By Monty Lieber
Q: I live in an apartment building with balconies, and I was wondering if you could let me know if there is any way of knowing how many people I can have on my balcony at one time. This is the first time I’ve found family and friends to attend a party, and I want to make sure they’ll be safe during the holidays. Also, there are spaces between the railings, and I’m very worried about the kids who will be attending the party. Is there a way to tell if I should limit the balcony to adults or not? What is the general rule?
a. Good question! Answering requires a number of other questions to be asked and answered to determine your safety concern. Keep in mind that newer buildings are built with stricter requirements, while older buildings may have maintenance problems – especially buildings near the perimeter – and may not have been repaired in decades. So you must know the age and location.
If you know that your building has been well maintained, age may not be a big concern. Other than unusual items such as cars and swimming pools, one of the heaviest things that buildings are designed for is paper, in filing cabinets and bookshelves, so libraries must be more robust to withstand such large loads as large shelves, shelves, stacks of books and papers. The load design required for balconies is the same as libraries: 100 pounds per square foot.
Balconies must not only withstand the weight of people, but also their own, heavy snow or ice, accompanied by high winds, without twisting. Usually, the people gathering on the balcony should be similar to the people gathering in the living room inside, and it is rare to see people huddled together in such a limited space without breathing room. You have to use common sense, and social distancing means you can restrict people to be within a foot or more of if desired.
Again, it’s rare to see people crammed into such a tight space, but it can happen if everyone is rushed to see something happening outside, like a fireworks display, for example. A safety factor of 100 psi will generally hold up, but only if other maintenance conditions are met.
For balcony railings, the maximum distance between vertical or horizontal railing, or railing opening, is 4 inches, and for good reason: Babies’ heads, from birth, are the largest part of their bodies, with a diameter greater than 4 inches. As they grow up, their bodies catch up in proportion. Although their bodies might squeeze through the space between the handrails, their heads generally wouldn’t. A child should never be on a balcony without a responsible adult, but it does happen, and the rail space will at least protect the child from falling. happy vacation!
© 2021 Monte Libre. Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.
.