How Are Building Occupant Loads Determined? | ARTiculations

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Ever wonder how a room or building occupant load is calculated? Here's a general overview of how it's done.
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Sources and Further Reading:
International Building Code: codes.iccsafe.org/public/docu...
Ontario Building Code: buildingcode.online/115.html
The Maximum Occupant Load in the Building Code - Not a Maximum: evstudio.com/the-maximum-occup...
How Architecture Regulates: www.governingwithcode.org/jour...
Music:
Background Inspirational by Nazar Rybak
Licensed Under CC BY 3.0
(www.hooksounds.com/royalty-fr...)
Keywords:
occupant load, occupant capacity, egress, exit, exiting, life safety, means of egress, occupancy sign, maximum capacity, people, crowded rooms, architecture, interior design, sanitary fixtures, building codes, IBC, National Building Code of Canada, NBCC, OBC, area, square footage, art gallery, office, meeting room, auditorium, meeting room, mixed occupancy, load factor, fire protection, sprinkler, fire alarm, corridors, doors, doorway, exit access, drinking fountain, urinals, emergency, building permit, circulation, lavatory, washroom, restroom, toilet, Education, youtube EDU
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[@bepsiman7758]

I'm so glad this video exists, explaining basic IBC and similar to end users is often very difficult. Especially if they don't want to listen and don't want to read IBC because it's too complicated and boring.

[@stevedoe1630]

As someone who works with regulatory compliance every day... 1. knowing the content of the standard is good 2. knowing the specific location of a specific standard is better 3. knowing the intention of the standards is best 4. getting the Builder/Owner (client) to “want” to meet the standard is divine.

[@Speed001]

#4 bribe them.

[@joelmulder]

I'm so happy i found this channel (through Tom Scott), your videos are awesome!

[@UFBMusic]

This is the second of your videos on exit signs that I've watched back to back, and yet I cannot turn away!

[@lancelovecraft5913]

wow so informative thank you. I work in an office space and there is a sign with max occupancy on it I read daily. I always wondered how it was calculated. I always wanted to fill the room up to the max level of occupants and see what would happen

[@1book1review]

Really enjoying this series :)

[@airforce1747]

Thank you for making these videos!

[@RegisNdeTene]

Wowowow Now I can finally make some decent sense out of this after 4 years of looking at it. Efforts much appreciated.

[@95GuitarMan13]

A dry topic but you presented it well, keep it up!

[@mikefournier8263]

Covered a lot of topics in a short time ...great presentation . I am looking for some light training videos to train some maintenance personnel ,and this video is a great asset for us !! Thanks !!

[@lancelovecraft5913]

wow so indicative thank you. I work in an office space that feels small but I read the max occupancy sign and wondered how they came up with that number. I had always wanted to pack the room in with the max load and see what would happen

[@timchanux]

Very interesting, enjoy your video a lot!

[@LuisSanabriaRodriguez]

Excelent video!

[@blancotur]

Well done!

[@exbreezyboy]

This packs so much important architectural design knowledge in 8 minutes. I've often argued it doesn't matter how pretty a building is if you dont have access to a bathroom or can't get out in a emergency... love your work. Any chance you could include more millimeters instead of inches for your non American viewers pretty please :)?

[@Speed001]

Both would be cool.

[@aliataqi2595]

This was a great video! Question: is it important to calculate occupant load for an existing building as you are adding more people to the space/programs?

[@MeowTalesLafayetteBibi]

nice video!

[@nicekid76]

Where were you during my 2nd semester of college!

[@ARTiculations]

Lol I probably also didn’t know how occupant loads worked at all back then xD

[@KannikCat]

Nice video! I take an unusual amount of pleasure from Chapter 10 and exiting drawings and calcs. ;) I also very much trumpet life safety... and remember, values therein are just minimums, you can always go more! (And sometimes have to, for example to meet the ADA requirements). I'm curious how you find the NRC's NBCoC compared to the IBC -- I've not looked at the NBCoC in a very long time, how do the two match or not? (and you can limit this to just exiting to keep it from being to broad a question :)

[@ARTiculations]

I find the NBC a lot simpler. There are less categories in the load factor table and of course - I prefer metric lol. I also like how NBC doesn’t mandate sex segregation in restrooms - the way it’s written makes it optional. But I do like how the IBC lists occupancy groups - where A is Assembly, B is business, M is mercantile, etc. Whereas the NBC has C for Assembly, E for Mercantile, D for Business or whatever. So confusing lol.

