You are given plans for a building comprised of a new restaurant without fixed seats that is attached to a clothing store. Calculate the occupant load for the whole building based on the following information: Restaurant area = 100 feet by 125 feet; Clothing store area = 75 feet by 75 feet; Restaurant area is 15 sq ft per person; Clothing store area is 30 sq ft per person.

• A. Total occupant load is 791.
• B. Total occupant load is 833.
• C. Total occupant load is 1,020.
• D. Total occupant load is 1,500.

Answer: (C)

Occupant load is found by dividing the area of each space by the number of square feet per person for that space, then adding the results for all spaces in the building.

For the restaurant, the area is 100 ft by 125 ft, which equals 12,500 square feet. At 15 square feet per person, that gives 12,500 ÷ 15 = 833.333, so about 833 people when counting whole individuals.

For the clothing store, the area is 75 ft by 75 ft, which equals 5,625 square feet. At 30 square feet per person, that gives 5,625 ÷ 30 = 187.5, so about 187 people.

Add the two together: 833 + 187 = 1,020 people.

Thus, the total occupant load is 1,020. (Note: rounding rules can vary—some practices round up to the next whole person, which would increase the total.)