glaing Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 we have just had a design meeting and one option is removing our stalls seating, decking over it and making it a Cabaret space. I am looking for some info on fire regs regarding Cabaret seating. does anyone have a decent website.is it a local thing or national thing?I am in Glasgow. thanks for your help guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave m Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 I think that it may be local authortiy based in England? I would guess that it may not be as onerous as you think, as plenty of cabaret type events take place. assuming that you aren't having fire eaters, chainsaw jugglers..... I used to work in a place that used to do an all night Jazz Festival and changed from a traditional theatre set up to cabaret to do this.It was a modern type concert hall with seating on the flat that came apart, rather than a raked floor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 My copy of the Yellow Book isn't to hand but I suspect there'll be something in there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry davies Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Since the regulatory reform act there is very little specific instruction to fire regs right across the UK. The Scottish government guidance is more or less the same as everywhere else and the responsibilities rest with the same individuals. You just need to create new fire RA's pertaining to the new layout. If you have any stumbling blocks then, to quote Glasgow City Council;An officer from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service is seconded to work alongside colleagues in Glasgow City Council's Community Services and Strathclyde Police, to promote safer communities. There used to be a Fire Safety Centre in Pollok on 0141-882-9661. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImagineerTom Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 I've done temporary seating/licensing in Edinburgh quite a lot and Scotland has its quirks....The number of fire exits required is the same, but you will loose TONS of capacity. Scottish licensing policy seems to revolve around the absolute rules of 1.1m fire lanes and no more than 30m travel to get to a different fire zone so basically if everyone stands up and pushes their chair out so they can leave at the same time you still need to have a clear 1.1m gap route for people to follow, it will need to be clearly lit and the total travel distance from any one chair to at least 2 different fire exits would have to be no more than 30m. They also hate "loose" seating and you will find that the fire retardant ratings of loose seats (and table cloths) is much higher in this situation than fixed theatre seats or even restaurant seats. Quick napkin calculations would suggest that your seating capacity for a cabaret situation would be around 1/4 that of the same venue with fixed rows of theatre seating and that you will loose several weeks of your life getting all the paperwork in order to show that you've calculated all the possible routes, minimised the risks and that everything is in order. If you were /just/ a restaurant or /just/ a bar that had been operating with performances historically then the rules are much simpler (so called "grandfather rights") but since by the sounds of it this is a new layout in a theatrical performance space you're going to be held to the most recent regulations and practices no matter how extreme they may seem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junior8 Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 The occupancy load factors in the document linked to by Kerry are broadly the same as those in the Yellow Book with the exception that the range for the type of layout mentioned - 1 m2 up to 1.5m2 - is omitted. In practice however when it comes to reality I'd agree with Tom. I last did the calculations for this type of seating for a venue about twelve years ago and found that once I'd drawn out the actual furniture layout (and there is no other way AND it took hours) on a scale plan with all the exits marked and fire lanes allowed for capacity plummeted by the factor Tom suggests or even more. Importantly it bore no relation to the result of the initial calculation based solely on the formula! As I recall 180 seated at tables based on the initial calculation fell to around 78 - top whack 92 - in reality against a theoretical capacity of 540 had it been merely a dance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glaing Posted October 9, 2015 Author Share Posted October 9, 2015 thanks guys.we are at the embryonic stages of looking at this.and there are other considerations (how we are going to remove seats to make way for the deck to make the level space)and other cost implications. but this is a great help to be getting on with. thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsharp7th Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 It's probably obvious, but assuming you're not doing dinners, draw the tables with all chairs on one side facing the stage, rather than wedding style around the table, then tables won't have to be quite so far from each other to achieve those gangway widths. It might not need to be either/or, some cabaret tables at the front to create the atmosphere and experience, with raised fixed rows at the back to keep the numbers up can work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 If this is to watch cabaret assisted by food and drink, then having oval tables with chairs on one side fixed as an assembly, may help. Having these tiered at he old rake angle but a new step pitch may help with sightlines. Yes you are going to reduce the headcount drastically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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