Find every opening in a smoke barrier or smoke partition on the life safety plan, then confirm the door schedule, hardware set, frame, and gasketing describe a smoke assembly at each one. AI can flag document conflicts; the architect and hardware consultant confirm compliance.
What does NFPA 105 cover?
NFPA 105 is the Standard for Smoke Door Assemblies and Other Opening Protectives. NFPA describes it as prescribing minimum requirements for smoke door assemblies used to provide safety to life and protection of property from smoke.
NFPA’s official NFPA 105 page identifies the 2025 edition as current when checked on October 1, 2026. Confirm the edition, local amendments, and project scope that actually govern the work. The publisher’s newest edition does not establish local adoption.
The adopted building code and life safety code decide which walls are smoke barriers or smoke partitions and whether their doors must be smoke assemblies. Record that basis and keep it separate from fire ratings: a door can be fire-rated, smoke-rated, both, or neither. Fire-rated openings follow the NFPA 80 opening review.
Bring the plan, schedule, and hardware together
Collect the life safety plan or smoke partition plan, architectural floor plans, the door schedule, hardware sets, frame and door details, the door and hardware specifications, and the fire alarm documents that show hold-open release or door control.
Confirm that door numbers match across the plan, schedule, and hardware sets. A renumbered door or a hardware set reassigned during design is a common reason a smoke opening loses its gasketing or closer on paper.
Check each smoke opening across the documents
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke barrier openings | Life safety plan, floor plans, door tags | List every door in a smoke barrier or partition and confirm each has a schedule entry. |
| Schedule designation | Door schedule rating column, remarks, legend | Identify smoke openings scheduled without a smoke designation. |
| Gasketing and seals | Hardware sets, door details, specifications | Confirm each smoke opening receives the seals the design calls for. |
| Closing and latching | Hardware sets, door operation notes | Check that closers, latching, and any automatic operation match the door’s role. |
| Hold-open release | Fire alarm plans, hardware sets, sequence | Trace held-open doors to the release signal that closes them. |
| Glazing and louvers | Door elevations, glazing schedule, door details | Identify louvers or glazing in a smoke door that the design did not address. |
Use the door hardware specification guide to compare hardware sets with the specification, and the door schedule checklist to log each opening.
Example: a corridor door loses its smoke seals
Hypothetical example. The life safety plan shows a smoke partition across a hospital corridor with a pair of doors. The door schedule marks the pair as smoke-rated, but the hardware set assigned to it was changed to a set without gasketing or a coordinator during the last revision.
The door schedule designates this corridor pair as a smoke assembly, while its current hardware set includes no smoke seals or coordinator. Please confirm the intended hardware and coordinate the schedule and hardware set.
The hardware consultant reassigns the correct set and the architect reissues the schedule. The mismatch is a document conflict; the listed assembly and the AHJ’s inspection establish compliance.
Review smoke door assemblies with Groundbook
Upload the current project PDFs and relevant specifications to Groundbook. Identify the governing issues and add the applicable NFPA 105 reference from a copy you are licensed to use, where the license permits uploading it. State the edition, amendments, review area, and known exclusions in your instructions.
Compare the smoke barrier and smoke partition openings on the life safety plan with the door schedule, hardware sets, door details, and fire alarm door release documents. Flag smoke openings without a smoke designation, seals, closers, or release. Use the supplied NFPA 105 reference where applicable and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the plan, schedule row, and hardware set behind it. Confirm the door number and revision before sending a question to the architect or hardware consultant.
Document review does not test leakage, certify a listed assembly, or inspect installed doors. Those remain with the manufacturer, the installer, the inspector, and the authority having jurisdiction.