DayCare Center - COO
I would like to convert and renovate the garden level of our townhouse into a daycare center COO. Can anyone familiar with article 47 advise on how to set up the space so that there are two exits on the same floor to the street, one with a firewall?
I would like to convert and renovate the garden level of our townhouse into a daycare center COO. Can anyone familiar with article 47 advise on how to set up the space so that there are two exits on the same floor to the street, one with a firewall?
you may not be able to have a daycare in that space without a fire alarm system. have you requested an initial site visit from ACS?
they dont play! dont spend another cent till you hear from them.
Secondary means of egress is very important especially for a day care center.
A sprinkler will be requried based on the maximum travel distance, square footage, ventilation requirements but not “as is”.
A fire alarm will also be required if you exceed a certain amount of children.
If the building is not street level you will have to provide handicap accessibility in addition to adaptability
it is not easy to do a conversion with these type of builidngs but still feasible in general but it will take a while.
My personal experience with that was a off off Bway theater in Soho. We were required to run a 2 hour rated corridor from the back of the stage through the basement back to the lobby. We also were required to rake the stage in order to give easier access to the audience in case of a fire. Truly the FDNY thought they were doing us a favor letting that corridor exist. They closed us one night when they counted seats and discovered folding chairs that put us over 99. I can’t imagine it would be any easier with a daycare center. Unless of course a neighbor with a clear shot of the street would allow an easement on their property.
I’m not sure if a sprinkler system would count as the second means in a non-residential situation.
Hire an architect. Every situation is different. There is no easy answer.
In a typical narrow (20′ lot) building with an exterior staircase to the parlor level it will be difficult as you will end up with two doors nearly side by side. In many cases it is not really possible for two means of egress directly to the street from the garden/basement level.
There are ways around the specific requirement but they are different in each case. Your architect or PE that is filing your plans will have the answers in your particular case. If they don’t know get a new architect or PE.