Knowing what is the capacity you have available is something basic and crucial when starting and setting up your own premises in any field. Knowing the capacity of your premises and maintaining order with respect to this, will help you not only to avoid the possibility of being fined unnecessarily but also give you the necessary peace of mind to know that there is not and can not be any problem with respect to the mismanagement of your premises.
In this article we will take a closer look at this issue. We will show you some basic formulas that will help you calculate this, as well as review the many technological devices capable of carrying out a count of attendees at your event.
A common doubt that arises when opening a business is to know how to calculate the capacity of a local. It is not the same to know how many people fit in a local to how many people fit legally, that is to say: its capacity.
In addition, knowing the maximum capacity of the premises will help you to evaluate the income and benefits that the business can reach.
Precisely for this reason, in this article we are going to explain what is the real capacity of a venue and the importance of accounting for it.
And as we have pointed out before, it is not the number of people that fit in your premises but the maximum number of people that enter it within legal margins, so as to ensure optimal conditions of both safety and comfort to the attendees in compliance with the maximum capacity of the premises.
Therefore, capacity is understood as the maximum number of people that can legally access the premises simultaneously for safety and/or health reasons.
Public administrations have the duty to ensure the safety of people and therefore the Fire Department of each city controls it, however, its legal calculation is governed by the Technical Building Code (CTE) which we will detail below along with the formula for calculating the capacity of a local.
After the difficult post-pandemic stage in which practically everything meant being exposed to the virus, very restrictive and at the same time effective measures of maximum capacity were imposed, which greatly conditioned both the supply and demand of restaurants and, in general, entertainment venues. The capacity was limited up to 50% of the capacity of these premises.
These restrictions, although effective, have left their mark on society as we know it today. Since then, the regulation of these spaces has been much more strictly enforced, and even society itself has developed special caution and respect for the capacity.
How do you measure the capacity of a venue?
You can find out the maximum capacity of the premises according to the rules and criteria stipulated in the Basic Document of the CTE called “Fire Safety Section No.3 (SI3)”, in its section Occupant Evacuation, which establishes the occupancy rates per square meter depending on the classification of the use of the premises, which you can consult here.
In it you will see that number of people per square meter is quantified. To calculate the capacity you must take into account the value defined for each room.
A significant fact to take into account is that to calculate the capacity, we must do it on the useful surface and not on the total. That is to say, the usable space, the partitions, pillars, walls and constructed elements such as the bar, do not have to be counted. This is something to note, since when looking at premises we almost always talk about total surface areas.
In general, according to the occupancy parameter of the Technical Building Code, in areas for seated spectators with seats defined in the project is 1 person/seat, in areas for standing spectators 0.25, in discotheques 0.5, in lobbies 2.
At the time of a business transfer, being this a business of public concurrence (as it is the case of bars, cinemas, stores, etc.) or to change the ownership, you have to communicate it it the Town hall and to request it through the elaboration of a set of documents, where the certificate of local capacity enters.
The certificate of local capacity is a basic document that determines the number of people that fit per m2 depending on the activity of the premises. It is calculated by dividing the surface area by the value assigned for each of the activities (as shown in DB SI 3 Section 3) and if by any chance the number appears in decimal, it is rounded up.
Once you open the doors of your premises we advise you to have a method to count the people entering and leaving to ensure control of the maximum permitted capacity and ensure the safety of your customers.
At Premiumguest we are experts in capacity control. Thanks to our system you will be able to:
Now that you know more about the maximum capacities and how to calculate them, it’s time to take the next step: control the capacity of your venue.
At Premiumguest we are ready to do it together with you.