- Business Group B occupancy (業務系) includes the use of a building or structure, or a portion thereof, for office, professional, or service-type transactions, including storage of records and accounts.
- Group B occupancy includes, among others, the use of a building or structure, or a portion thereof, for office, professional or service-type transactions, including storage of records and accounts.
- Under the Japanese Building Standards Law (BSL), there is no direct equivalent to the IBC Group B (Business Occupancy) as a single category. Instead, business-related uses are classified based on their function and primary activities.
- These occupancies typically fall under the following categories: Offices, Banks, Government Offices, Medical Clinics, Private Educational Institutes, Research Laboratories, and Miscellaneous Commercial Facilities.
IBC Business occupancies shall include, but not be limited to the following:
- Airport traffic control towers
- Ambulatory care facilities
- Animal hospitals, kennels and pounds
- Banks
- Barber and beauty shops
- Car wash
- Civic administration
- Clinic, outpatient
- Dry cleaning and laundries: pick-up and delivery stations and self-service
- Educational occupancies for students above the 12th grade
- Electronic data processing
- Food processing establishments and commercial kitchens not associated with restaurants, cafeterias and similar dining facilities not more than 2,500 square feet (232 m2) in area.
- Laboratories: testing and research
- Motor vehicle showrooms
- Post offices
- Print shops
- Professional services (architects, attorneys, dentists, physicians, engineers, etc.)
- Radio and television stations
- Telephone exchanges
- Training and skill development not in a school or academic program (this shall include, but not be limited to, tutoring centers, martial arts studios, gymnastics and similar uses regardless of the ages served, and where not classified as a Group A occupancy)
Japanese BSL Equivalents
- 事務所 (Jimusho) → Offices
- 銀行 (Ginkō) → Banks
- 行政機関 (Gyōsei kikan) → Government Offices
- 診療所 (Shinryōjo) → Medical Clinics
- 学習塾 (Gakushūjuku) → Private Educational Institutes
- 研究所 (Kenkyūjo) → Research Laboratories
- その他の商業施設 (Sonota no Shōgyō Shisetsu) – Miscellaneous Commercial Facilities
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Key Differences:
- BSL does not use a generic “B” category but instead separates buildings into office, financial, medical, and educational facilities.
- BSL enforces stricter fireproofing (耐火建築物) for high-rise office buildings and imposes zoning restrictions for commercial districts.
- BSL prioritizes seismic resilience in business buildings, particularly for emergency operations and corporate headquarters.
- Both codes prioritize emergency evacuation planning, but BSL includes stricter zoning controls for business districts.