For the practice test case study:
An architect is designing a building that will initially serve as a sales center for the houses in a new neighborhood.
After the houses are sold and the sales center is no longer needed, the space will become a community center and gathering space for residents of the neighborhood.
The test question is:
The occupancy load of the gathering space must be calculated.
How many square feet should be allotted per occupant?
The test answer is 5 SF based on the Assembly; however, why would it not be 100 SF based on the use as a business?
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Hey @dwachtveitl1,
Without seeing all the context around this question, I’d guess the answer says 5SF because it’s the most restrictive option. Because it will eventually be an assembly space, we’d need to account for egress based on SF x occupant load, and we’d need to plan for the worst case scenario (assembly space, in this example). Does that answer your question?
There really isn’t much else for context…A previous question asks what the occupancy classification is, but I’m torn as obviously as the assembly use (though converted later) would have 5Sf/occupant, if it were a business (selling the units) would it not be 100 SF/person?
Gotcha. I see what you’re saying, in the immediate use, it would be business, but because the question phrases it as “the occupancy load of the gathering space”, I would lean toward assembly over business. On the exam itself the questions should be much clearer for whether you need to calculate for business or assembly. I think your thought process shows that you know where to find the right answer and you’re thinking through the question fully. 