AIA Baltimore/Baltimore Architecture Foundation

COTE|R Committee Meeting
2026-02-24 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-03-24 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-04-28 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-05-26 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-06-23 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-07-28 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-08-25 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-09-22 17:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) and 16 more dates | MD
The Committee on the Environment was formed to promote the benefits of environmentally-conscious design and construction within the building professions and the community at large. We are involved in a number of projects, some in partnership with community organizations, to promote a healthier, more sustainable environment in the Baltimore region.
The AIA Baltimore Resiliency Committee joined COTE in January 2015. The subcommittee is a network of building design professionals dedicated to educating, promoting and implementing programs that help prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters within our design community and the community at large.
To join this committee, please contact co-chair:
Ben Roush, PE-ME, FPE, LEED AP BD+C, CCP, ASHRAE BEMP and BEAP: benr@fsi-engineers.com
FSi Engineers
Zolna Russell, PLA, LEED AP, SITES AP: ZRussell@flourateeter.com
Floura Teeter

Boosting Multifamily Housing Availability through Single Stair Reform
2026-02-24 17:00 - 18:00 | The Center for Architecture and Design, 100 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD, 21218, United States
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 is open now.
