Occupant capacity of a building or space
The building regulations Approved Document B2, ‘Fire safety: Buildings other than dwellinghouses’, defines the occupant capacity of a room, storey, building or part of a building as:
- The maximum number of persons it is designed to hold; or
- The number calculated by dividing the area of room or storey(s) (m²) by a floor space factor (m² per person) such as those given in Table C1 of the approved document for guidance.
Note: The area excludes stair enclosures, lifts, sanitary accommodation and any other fixed part of the building structure (but counters and display units, etc, should not be excluded).
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