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Six stories is probably my preferred urban scale, but the 5 over 1 buildings we get in the US are just terrible. A six story apartment in Berlin has windows fro

Six stories is probably my preferred urban scale, but the 5 over 1 buildings we get in the US are just terrible. A six story apartment in Berlin has windows front and back while the US version has windows only on one side due to the long central corridor to connect to the two stairwells required by US regulations (a result of the wood construction?)

mjevans 4y ago
2 fire escapes is a good thing, redundancy also helps in cases of unforeseen failure and disasters. As an alternative, a 1.5 level (per apartment, a ramp, stair, or interior elevator) design where one side has 2 floors and the other just one, such that three floors are split among 2 floors of buildings. I'd still want enough acoustic insulation and isolation to enjoy silence, and an airflow design for the whole building that keeps all the exhausts and smells away from all residences.
- laurencerowe 4y ago
  Or just do what other developed countries with far lower fire death rates do and build single access apartments out of less combustible materials. They provide far more pleasant layouts. https://slate.com/business/2021/12/staircases-floor-plan-twitter-housing-apartments.html https://slate.com/business/2021/12/staircases-floor-plan-twi...
jasonwatkinspdx 4y ago
Yeah, having two fire escape routes in a large apartment building is not some sort of mistaken regulation. Also I very much doubt your characterization of properties in Germany. I'm sure there's a wide variety that broadly resembles what we see in all developed urban areas. The US uses wood construction a lot because it's a cost effective local material. Fire safety standards in the US are generally quite high. Building with wood is not some sort of problematic thing as you imply. Seriously, the weird chip on the shoulder some people get about the US is tiresome. Sure we have some stupid laws and bureaucracy like anywhere, but we're not aliens with pokadot skin or anything. I assure you people are pretty much the same everywhere.
- laurencerowe 4y ago
  I like the US a lot (enough to emigrate here and become a citizen) but having seen other parts of the world it is impossible not to see the things that are wrong with it too. I guess I struggle to understand why Americans are so sensitive to even very mild criticism of this country, the richest and most powerful in the world by a long way. Most of Europe allows single stairway buildings. Germany has half the fire death rate of the US. It’s the US (along with Canada) which is the outlier in multi family building design here. They could be so much better! https://slate.com/business/2021/12/staircases-floor-plan-twitter-housing-apartments.html https://slate.com/business/2021/12/staircases-floor-plan-twi...
  - jasonwatkinspdx 4y ago
    Generally speaking Americans criticize our country far more than anyone else. The annoyances I'm talking about aren't substantial criticisms, they're just stupid. "Oh no, the US makes buildings out of wood, how silly of them" is just people being both ignorant and shitty.
    - laurencerowe 4y ago
      I’m agnostic on the construction materials used but dual staircase regulations subject us to far worse apartment design than other countries. Having lived in both I really hope I never have to live in one of these dual staircase apartments again. It felt like a deep dark cave.

mjevans 4y ago

2 fire escapes is a good thing, redundancy also helps in cases of unforeseen failure and disasters. As an alternative, a 1.5 level (per apartment, a ramp, stair, or interior elevator) design where one side has 2 floors and the other just one, such that three floors are split among 2 floors of buildings. I'd still want enough acoustic insulation and isolation to enjoy silence, and an airflow design for the whole building that keeps all the exhausts and smells away from all residences.

laurencerowe 4y ago
Or just do what other developed countries with far lower fire death rates do and build single access apartments out of less combustible materials. They provide far more pleasant layouts. https://slate.com/business/2021/12/staircases-floor-plan-twitter-housing-apartments.html https://slate.com/business/2021/12/staircases-floor-plan-twi...

jasonwatkinspdx 4y ago

Yeah, having two fire escape routes in a large apartment building is not some sort of mistaken regulation. Also I very much doubt your characterization of properties in Germany. I'm sure there's a wide variety that broadly resembles what we see in all developed urban areas. The US uses wood construction a lot because it's a cost effective local material. Fire safety standards in the US are generally quite high. Building with wood is not some sort of problematic thing as you imply. Seriously, the weird chip on the shoulder some people get about the US is tiresome. Sure we have some stupid laws and bureaucracy like anywhere, but we're not aliens with pokadot skin or anything. I assure you people are pretty much the same everywhere.

laurencerowe 4y ago
I like the US a lot (enough to emigrate here and become a citizen) but having seen other parts of the world it is impossible not to see the things that are wrong with it too. I guess I struggle to understand why Americans are so sensitive to even very mild criticism of this country, the richest and most powerful in the world by a long way. Most of Europe allows single stairway buildings. Germany has half the fire death rate of the US. It’s the US (along with Canada) which is the outlier in multi family building design here. They could be so much better! https://slate.com/business/2021/12/staircases-floor-plan-twitter-housing-apartments.html https://slate.com/business/2021/12/staircases-floor-plan-twi...
- jasonwatkinspdx 4y ago
  Generally speaking Americans criticize our country far more than anyone else. The annoyances I'm talking about aren't substantial criticisms, they're just stupid. "Oh no, the US makes buildings out of wood, how silly of them" is just people being both ignorant and shitty.
  - laurencerowe 4y ago
    I’m agnostic on the construction materials used but dual staircase regulations subject us to far worse apartment design than other countries. Having lived in both I really hope I never have to live in one of these dual staircase apartments again. It felt like a deep dark cave.