Building Regulations and Your Office Design or Mezzanine Floor
Generally, if you are altering the means of escape to your office or any commercial space, you will need to make a Building Regulations application to either the Local Authority or an Approved Inspector.
Alteration to the means of escape is most likely to occur because of the following:
Mezzanine Floors
When such a structure is installed in an office, warehouse or commercial building, travel distances to the nearest fire escape are inevitably affected. Once again, if the situation is carefully managed with additional monitoring, the requirements of Building Regulations can be met.
Separation and Sub Letting
This can often create a ‘room within a room’ situation which, if carefully managed, is acceptable to Building Control. The use of glass vision panels or a warning system of some kind linked to smoke and fire alarm will often satisfy statutory requirements.
Changes of Use
When walls are knocked through in buildings such as shops and offices and space is rationalised in some way, this will need to be the subject of an application.