Sean Jursnick @seanjurs
Colorado architect, single stair advocate. Modernize building code to build better cities. Denver, CO Joined November 2010-
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SINGLE STAIR REFORM The comment period for Austin’s amendments to the IBC (international building code) ends tomorrow! If we can convince them that single stair reform is important, this could unlock tons of housing! Please help us with a comment! 👇 publicinput.com/w1676?lang=en
Last year, Seattle's ALNA Apartments opened, replacing a single family home with 20 units on a small lot. The project includes Studio & 1-bd apartments from 311 to 515sqft. The project is illegal in most of the US because the 4th floor is accessed via a single stair.
Hey Austin, Single Stair Reform alert! The comment period for the IBC amendments closes tomorrow and we’ve got a pretty good shot at getting Single Stair reform. publicinput.com/w1676?lang=en Please voice your support here!
Seattle's Zoning map overlaid with mid-rise point access blocks. Dense infill housing, illegal in most of the US. BONUS MAP - point access block locations overlaid w/ Seattle's "Urban Villages" which have seen 88% of the city's housing growth
Next month, @TGTHR_CO will open with 56 Affordable units for transitional aged youth in Downtown Denver. Its been exciting to be involved in the important project & artwork by my favorite artist @IamDetour303 is an added bonus
The Tower on the Ting is a bold apartment project that creatively adds 11 stories of housing atop a 1960s courthouse. The Swedish project was designed by Wingårdh. The small footprint and single stair design allow for the innovative adaptive reuse of a historic structure
single stair boss level: Pasteurs Tårn, Copenhagen A narrow, tall tower recently completed in the Carlsberg area •37 stories (~6 units/floor) •172 units - ranging in size from studios to 5-beds •120m height Designed as a collaboration between Wingårdhs and Vilhelm Lauritzen
Built in only 7 months utilizing prefabricated mass-timber, the Strandparken Building by Wingårdhs are apartments containing: •8 stories •34 apartments •ranging in size from 1 to 4 bedrooms •2 point access blocks
Stockholm's Stadshagen project, two 8-story mass timber midrises, will create high quality units on a sloping site facing the Karlberg Canal. Containing 2 units per floor (triple-aspect) & using a single-stair, the project is illegal to build in the US
Great read by @paytonchung! 'Single-stair point access blocks' gaining momentum among advocates and legislators. These innovative structures streamline construction and offer affordable options, with safety in mind. #HousingTrends #SingleStair @seanjurs
Great read by @paytonchung! 'Single-stair point access blocks' gaining momentum among advocates and legislators. These innovative structures streamline construction and offer affordable options, with safety in mind. #HousingTrends #SingleStair @seanjurs
• In setting the rules, experience in enforcing the existing rules here is valued over reexamining those rules based on what people do anywhere else.
Things I’ve learned (or have been confirmed) watching the testimony from watching @MarketUrbanism’s testimony and rebuttals to it this morning:
We have a project on a 44’ wide lot in Queens. we can’t fit more than 3 units on a single floor due to the double stair. We could increase the number of units per floor by 33% if this was legal. That’s an incredibly significant increase!
We have a project on a 44’ wide lot in Queens. we can’t fit more than 3 units on a single floor due to the double stair. We could increase the number of units per floor by 33% if this was legal. That’s an incredibly significant increase!
Denver's new 11-story Speer Blvd Penthouses add 8 units to a compact site With full floor flats, the code-required two-stair plan reduces efficiency and livability
Adding 19 units on a 40' wide lot in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood, the Densmore apartments create new mid-rise housing options with a 5-story, single stair design. The project is illegal to build in almost the entire US due to code constraints on single-stair apartments.
Historical single stair scoop here: - McLean Gardens was built as defense worker housing in 1942 in DC and later converted to condos - the 4 story point access blocks were permitted after DC building code was temporarily amended to require second stair/exit for 5 & > stories
Historical single stair scoop here: - McLean Gardens was built as defense worker housing in 1942 in DC and later converted to condos - the 4 story point access blocks were permitted after DC building code was temporarily amended to require second stair/exit for 5 & > stories https://t.co/lRd0ZSJy2V
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do you want to know why european public architecture looks so much better than US architecture, and why younger firms are able to start with high profile commissions? competitions > RFPs btw $3.5M construction cost on this would be nearly triple in the US. worth exploring.
