft. Included in this category are walkways that are essentially fixed and permanently placed, or walkways that are essentially mobile in nature and that fold, telescope, or pivot from a fixed point at the airport terminal building. [415, 2016] (SAF-AXM)
See 3.3.282.1.
See 3.3.37.1.
See 3.3.282.2.
The initial portion of an exit access that leads to an aisle. (SAF-AXM)
See 3.3.229.1.
See 3.3.275.1.
A single or multiple-station alarm responsive to smoke. [72, 2016] (SAF-BSF)
A calculation procedure that differs from the procedure originally employed by the design team but that provides predictions for the same variables of interest. (SAF-FUN)
See 3.3.196.1.
An analysis performed to determine the degree to which a predicted output will vary given a specified change in an input parameter, usually in relation to models. (SAF-FUN)
An analysis performed to determine the degree to which a predicted value will vary. (SAF-FUN)
See 3.3.37.2.
Area of a building or structure, including interior and adjacent exterior spaces, where animals are fed, rested, worked, exercised, treated, exhibited, or used for production. [150, 2016] (SAF-FUN)
See 3.3.37.3.
See 3.3.84.1.
Sleeping areas and any contiguous day room, group activity space, or other common space for customary access of residents. (SAF-DET)
The floor area within the inside perimeter of the outside walls of the building under consideration with no deductions for hallways, stairs, closets, thickness of interior walls, columns, elevator and building services shafts, or other features, but excluding floor openings associated with atriums and communicating spaces. (SAF-MEA)
The floor area within the inside perimeter of the outside walls, or the outside walls and fire walls of a building, or outside and/or inside walls that bound an occupancy or incidental use area requiring the occupant load to be calculated using net floor area under consideration with deductions for hallways, stairs, closets, thickness of interior walls, columns, or other features. (SAF-MEA)
Fifty percent of major tenant areas, and 100 percent of all other floor areas designated for tenant occupancy and exclusive use, including storage areas. The area of tenant occupancy is measured from the centerlines of joint partitions to the outside of the tenant walls. (SAF-MER)
An area of a structure or building that poses a degree of hazard greater than that normal to the general occupancy of the building or structure. (SAF-FIR)
Any normally occupiable space in a residential occupancy, other than sleeping rooms or rooms that are intended for combination sleeping/living, bathrooms, toilet compartments, kitchens, closets, halls, storage or utility spaces, and similar areas. (SAF-RES)
A building service equipment support area in which people are not expected to be present on a regular basis. (SAF-MEA)
An area of a facility occupied by people on a regular basis. (SAF-FUN)
That portion of a building affected by any renovation, modification, or reconstruction work as initially intended by the owner, and indicated as such in the permit, but excluding other portions of the building where incidental work entailed by the intended work must be performed, and excluding portions of the building where work not initially intended by the owner is specifically required. (SAF-FUN)
An area that is either (1) a story in a building where the building is protected throughout by an approved, supervised automatic sprinkler system and has not less than two accessible rooms or spaces separated from each other by smoke-resisting partitions; or (2) a space located in a path of travel leading to a public way that is protected from the effects of fire, either by means of separation from other spaces in the same building or by virtue of location, thereby permitting a delay in egress travel from any level. (SAF-MEA)
An area of refuge that complies with the accessible route requirements of ICC/ANSI A117.1, Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. (SAF-MEA)
A window or glass block assembly having a fire protection rating. [80, 2016] (SAF-FIR)
See 3.3.196.2.
See 3.3.282.8.1.
The atmosphere that exists between rooms, spaces, or areas within a building that are not separated by an approved smoke barrier. (SAF-END)
The atmosphere that exists between rooms, spaces, or areas that are separated by an approved smoke barrier. (SAF-END)
A large-volume space created by a floor opening or series of floor openings connecting two or more stories that is covered at the top of the series of openings and is used for purposes other than an enclosed stairway; an elevator hoistway; an escalator opening; or as a utility shaft used for plumbing, electrical, air-conditioning, or communications facilities. (SAF-FIR)
See 3.3.282.8.2.
