BS Flashcard, “High Rise” definition: “A building exceeding 75 feet above grade, measured from the lowest level of fire department access to the building.”
Actual IBC 202 definition: “A building with an occupied floor located more than 75 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access.”
The difference in these two definitions is significant.
A building with an uppermost floor that was 74 feet above the lowest point of fire department vehicle access and which had 12’ ceilings and 24 feet of vertical roof structure would be a total of 100 feet tall, and would not be classified as a High Rise per IBC 202.
Conversely,
A building with an uppermost floor that was 75.1 feet above the lowest point of fire department vehicle access and which had 8’ ceilings and 4 feet of vertical roof structure would be a total of 87 feet tall, and would be classified as a High Rise.
Your two descriptions are correct - the high rise definition has to do only with floor level. Remember - IBC exists to make buildings safer. As far as life safety goes, it worries about getting people out of a building, not how tall it is beyond that. Remember to keep things practical - adding layers of complexity can quickly overcomplicate questions and material.
Thanks Joey. The reason I posted the question is because the flashcard definition doesn’t match IBC 202. The IBC definition isn’t any more complex than the BS definition, just different.
The BS definition will mislead candidates into thinking that we measure building height to determine High Rise status, when in fact we measure top floor height.
The two can be very different, and I was trying to show that difference by the way I framed the issue.