[@robertyoung1777]

Redundancy is important with respect to exits and bathroom. I’ve worked in older buildings where it’s not uncommon for toilet rooms and exits to be out of service because if breakdowns and service.

[@marccalderon3701]

It's a great video

[@HarukiYamamoto]

Subscribed

[@chrisbroemel5508]

Why do some many restrooms open inward after I've washed my hands? I'd rather push it open with my foot on the way out. I'm sure it's a common question. LOVE your video!

[@ARTiculations]

Yes this is a good question. They open in because swinging out will likely encroach into the clear width of the hallway - you don’t want to swing the door open and hit somebody walking in the hall. But if there is enough safe clearance - I agree it should swing out to make exiting easier. Alternatively - a push button would also be a good solution to avoid having to touch the door handle.

[@omegarex909]

Thumbs up 👍🏽

[@kamanama3671]

I was 16 years old so many years ago and I went to a nightclub on Halloween night in costume underage. It was my first time ever going out like that. I was so incredibly nervous that I noticed the occupancy sign and it said 1,200 and I knew there were more than 1,200 people in the building. So little smart-ass sixteen-year-old me, looked at the doorman when he tried to card me and I pointed to the sign going there's way more people then this here. Turns out the owner was standing right next to him. He told the guy to take me to the bar and buy me a drink. And all because of the occupancy sign. Not only did I get in underage on Halloween night but I got my first drink. It was awesome!

[@nochatter7134]

Finally, someone explained this to me lol

[@minhaaj21sadaf]

you made my working hours in half for next week ...... thanks

[@nephildevil]

funny how you get caught up in toilet room details 🤣🤣

[@oswald2358]

👍

[@MateusSFigueiredo]

2:11 - why would I want to make smaller the maximum number of people allowed?

[@BellevilleDrivers]

Your building then gets to take advantage of the more lax requirements. Often saving on maintenance and operating costs.

[@ToxNano]

Why does the "International Building Code" use non international units?

[@ARTiculations]

Because ‘Merica. Lol.

[@blurryme6915]

Can you do a chiaroscuro video

[@ARTiculations]

Great idea. But I do feel like Smarthistory has done a good video on that already I don't have much more to add: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqO4q6Geo7uXaNU

[@joanclayton5212]

"All you do is pick wallpaper color"..... No, I'm indirectly responsible for keeping you safe, making life easier and sometimes just outright saving your life. You're welcome.

[@stevedoe1630]

Do you know the approximate year, or decade, buildings are grandfathered for the egress swing out rule? It always tickles me, in a nerd way, when I enter an old building and have to “push-in” the main door to enter the building. I always think, “This building is pretty old.”

[@ryanmora8379]

why occupancy load is regulated by municipality? please answer that question, i am from another country and i am doing a investigation

[@ARTiculations]

Because that usually how laws in United States and Canada works - the federal government give local governments some autonomy to set their own laws.

[@larrywhitlock8755]

Do building codes define what is meant by the words "woman" and "women"? Do building codes require urinals for trans-women (who have yet to transition) in restrooms specifically designed for women (whatever is meant by the word)? How do building codes determine the number - and type - of fixtures required for non-binary anthropomorphic individuals?

[@joshs4128]

At 1:54 you meant 200. Not 20.

[@tbinyt]

what's up with all the squirming?

[@parijatchoudhury2723]

If its not functional, its aesthetics!

[@MateusSFigueiredo]

I thought you were Canadian. Why are you talking in inches?

[@95GuitarMan13]

Canada's building industry has not fully committed to the metric system, all government projects use SI units but most contractors and design firms still use imperial unless required by a client.

[@rozinant1237]

Most construction materials in Canada are still sold in Imperial units, our trading partner to the south ensures this.

[@hedgehog3180]

I wanna know who measured how long it on average takes for people to pee.

[@rozinant1237]

In Canada the National Building code is partially created by the NRC (National Research council) It is there job to study these things.

[@peterrafeiner9461]

Which place of Education runs an audio loop in the background during lectures? Ah... so why do so many infotainment videos on KZbin feel the need to borrow from MTV? Annoying and distracting. Did not finish watching an otherwise interesting topic. :-(