The Ontario Building Code | Corridors
3.3.2.5. corridors
(1) Except as permitted by Sentences (2) to (4), a corridor used by the public in an assembly occupancy as an access to exit shall be separated from the remainder of the floor area by a fire separation having a fire-resistance ratingnot less than 1 h.
(2) The fire-resistance rating of the fire separation required by Sentence (1) is permitted to be less than 1 h but not less than 45 min provided the fire-resistance rating required by Subsection 3.2.2. is permitted to be less than 1 h for,
(a) the floor assembly above the floor area, or
(b) the floor assembly below the floor area, if there is no floor assembly above.
(3) The fire-resistance rating required by Sentence (1) is permitted to be waived if the floor areain which the corridor is located is sprinklered.
(4) The fire separation required by Sentence (1) is permitted to be waived if the distance from any point in the floor area to an exitmeasured along the path of travel to an exit does not exceed the travel distance permitted by Article 3.4.2.5.
In Plain Language
This clause sets crowd-management related egress requirements for assembly occupancies with very high occupant loads, recognizing that extremely large crowds present unique evacuation timing challenges.
This is a plain-language summary of the 2012/2017 Ontario Building Code text above, for general understanding only and not a substitute for the Code. Always confirm current requirements against the 2024 edition (O.Reg. 163/24) or a qualified professional before construction.