The building has entryway grates a few feet in length in the vestibule of all building entrances. Since the doors are 'pull' operated and there is a very minor area of clearance from the door to the floor, it is not feasible to put mats down in the remaining few feet of the vestibule, as the doors would not clear the material. Therefore, there is bare flooring about 2-3 feet in length in the vestibule. The second door into the building has matting down immediately. Unmatted stairs lead down into the hallway, but there is 25+ feet of matting on flat areas. Will we be penalized for the few feet of bare flooring or the stairs not having matting? Thank you.
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Trista Brown
Project DirectorWSP USA
449 thumbs up
November 22, 2013 - 12:36 pm
Hi Elizabeth, I think what you're describing will be approved given the physical limitations of the space. I've submitted projects that have basically the same set up with no problem. I recommend documenting exactly what's going on with lots of photographs with captions.
Trista
Elizabeth Felder
2 thumbs up
November 24, 2013 - 7:50 pm
Thanks Trista! I think we will be able to make a good case for the way the mats are positioned as is.
Elizabeth Felder
2 thumbs up
January 24, 2014 - 1:03 pm
Hello! Thank you for the response on my previous question. We have identified another potential issue with the main building entrance. A vestibule leads into the building and immediately on the floor after the doors is a vent for mechanical equipment below that cannot be covered. Following the vent are three stairs and a 7ft surface before the next door. The issue we are having is the doors will not clear any matting placed in front of them (they open 'in'). There is matting after that would comply in the actual building lobby. My question is if you think we should aim to put any matting in the vestibule and where? It would look silly to have a 3 foot mat and then nothing before the doors. Could this pass without?
Thank you very much in advance for your help!
Trista Brown
Project DirectorWSP USA
449 thumbs up
January 26, 2014 - 9:17 pm
Hi Elizabeth, it’s a little hard to tell without seeing exactly what’s going on. But it seems to me if everyone coming through the entrance is traveling over a compliant length of mat as soon as possible after the various obstructions (doors, stairs, vents, etc), that you could still make the case that this meets the requirements. If I were in your situation, I’d provide photos with an explanation for why matting can’t be placed in certain areas. I’d also make sure that the compliant length of matting is placed directly after the obstructions, (so that they're catching pollutants as soon as possible), and note that in your application. You might also consider increasing the frequency of cleaning in the areas that can’t accommodate matting, and explain in your application that you’ve done this as an extra step for protecting air quality.
Trista