‘UPDATE’
  

 FROM: MAYS-MAUNE & ASSOCIATES, INC. 

RE: Code Change
 

Both the States of Missouri and Illinois have adopted the new building code IBC2003.  These are however being adopted at the local level an may take several months before they are adopted in your territory.

One major change is smoke containment at the elevator openings.  Right now the code offers two alternatives: Create a lobby around the elevator doors or use unsightly smoke activated swing doors. 
 

With the activated swing doors, these are unsightly and are usually obstructed with plants or decorations to hide them, rendering these completely useless.  They also are allowed to be tested with the bottom opening taped closed, but are installed in the field with 3/4" under cut at the bottom allowing substantial smoke migration onto the floor.

What is the solution?  Smoke Guard. This is a flexible magnetic smoke containment system that mounts in the ceiling area above the elevator out of view.  The flexible magentic system will adhere to a ferrous elevator frame or to rails mounted outside the frame.  This product has been approved by the ICC Evaluation Services, Inc. which determines whether products, methods, components, and material are code compliant. 

The Smoke Guard smoke containment system comes in three models - the Model 200, the Model 400, and the Model 600.  All of these models offer the designer an answer to a difficult problem.  All the models come with a rewind switch that can be activated from both sides of the screen.  The screen is also transparent enough to see through. 

Please take a moment to vistit Smoke Guard's website to learn more about this product. 
 

1. UL 1784 "Air Leakage Tests of Door Asemblies
2. UL 864 "Control Units for Fire Protective Signaling Systems"
3. ICC ES Legacy Report NER-637. Legacy Report on 2000 International Building Code® and the 2002 Accumulative Supplement, the BOCA National Code/1999, the 1999 Standard Building Code, and the 1997 Uniform Building Code™. 
4. ICC ES Legacy Report ER-4968.  Legacy Report on the 1997 Uniform Building Code™ and the 2000 International Building Code®.
5. 2000 International Building Code Section 714.2.3
6. 1997 Uniform Building Code Section 7.210
7. NFPA 105 "Installation of Smoke Control Door Assemblies"