Weird Sprinkler Install

A while back I noticed something odd about the sprinkler system in the older part of my church. Technically it is sprinklered, but not well at all. There are not sprinklers evenly distributed throughout every room, and they are not spread throughout the halls well either. Here is an example of what the installer did:


Basically, anywhere there are sprinklers in this section of the building, they’re set up like this. First off, they’re only about a foot apart, and they’re also in the corner of the room. I’m trying to figure out why the installer did this, and how they got away with it. My best guess is that they did the bare minimum required to get insurance coverage, but that surely wouldn’t fly today (keep in mind that this was probably put in somtime from the 70’s-80’s). Other than that, I have absolutely no idea. Any other guesses? All I know is that if there was ever a fire, this part of the building wouldn’t survive.

That is a very weird setup though I am thinking if there was a fire, I don’t think that part would be totally lost but probably would be unevenly saved.