Join AIA Baltimore’s Committee on the Environment (COTE) for a lively discussion about newly-implemented single-stair reform featuring Julian Frost, LEED AP O+M; City Councilman Ryan Dorsey; and Dustin Watson, AIA.

Twentieth Century building and zoning codes made walkable cities much more difficult to build. In doing so, they cause many people to live in less healthy environments—as per the strong evidence that walkable places contribute to health, social interactions, and other benefits. The latest code detail to gain attention is the requirement, common in the US, that multifamily buildings have two stairwells. Adopted for fire protection, the two-stair rule is less needed because of modern advancements in fire safety and building materials. For most of the world outside of the US, single-stair buildings are standard. European cities owe much of their famous charm, vitality, and walkability to their fundamental building block: single-stair buildings.

Baltimore is one of a handful of jurisdictions that have passed a single stair rule including Seattle, New York, Honolulu, and Austin. In the last few years, architects and housing policy wonks have caught on to the development potential and design possibilities foreclosed by this tiny code detail, sparking a lively movement for “single-stair reform” in North America.

AIA CES: 1.0 LU|HSW approved

Registration coming soon.