Complex parapets and roof edges · Lesson 2 of 4

Complex parapets and roof edges: materials, standards and design constraints

Fire parapet height and noncombustible tops, coping and drainage wording by edition, ES-1 RE-3 and its limits at corners and ends, appliances, manufacturer limits as published, and movement in masonry and copper parapets.

You will be able to: State what the code and the edge-metal standards say about fire parapets, coping, testing and corners, say what ES-1 does not cover, and read a maker's published limits without moving them to another system.

11 min · 12 slides · 6 questions

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Slide 1 of 12

Fire parapets in the code

Seattle's 2021 code section 705.11, an adopted IBC-based text, requires parapets on exterior walls unless one of six exceptions applies.

On any side adjacent to a roof surface, a required parapet has noncombustible faces for the uppermost 18 in, including counterflashing and coping materials.

It must be not less than 30 in above the point where the roof surface and the wall intersect.

Sources

2021 Seattle Building Code, Chapter 7 Fire and Smoke Protection Features (section 705.11 Parapets); an adopted, IBC-based text, not the ICC model text - City of Seattle, Department of Construction and Inspections

Videos for this lesson

What this video shows: A 59-second clip from a test lab labelled as the ANSI/SPRI/FM 4435 ES-1 RE-3 methodology, with a quotation about testing systems as manufactured by a fabricator. Checked against the video's description.

Video: ANSI/SPRI ES-1 Coping Pull Off - RE-3 Test by National ES Testing Service Tunney, on YouTube. Chosen from the video's published description.

What this video shows: One maker's snap-on coping on 20 gauge galvanized anchor clips with factory stainless steel springs, custom made to job sizes. It is a clip system, shown for comparison only; its values are Hickman's. Checked against the video's description.

Video: PermaSnap Premier Coping Installation by Hickman Edge Systems, on YouTube. Chosen from the video's published description.

Glossary

RE-3: The ES-1 test method that pulls a coping on its top and face together in a ratio of 1.73 top to 1 face (ES-1-2022).
Fire parapet: A parapet that 2021 Seattle Building Code section 705.11 requires on an exterior wall unless an exception applies: at least 30 in above the point where roof surface and wall meet, with noncombustible faces for the uppermost 18 in.
Positive drainage: The code requirement that the top surface of a parapet wall drain water away rather than hold it (2021 Seattle Building Code 1503.3).
Sustained pressure: A maker's published test value for an edge system, which Drexel states the design engineer must apply a factor of safety to.
Appliance: Equipment such as an air terminal (lightning rod), sign or antenna attached on or near an edge system, which the proposed ED-1 says may compromise the edge.