Relatedly, an outside window isn't going to be very useful for egress when you're in a high-rise. No, this particular dorm isn't quite a high-rise, but the poin

Relatedly, an outside window isn't going to be very useful for egress when you're in a high-rise. No, this particular dorm isn't quite a high-rise, but the point is that exceptions are entirely necessary and legitimate. This aspect of building codes probably wasn't mentioned because it's not relevant.