Gross occupant load factor is:

Gross occupant load factor is:

• A. Calculated for the building by sections.
• B. The net factor minus unusable space.
• C. Used in occupancies where there will be higher concentrations of people.
• D. Measured wall to wall.

Answer: (D)

Occupant load factor shows how many square feet are allowed per person, and the gross version uses the entire floor area bounded by the exterior walls. In other words, you measure from one exterior wall to the opposite exterior wall—the full wall-to-wall floor area—without subtracting spaces for closets, fixtures, or corridors. That’s why gross occupant load factor is defined by wall-to-wall area. The other ideas describe a net approach (subtracting unusable spaces) or aren’t about how the area is defined or used, so they don’t capture what gross occupant load factor represents.

Occupant load factor shows how many square feet are allowed per person, and the gross version uses the entire floor area bounded by the exterior walls. In other words, you measure from one exterior wall to the opposite exterior wall—the full wall-to-wall floor area—without subtracting spaces for closets, fixtures, or corridors. That’s why gross occupant load factor is defined by wall-to-wall area.

The other ideas describe a net approach (subtracting unusable spaces) or aren’t about how the area is defined or used, so they don’t capture what gross occupant load factor represents.