When are Elevator Smoke Curtains required?

Brief:
South Beach at Long Branch is a luxury, high-rise condominium at 350 Ocean Avenue, Long Branch, NJ. The two towers of 47 residences have exterior glass walls and balconies, where their owners can enjoy panoramic ocean views and open-air.

Objective:
The client wanted to eliminate elevator lobbies by having the elevators open directly to the apartments for more privacy.

Challenge:
The eight-story building required to protect the elevator door openings per 2018 IBC §3006. Luxury, high-end apartments need high-end finishes. The design challenge was to find the perfect fire and smoke protection for the elevator hoistways without compromising the building’s elegance.

Solution:
The Elevator Fire Curtain SD has a headbox and side guides that can be completely buried and hidden by framing. For this project, skilled finish carpenters could conceal all the elevator curtain components with hardwood details, making a required life safety device virtually invisible to the building’s occupants.

Per 2018 IBC §3006, Elevator hoistway door openings connecting more than three stories must be protected by assemblies that comply with the smoke and draft control door assembly requirements and tested under UL 1784. The Elevator Fire Curtain SD is UL 10D labeled for fire-resistance and further certified to UL 1784, meeting all code requirements.