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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• Approved document B.
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• Gross floor area.
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• International Property Measurement Standards.
• Minimum space standards.
• Net internal area NIA.
• Total useful floor area.