Fire Training Towers and props

[InDepth]

Anyone know the IBC code sections that Fire Department training towers fall under? Would they be classified as nonbuilding structures? Or temporary structures? The structures aren't permanently occupied and are unihabitable.

Some fire departments appear to have found a loop hole where they follow an nfpa standard and don't submit drawings for building department approval. Any insight would be appreciated, especially from those in seismic zones like California.

 

[PMR06]

I won't name our client, but we do the structural work for fire training towers and we follow the applicable BUILDING code (IBC, CBC, FBC, etc). Thankfully our client appreciates a good design and does not like to skimp via code loopholes.

 

[JAE]

I've done a tower once before - we also did what PMR06 did and followed the local building code.

It may not be considered inhabitable from a human perspective, but humans work in the building and with any structure designed for some type of human occupancy you should follow the "building" code.]

The main difference in these buildings is that you try to get the water inside to go outside of the stucture where in most buildings it is the other way around.