Mixed Occupancy - Assignment Example

Throughout the world, the governments of developed countries circulate regulations for building constructors. They are bound to obey the regulations. When a building is going to be designed according to the code, the basic plan is to determine the protection of the adjacent building. Mixed occupancy means a common building divided into more than one portion, each portion may be used for different functions such as living place, market, office, etc.

All the portions are called separate and distinct occupancies. Mixed occupancy buildings come under the strict control of the formulae issued by the building department. According to these formulae, if out of two occupancies, one covers a greater area and is much higher, the area and height of the other occupancy must be lesser. These formulae actually help to check the load of fire. Separated occupancies resist firing, this resistance is measured in hours. The better-concreted separation wall will take more hours to reach the adjacent building.

When there is two or more occupancy classification within the same building usually the occupancy separations are present. There are three cases of mixed occupancy; 1- Individual occupancy may have a firewall (area separation wall) so each will be considered as a separate building. Each separate building is independent of the other because each has to obey the code for its own height and area. These occupancies actually are not mixed ones in a real sense. 2- There is no occupancy separation wall.

The building contains two or more occupancies. 3- Occupancy separation is present and the building comes under the category of a truly mixed building. (Scott & James G., 2008)