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Originally Posted by r18tdi
We're getting OT here, but I remember hearing someone say once that the executive suites at Chase Tower was on like the 16th floor because that the highest floor a hook-and-ladder fire truck could still reach. Does anyone know if that's true, or just a Chicago architecture urban legend?
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In the situation where a hook-and-ladder truck is required for evacuation, what are the people supposed to do on the 17th floor and upwards? If this were true, then the building would be capped at only 16 stories. Fire codes don't prioritize executives over other building occupants.
Highrises rely on redundant and heavily armored/smokeproofed stairwells to ensure that everybody can escape in the event of a fire. They also rely on sprinkler systems to ensure that a small fire does not turn into a large one that threatens lives. Because of these things, highrise fires are very rare so the system works well.
There may be other reasons that the executives are on the 16th floor - since the tower tapers, the executives might need to be on that floor to get the space they require on a larger floorplate. Non-tapering towers don't have this problem, because most floorplates are basically the same size all the way up. I could also see a situation where an Assembly occupancy (auditorium, conference center, etc) would be limited to lower floors, since these often require more than two stairwells based on the sheer volume of people and a ladder evac might be required to supplement the stairs.