Originally Posted by
Inswingingwingman
As I taught Building and Fire Code, and was part of the enforcment process for over 10 years as an Assistant to the Fire Marshal I can clarify some things.
1. The Fire Code is a maintenance document. For existing buildings. It provided for some retrofit of buildings in Section 9, however it has squat to do with an expansion.
2. The building code calls bmo an open air facility, unless you start enclosing spaces. Putting on a roof would change the classification from A Division 4 to 3. A beer garden, unless it has a permanent roof, walls etc. is A Division 2 and thus the fire separation requirements and fire protection and egress becomes an issue. Also I don't remember exactly when they built the original structure but the insanity that doubled the water closet requirements for assembly occupancies (Ie the women got double the toilets in a recent building code change which has stopped lots of restaurants from updating or expanding), without giving any leeway to the building divisions.
So an open air non combustible structure has some lenient regulations. There are still restrictions of travel distances, and the number of fixed seats before you hit an aisle. I've been retired for quite a while but I think I remember the Fire Code (included old arenas and baseball stadiums) that you could not pass more than 15 seats to get to an aisle. Then because the stairs have to handle who's coming down you need 9mm of clear stairs per person. Then when you get to grade or level space you need 6mm per person.
The problem with adding on the top another deck that covers the lower portion of a structure gets you into an interpretation problem. If the lower deck is no longer open air you have to meet certain requirements. And that deck above needs fire protection from below.
If there is a rose in the process, it is that the code is no longer written in stone. Due to the objective based code system now in place an engineer can make something that does not conform to the existing code, but meets the objective in a broad sense. Most of the guys I worked with and still have breakfast with once a week, 2 engineers mostly retired, and a guy with a large construcion company all agree, most don't want to put a stamp on a plan that makes them vulnerable.
The private boxes are a sticky wicket. Now you have fire separation requirments, perhaps sprinklers, egress issues, handicapped access issues, elevators for assembly occupancies washrooms on that level...YIKES.
Not a lot of easy solutions. I suspect you are going to see the thing infilled, meaning they will put seats in corners. I do not know how much higher you can go without making aisles wider, nor am I really an expert on how you add the washroom facilities, or even calculate that.
The whole thing will take some fancy footwork..........