Single Staircase Reform: A Simple Building
Code
Change
with
Big
Impacts
What is it? Single Staircase Reform is a modern update to building codes. It allows small
apartment
buildings
(typically
4–6
stories
tall)
to
use
one
staircase
and
an
elevator,
instead
of
the
currently
required
two
staircases
connected
by
a
long
hallway.
This change might sound small—but it unlocks high quality apartments,
family-sized
units,
more
affordable
housing,
and
walkable
streets
—
the
backbone
of
‘15
minute’
sustainable
communities.
The current LA building code requires that multi-family buildings
over
three
stories
have
two
staircases
that
are
connected
by
an
enclosed
corridor.
This
creates
a
“hotel”
style
layout,
with
all
the
units
off
a
long
hallway
on
one
side
of
the
building
(or
a
hallway
down
the
center
with
units
off
both
sides).
Most
units
in
these
“single-loaded”
or
“double-loaded”
corridor
buildings
only
have
windows
on
one
side
of
the
unit.
This
can
translate
to
most
of
the
units
being
studios
and
one-bedrooms
–
often
with
windowless
bedrooms.
The Better Way: Single Staircase Design But there is an alternative. A Single Staircase has been
used
all
over
the
world
for
hundreds
of
years.
And they’re just as safe. Studies from the U.S. and abroad show no increased fire risk in well-designed single-stair
buildings.
A single staircase also allows for a courtyard design so apartments have windows
on
two
sides,
which
allows
for
cross-ventilation.
This
design
can
create
higher-quality
homes
that
self-cool
instead
of
relying
on
expensive
and
energy-inefficient
mechanical
cooling.
Courtyards
also
increase
quality
of
life
as
they
provide
an
open
space
for
children
to
play,
people
to
relax
in
green
space,
and
to
build
community.
WALKABILITY: Along commercial corridors, fine grain retail is 1 lot-line-to-lot-line — and a Single Staircase courtyard building allows
housing
to
be
built
above
the
shops
lot-line-to-lot-line.
Residential
over
retail
creates
a
customer
base
for
shops,
which
increases
vibrancy
which
creates
walkability
–
and
a
virtuous
cycle.
Walkable neighborhoods with housing over retail are the backbone of
a
“15
Minute
City”
where
“everything
a
resident
needs
is
in
a
15 minute
walk
or
bike
ride”
—
errands,
amenities,
jobs,
schools
and
transit
—
without
needing
a
car,
and
can
go
without
onsite
parking.
Parking
has
a
multitude
of
negative
(and
even
catastrophic)
effects
on
the
feasibility
of
housing
—
it
raises
rent
and
adds
significant
costs
to
projects.
Narrow
lots
can
be
too
space-constrained
to
fit
a
second
staircase,
requiring
the
need
to
combine
parcels
into
a
larger
lot.
This
practice,
known
as
land
assembly,
can
be
so
costly
that
in
Los
Angeles
it
has
resulted
in
up
to
a
40%
increase
in
land
acquisition
costs
and
extensive
delays
that
further
raise
the
cost
of
construction.
CLIMATE: A 15-minute street is the backbone of any sustainable neighborhood because
passenger
vehicles
account
for
28%
of
CA
GHG
emissions
(residential
housing
is
6%,
also
a
significant
number).
Single
Staircase
Reform
unlocks
vibrant
retail,
which
in
turn
can
support
adjacent
car-free/car-light
housing
of
different
typologies,
such
as
garden
courtyards,
townhomes,
and
mass
timber
high
rises.
RANGE OF BENEFITS: Single-staircase buildings unlock the potential for high quality of
life
and
sustainability
in
an
interlocking
systems-approach.
Additional
benefits
include:
● Quality of life and lower cost of living: ○ Creating bright, airy high quality family-size homes with leafy courtyards
○ Allowing small and tiny-sized parking-free units that are high-quality and
naturally
affordable
to
Moderate
and
Low
Income
households
○ Courtyards foster community ○ Aligning with AFFH to add affordable housing in high-opportunity areas as
well
as
Neighborhood
Opportunity
Zones
of
all
levels
○ Better Streetscapes, human-scale buildings, and curb appeal for homeowners
to
build
equity
○ Revitalization of small businesses ● Sustainability: ○ Reducing mechanical AC with cross-ventilation, unlocking zero-carbon buildings
○ Unlocking a 15-minute community, creates zero-carbon mobility ● Scalable and fast construction: ○ Commercial parcels along the same street are identical in size to simplify
construction
and
allow
for
small
infill
Standard
Plans
○ Standardizing can unlock prefab and modular construction IMPLEMENTATION: Livable Communities Initiative (LCI), a plan adopted by the LA 2 City Council to create 15-minute neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The LA City Council passed a motion that could reform this key building code: CF: 25-0247. Other cities including Santa Monica, San Diego and San Francisco are moving forward. The LCI also sponsored the State bill AB 835 which will facilitate this reform. OVERVIEW of Single Stair research.
READING & RESOURCES:
● Pew study on safety ● SingleStair.com - design competition ● HUD Study on Single-Stair Housing ● Harvard Study on Single-Stair Reform ● Sensible Density Working Group Report ● Point Access Block Building Design: Options for Building More Single-Stair Apartment Buildings in North America ● Understanding Single-Stair Reform Efforts Across the United States
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