Single-Stair, Many Benefits
Charming, family-sized, and great for neighborhood character. There are so many reasons to love six-story single-stair apartment buildings. That’s why these little buildings could be the next BIG thing in Austin.
But Firstly, What’s Up With Austin’s Apartment Buildings Today?
You may have noticed that many apartment buildings today tend to look like this one. They can take up whole blocks and often look out of place in neighborhoods.
What’s happening? Well, Austin’s regulations require apartment buildings above three stories to have two stairways serving every floor. This in turn necessitates a hallway bisecting each floor, which consumes a lot of space and pushes developers to build at a huge scale to make the project work.
These buildings are known as “double-loaded hallway apartment buildings”, referring to the two-stairway requirement. This requirement sounds reasonable but it actually does little for safety and has many downsides, as we’ll see later.
There Are Major Issues With Double-Loaded Buildings.
Here are some of the biggest problems.
Instead, Here Are FIVE Big Reasons Why Austinites Will LOVE Six-Story Single-Stair Buildings
Cute, great for families, and much more. By allowing single-stair buildings up to six floors, these little buildings will solve so many of their double-loaded big brothers’ problems.
More Housing!
More space for housing and less space for hallways.
Unlike double-loaded buildings, single-stair buildings only require a single stairway and don’t need a connecting hallway. That’s a huge space-saver.
Housing in places where double-loaded buildings can’t go.
Without the long hallways of double-loaded buildings, single-stair buildings have a much smaller footprint and can be built on smaller lots.
Works well with Austin’s existing housing density bonuses.
The Affordability Unlocked program allows up to eight units per single-family lot. Single-stair buildings up to six floors will finally make it practical for apartments to include all eight units.
A typical single-stair building dedicates 95% of its floor space to housing, versus just 70-87% for double-loaded buildings.
Single-stair buildings can be 10-25% cheaper to build than double-loaded buildings.
2. More Pleasant, Community-Oriented Apartments
More natural light.
Single-stair buildings’ small size more easily allow apartments to have windows on multiple sizes, providing a lot more natural light.
More community inside and outside the building.
With fewer units per floor and no long hallways, single-stair buildings create a more intimate environment where neighbors are more likely to interact. Single-stair buildings’ compact footprint also better integrates them into the surrounding neighborhood.
A better fit for existing neighborhood character.
In contrast with the imposing, block-long double-loaded buildings, single-stair buildings can fit on existing lots. This makes them a great way to bring gentle density to existing neighborhoods dominated by single-family homes.
Single-stair apartment: More natural light.
Double-loaded apartment: Lit only on one side.
3. Great For Families, Seniors, & Students (Really, Everyone!)
More apartment layouts for more kinds of households.
Family, senior, and student households can have very different needs. Because single-stair buildings are centered around a core stairway, they have more flexibility with how floor plans can be laid out.
On the other hand, because hallways bisect double-loaded buildings, apartments are typically long and thin, making it harder to expand them to add extra rooms. That’s why most apartments are studios or one-bedrooms.
More accessible.
Single-stair buildings’ compact footprint makes them easier to develop close to existing amenities such as grocery stores. They’re also easier to access from the street and to navigate for people with physical limitations.
As much as 75% of North American apartments are studios or have just one-bedroom.
4. More Sustainable & Resilient Housing
Reduced energy use.
With windows on multiple sides, single-stair buildings enable more natural light and cross ventilation, reducing dependence on artificial light and air conditioning, lowering energy consumption, and providing resiliency in the event of power outages.
A more compact, efficient use of land.
Single-stair buildings use land more efficiently than double-loaded buildings, helping to reduce sprawl and make walking, bicycling, and transit use easier.
A less carbon-intensive building to create.
Without extra stairwells and long corridors, single-stair buildings take fewer resources to produce.
5. Great For Safety
With Six-Story Single-Stair Buildings, Apartment Living in Austin Will Be Safer Than Ever.
There are so many safety benefits to single-stair buildings, we’ve dedicated a whole page to the issue.