Criteria for design of smoke control systems for atria are relatively clearly expressed in current codes such as Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc. (BOCA) and the Uniform Building Code (UBC). It is worth noting, however, that the need to provide smoke control originates in the Building Code sections of BOCA and the UBC, and not in the Mechanical Code sections.
The implications of this simple, seemingly mundane fact may not be immediately apparent, especially to designers in engineering offices who are charged with the day-to-day execution of smoke control system design. They may be unaware that the best solution to a smoke control problem may, in fact, have more to do with the architectural design of the atrium itself than with any mechanical system that could be provided.