One of the Case Study questions I received was discussing a building that served as a sales center and later would serve as a community space, after the homes were sold.
When it asks, what is the occupancy classification of this structure, do we just assume the occupancy of the building is classified as its use in its final state? Or do we choose the occupancy type that’s more restrictive? Since this question is tied to other questions, this answer influences other questions in this case study. (If its a sales center it would be Mercantile, and if a community space, it would be A-3)
Hi @abiren that’s a very good question! Let’s see if our expert architect can help with this. @coachlizschneider do you mind clarifying this question for Abiren?
@abiren Can you let me know which form of our practice exam that this question shows up on? I may be able to get you a better answer.
In the meantime, generally speaking, when a space will be serving multiple functions you should go with the more restrictive use. You want to make sure that which ever way the space is used that you are meeting the code requirements.
@abiren Thanks! Yes I took a look at the scenario and the question. In this case and similar scenarios, when a space has multiple functions you want to make sure you are picking the more restrictive use. In this case that is A-3 for the community center. While initially the sales center might have a relatively low occupancy, when it is converted to a community center and used for parties or other gatherings the occupancy will be much higher. You want to make sure in its final use the space meets all of the egress and other code requirements. Otherwise the space may need to be adjusted when it is converted from a sales center to a community center.