Capable of performing a function without the necessity of human intervention. (SAF-FUN)
A continuous membrane or a membrane with discontinuities created by protected openings with a specified fire protection rating, where such membrane is designed and constructed with a specified fire resistance rating to limit the spread of fire. (SAF-FIR)
A material that limits the average temperature rise of an unexposed surface to not more than 250°F (139°C) for a specified fire exposure complying with the standard time-temperature curve of ASTM E119, Standard Test Methods for Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials, or ANSI/UL 263, Standard for Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials. (SAF-BCF)
Any story of a building wholly or partly below grade plane that is not considered the first story above grade plane. (See also 3.3.128.1, First Story Above Grade Plane.) (SAF-FUN)
A facility in which low-risk births are expected following normal, uncomplicated pregnancies, and in which professional midwifery care is provided to women during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. (SAF-MER)
A grandstand in which the seats are not provided with backrests. (SAF-AXM)
Any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy. (SAF-FUN)
A structure used primarily for air passenger enplaning or deplaning, including ticket sales, flight information, baggage handling, and other necessary functions in connection with air transport operations. This term includes any extensions and satellite buildings used for passenger handling or aircraft flight service functions. Aircraft loading walkways and "mobile lounges" are excluded. [415, 2016] (SAF-AXM)
A building housing any occupancy having low or ordinary hazard contents and having direct access to a mall structure, but having all required means of egress independent of the mall concourse. (SAF-MER)
A building or portion thereof containing three or more dwelling units with independent cooking and bathroom facilities. (SAF-RES)
A building in which the sales area includes the storage of combustible materials on pallets, in solid piles, or in racks in excess of 12 ft (3660 mm) in storage height. (SAF-MER)
A building erected or officially authorized prior to the effective date of the adoption of this edition of the Code by the agency or jurisdiction. (SAF-FUN)
A building or portion of a building designed for multiple teaching stations. (SAF-END)
A building where the floor of an occupiable story is greater than 75 ft (23 m) above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access. (SAF-FUN)
A building or facility deemed to have historical, architectural, or cultural significance by a local, regional, or national jurisdiction. (SAF-FUN)
A building that is temporary, permanent, or mobile and contains a device or system that conveys passengers or provides a walkway along, around, or over a course in any direction as a form of amusement arranged so that the egress path is not readily apparent due to visual or audio distractions or an intentionally confounded egress path, or is not readily available due to the mode of conveyance through the building or structure. (SAF-AXM)
The building code enforced by the jurisdiction or agency enforcing this Code. (SAF-FUN)
See 3.3.37.4.
See 3.3.196.3.
The nature and extent of rehabilitation work undertaken in an existing building. (SAF-FUN)
The change in the occupancy classification of a structure or portion of a structure. (SAF-FUN)
A change in the purpose or level of activity within a structure that involves a change in application of the requirements of the Code. (SAF-FUN)
See 3.3.177.1.
A chemical process of oxidation that occurs at a rate fast enough to produce heat and usually light in the form of either a glow or flame. (SAF-FUN)
See 3.3.27.1.
The portion of exit access that must be traversed before two separate and distinct paths of travel to two exits are available. (SAF-MEA)
A space within a building that is enclosed by fire barriers on all sides, including the top and bottom. (SAF-FIR)
A space within a building enclosed by smoke barriers on all sides, including the top and bottom. (SAF-FIR)
Any movable objects in a building that normally are secured or otherwise put in place for functional reasons, excluding (1) parts of the internal structure of the building, and (2) any items meeting the definition of interior finish. (SAF-INT)
An open, uncovered, unoccupied space, unobstructed to the sky, bounded on three or more sides by exterior building walls. (SAF-MEA)
A public seating area located in a mall concourse that serves adjacent food preparation tenant spaces. (SAF-MER)
The level of incident radiant heat energy in units of W/cm2 on a floor-covering system at the most distant flameout point. (SAF-INT)
The process of developing the input data set for the assessment method of choice. (SAF-FUN)
See 3.3.148.1.
See 3.3.196.4.
Mechanical self-closing device that incorporates an adjustable delay prior to the initiation of closing. (SAF-MEA)
A cooking method that involves fully immersing food in hot oil. (SAF-HEA)
See 3.3.107.1.
See 3.3.272.1.
A group of stakeholders including, but not limited to, representatives of the architect, client, and any pertinent engineers and other designers. (SAF-FUN)
See 3.3.196.5.
See 3.3.22.1.
A door between an elevator lobby and another building space other than the elevator shaft. (SAF-MEA)
The door component of a fire door assembly. (SAF-FIR)
See 3.3.24.1.
A building or a space in a building in which group sleeping accommodations are provided for more than 16 persons who are not members of the same family in one room, or a series of closely associated rooms, under joint occupancy and single management, with or without meals, but without individual cooking facilities. (SAF-RES)
A continuous membrane used to subdivide a concealed space to resist the passage of smoke and heat. (SAF-FIR)
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