Monday, April 1, 2013

Carlisle Church Closed in and Headed Towards Completion


        A start day delayed by challenges with the site plan permitting has resulted in a late March delivery date. Working closely with the General Contractor the project has remained at the budget, an important requirement of the church. The Church Community is increasingly pleased as they see the building nearing completion, and is anxious to have their first service in the new sanctuary.

Jan 2013



Jan 2013
  

Feb 2013


Feb 2013


Feb 2013


Charlotte Building department talking Racking

 
    Glen attended the box lunch series program on racking. The Plan review folks and inspectors are requiring more information on drawings submitted for permits. The following are some of the KEY take-aways from the meeting.
  • Does an old sprinkler system have the capacity for high stacking and narrower aisles?
  •  Does the new layout meet emergency exit requirements and travel distances?
  • Are adequate exit signs and battery white exiting lights in the design or space?
  • What is the condition of racks if used racking is part of an installation? Bent and damaged components must be repaired and strengthened if incorporated.
  • All racking must be bolted to the floor, and the bolts must be compliant with the design shown  on  the permit drawings, including size and number of bolts.
  •  Do the current adjacent tenant spaces still meet all fire safety requirements?
  • The inspectors will be looking for signs of improvements or renovations that do not appear code compliant.
  •  The inspectors will also be looking for missing rails, which are a sign that parking lot overlays have changed the lowest riser.
  • Missing or damaged roof drainage systems components that may be putting  water on stairways.
  •  Added canopies that block lighting.
       SAA has included this information on our plans for a while and always walks through a space to look for items that will trigger a difficult inspection. Call us, we can assist you with these issues.

Adding an Accessible Compliant Entry

With some businesses downsizing, many landlords are getting back parts of a large building or tenant space. Generally the original tenant wants to keep the offices and front door.
         We have designed a new entry for just such a condition. The project that led to this design was made more challenging by the fact that it was an area where the finish floor was 5 feet higher than the exterior grade. The landlord didn’t want to lose any more space than absolutely necessary, leading SAA to develop this design. It used an exterior chair lift to accomplish compliance (It is important to note that this type of lift is only acceptable when retrofitting an existing building).