The EU Mies award for the best building in Europe goes to a young German duo’s first ever project 💥@EUmiesAwards theguardian.com/artanddesign/2…
Eliminating parking requirements helps affordable housing units pencil - especially now. Does this mean all affordable developments will not be parked? No. It means parking will be matched to demand. HB1304 helps Coloradan home affordability - pass it. @WoodrowForCO @GovofCO
This centrally located 6,000 square foot parking lot could cover its property taxes for the year (estimated) if 60 cars park at this rate. Downtown surface parking lots are truly the best business that our property tax system incentivizes.
A dream to experience this IRL
Incredible tornado intercept just now north of Lincoln Nebraska!! @ryanhallyall @SevereStudios
vermont's building code also allows 4 story point access blocks.
Last month the city council of Burlington, VT (pop. 45,000) unanimously approved major zoning reforms. Now allowed on all resi parcels: fourplexes or more, 3-4 stories, better setbacks and lot coverage, no unit limits for denser zones. They also eliminated parking reqs last year.
This great newsletter from @AURAatx makes a strong case for why YOU should care about single stair reform in Austin: mailchi.mp/aura-atx/singl… The newsletter includes a link to leave a comment in support of changing Austin's code to allow single stair buildings. Do it now!
Do you ❤️ single stair reform as much as I do? 🥰 Submit your comment by the end of tomorrow and let's change Austin code once again!
SINGLE STAIR REFORM The comment period for Austin’s amendments to the IBC (international building code) ends tomorrow! If we can convince them that single stair reform is important, this could unlock tons of housing! Please help us with a comment! 👇 publicinput.com/w1676?lang=en
SINGLE STAIR REFORM The comment period for Austin’s amendments to the IBC (international building code) ends tomorrow! If we can convince them that single stair reform is important, this could unlock tons of housing! Please help us with a comment! 👇 publicinput.com/w1676?lang=en
In a new publication (online today!) I look at the history of the great estates in London. The underlying land in some neighborhoods like Mayfair, Belgravia, and Chelsea is still largely owned by aristocratic families like the Grosvenors and Cadogans.
This is huge. The current minimum lot size is 5,750, and we’ve expecting 2,000 with the new update. As of tonight, we’re down to 1,500!!! All that’s left now is the vote at city council!
the Austin Planning Commission just voted to decrease minimum lot sizes to 1,500 sqft!
In one federal program, 1,400 post office murals were created in more than 1,300 cities and towns. atlasobscura.com/articles/post-…
There’s some excellent resources on this website. Go follow @holz_bau @seanjurs & @MarketUrbanism to learn more!
We have US precedents too - Seattle has been building single stair buildings since the 70s, New York and Honolulu have joined the club, and many municipalities are looking into changing it their codes statewide.
Fire safety – A 2011 FEMA report shows that globally, many countries that allow single stair buildings, some lacking sprinkler requirements and with unlimited height, have a significantly lower death rate due to building fire than the United States
Aligns with ETOD and other up-zonings – Implementing this single stair amendment prior to anticipated up-zonings is a great opportunity to foster higher-quality living spaces and better urban fabric at a scale accessible to more local builders.
Aligns with five-over-ones – Five stories of Type III residential over one or two stories of Type I commercial is an inflection point in construction financing. Configuring the single stair buildings to align with this typology would promote more efficient mixed-use buildings.
Smaller building footprint – Removing the requirement for a corridor promotes a finer-grained urbanism by facilitating smaller footprints and incremental growth. Neighborhoods that grow more dense piece by piece have a better chance of preserving existing character.
Cross ventilation –Having access to windows on two or more sides opens the possibility of natural ventilation, as opposed to the mechanical heating and cooling of a double loaded corridor. Austin would particularly benefit from this as much of the year is pleasant outside.
Family sized units – Having dual access to window walls allows for bedrooms to be placed on multiple sides of buildings, as opposed to only one, easily facilitating two, three and four bedrooms. This measure also takes the pressure off building deep windowless bedrooms.
Floor plate efficiency – Removing the need for a corridor provides more square footage for dwelling units, lowering the overall cost of housing. Single stair buildings have 95% efficiency as compared to 70-87% efficiency for corridor buildings. That’s significant!
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