The Code Corner Openings Part 2

by: Ronald L. Geren, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA, SCIP In Part 1, the importance of protecting openings was addressed with a focus on interior windows and doors. But opening protection is not limited to interior construction; openings in exterior walls are also subject to protection. Openings in Exterior Walls Protection requirements for openings located in exterior walls are determined in a manner completely different than that for interior openings. One of the most notable differences is that just because an exterior wall is required to be of fire-resistive construction does not mean that openings in that same wall are required to be protected. Fire-resistive requirements for exterior walls are determined in Chapter 6 of theInternational Building Code(IBC)¹. Table 601 sets the fire-resistive construction for exterior bearing and nonbearing walls based on construction type. For nonbearing walls, Table 601 references Table 602, which determines the fire-resistance rating based on three factors: fire separation distance, type of construction, and occupancy group. The fire-resistance rating for exterior bearing walls will vary from 1 hour for Type VB construction to 3 hours for Type IA construction, but according to footnote Ïf of Table 601, the fire-resistance rating cannot be less than that required by Table 602. Therefore, if Table 601 indicates that the rating for the exterior bearing wall is 1 hour and Table 602 requires the same wall to be 2 hours, Table 602 governs, and the wall must be of 2-hour fire-resistive construction. Read more...