Architectural Designs

Can you put a skylight in the top of a firestair?

I am designing a four story building that is 15' wide by 116' long, with 3 retail/commercial spaces and 8-10 studio and loft apartments and I need two firestairs. I want to be able to allow natural light into the space and vent out hot air (and smoke if there is a fire). Am I able to add this while still following fire stair building codes? This is for a hypothetical project in toronto canada

Public Comments

1. Only your local building codes can tell you. See the building code and plan inspecting department of your town/city/county/state/country. http://law.justia.com/newyork/codes/multiple-residence/mre0108_108.html is one from a Google search.
2. You will need to get the plans approved by your local planning department anyway. They are usually happy to answer questions up front rather than go through the hassle of formally rejecting a planning application and making you resubmit it, so ask them. The main problem with "venting out hot air and smoke" from the top of a fire stair is, you just turned the fire stair into a chimney for people to climb down while the fire is burning up it. Fires just LOVE chimneys. A better idea is not to let any smoke and hot air into the fire stair in the first place, by using double fire doors, etc.