I have written about double-egress cross-corridor pairs in health care smoke barriers before (type 3b in this article and also in this Decoded article), but a specific question came up recently:
Is an astragal required for double-egress cross-corridor pairs in health care smoke barriers?
My immediate response was “yes!” but it turned out to be more of a maybe – it really depends on which code the doors are required to comply with.
According to the International Building Code (IBC), one of the requirements for these doors is:
The doors shall have head and jamb stops, and astragals or rabbets at meeting edges.
That’s where my “yes” came from. There is even an image in the IBC Commentary to illustrate what rabbets and astragals are. –>
Since most health care facilities are required to comply with NFPA 101 – Life Safety Code, often in addition to the IBC, I checked the LSC to find the same requirement. To my surprise, the section addressing smoke barrier doors in health care states:
Rabbets, bevels, or astragals shall be required at the meeting edges of pairs of doors.
Annex A clarifies that split astragals (2 pieces of meeting stile gasketing) are also considered astragals.
WAIT – rabbets, bevels OR astragals? I spend most of my time in the IBC so I hadn’t noticed this difference in the 101 requirements before. I’m so conditioned to provide an astragal for this application (rabbets aren’t very common these days), that I asked NFPA staff for their take on it to make sure I wasn’t missing something. I sent a link to an old post showing parallel bevels on double-egress pairs, and asked if this type of bevel would be compliant with NFPA 101.
The staff member confirmed that the parallel bevels are permitted, and a smoke seal is not required for smoke barrier doors, but the gap between the doors needs to be minimized to restrict the spread of smoke through the opening.
Most of these doors in new or recently-constructed facilities will be installed with astragals, because of the IBC requirement. But unless the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has a special requirement that I have not seen (this is not typical), the doors would not require astragals in order to comply with NFPA 101. This could be very important during the inspection of an existing health care facility.
If you have had experience with this – especially related to a Joint Commission inspection – please share your insight in the reply box!
Image: IBC Commentary
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Hello Lori,
Healthcare occupancy
Our required codes IBC, NFPA 101, CMS
Rabbets, bevels, or astragals shall be required at the meeting edges of pairs of doors.
So what I understand, you still would have to use one of these options correct?
Rabbets, bevels, or astragals
It doesn’t have to be a astragal it could be one of the other options but it would have to be one of them?
Hi Terry –
The IBC says astragals or rabbets, so you would have to have one of those to comply with the IBC. If you only have to comply with NFPA 101, then any of the 3 would be acceptable according to NFPA staff. The AHJ may have a different interpretation.
– Lori
Hello Lori,
Healthcare occupancy
Our required codes: IBC, NFPA 101, CMS
Application: Smoke barrier doors
What is the different requirements for single egress vs double egress pairs of doors used in a smoke barrier, you here all about double egress but nothing about single egress smoke barrier doors in healthcare facilities.
Terry
Hi Terry –
Both of the model codes specifically reference double-egress pairs in smoke barriers, although NFPA 101-2012 allows single doors in certain situations. The IBC exempts double-egress pairs in smoke barriers from the requirement for a fire rating but does not mention single doors, so the conservative interpretation of the IBC would be that if there was a single door in a smoke barrier, it would need to be a fire door meeting the requirements of NFPA 80.
Here are the applicable code sections:
IBC 2021
709.5 Openings. Openings in a smoke barrier shall be protected in accordance with Section 716.
Exceptions:
1. In Group I-1, Condition 2, Group I-2 and ambulatory care facilities, where a pair of opposite-swinging doors are installed across a corridor in accordance with Section 709.5.1, the doors shall not be required to be protected in accordance with Section 716. The doors shall be close fitting within operational tolerances, and shall not have a center mullion or undercuts in excess of 3/4 inch (19.1 mm), louvers or grilles. The doors shall have head and jamb stops, and astragals or rabbets at meeting edges. Where permitted by the door manufacturer’s listing, positive-latching devices are not required. Factory-applied or field-applied protective plates are not required to be labeled.
2. In Group I-1, Condition 2, Group I-2 and ambulatory care facilities, special purpose horizontal sliding, accordion or folding doors installed in accordance with Section 1010.3.3 and protected in accordance with Section 716.
NFPA 101-2012
18.3.7.6* Doors in smoke barriers shall be substantial doors, such as 1 3/4 in. (44 mm) thick, solid-bonded wood-core doors, or shall be of construction that resists fire for a minimum of 20 minutes, and shall meet the following requirements:
(1) Non-rated factory- or field-applied protective plates, unlimited in height, shall be permitted.
(2) Cross-corridor openings in smoke barriers shall be protected by a pair of swinging doors or a horizontal-sliding door complying with 7.2.1.14, unless otherwise permitted by 18.3.7.7.
(3) The swinging doors addressed by 18.3.7.6(2) shall be arranged so that each door swings in a direction opposite from the other.
(4) The minimum clear width for swinging doors shall be as follows:
(a) Hospitals and nursing homes — 41 1/2 in. (1055 mm)
(b) Psychiatric hospitals and limited care facilities — 32 in. (810 mm)
(5) The minimum clear width opening for horizontal-sliding doors shall be as follows:
(a) Hospitals and nursing homes — 6 ft 11 in. (2110 mm)
(b) Psychiatric hospitals and limited care facilities — 64 in. (1625 mm)
(6) The clearance under the bottom of smoke barrier doors shall not exceed 3/4 in. (19 mm).
18.3.7.7 Cross-corridor openings in smoke barriers that are not in required means of egress from a health care space shall be permitted to be protected by a single-leaf door.
18.3.7.8* Doors in smoke barriers shall comply with 8.5.4 and all of the following:
(1) The doors shall be self-closing or automatic-closing in accordance with 18.2.2.2.7.
(2) Latching hardware shall not be required.
(3) Stops shall be required at the head and sides of door frames.
(4) Rabbets, bevels, or astragals shall be required at the meeting edges of pairs of doors.
(5) Center mullions shall be prohibited.
18.3.7.9* Vision panels consisting of fire-rated glazing in approved frames shall be provided in each cross-corridor swinging door and at each cross-corridor horizontal-sliding door in a smoke barrier.
18.3.7.10 Vision panels in doors in smoke barriers, if provided, shall be of fire-rated glazing in approved frames.
For existing health care, NFPA 101-2012 is less specific:
19.3.7.6 Openings in smoke barriers shall be protected using one of the following methods:
(1) Fire-rated glazing
(2) Wired glass panels in steel frames
(3) Doors, such as 1 3/4 in. (44 mm) thick, solid-bonded wood-core doors
(4) Construction that resists fire for a minimum of 20 minutes.
19.3.7.6.1* Non-rated factory- or field-applied protective plates, unlimited in height, shall be permitted.
19.3.7.6.2 Doors shall be permitted to have fixed fire window assemblies in accordance with Section 8.5.
I hope this helps!
– Lori