Page 27 - ArchDC_Spring 2021

stair for the building, saving significant money. (With an update standards, which are not necessarily costly in and of themselves,
to the code adopted in May 2020, this may no longer be the case.) but generally compel spaces and unit elements (especially doors
To maximize efficiency further, the front wing’s floor levels are and kitchens) to be larger than they might otherwise be. (There
a half-level higher than those of the rear wing: units open from is one accessible unit, in the front lower level, which connects to
opposite landings, eliminating the need for corridors, aside from Chapin Street with a private, step-free walkway—its interiors
those at the front first floor and rear basement which connect comply with the accessibility standards.) The eight-unit size
to the street and alley. There is no elevator, but the stairs are also slips in under DC’s Inclusionary Zoning threshold of nine
generously sized and have windows—a rare amenity for new units (whatever its societal benefits, “IZ,” which mandates a
apartment building stairways. percentage of affordable units in a given project, isn’t a winning
The size of the project also is within the building code’s proposition for the developer of a small condo building—it
limits for wood-frame construction, which keeps costs down involves mountains of red tape while forcing below-market
compared to steel or concrete structures. The lack of an elevator prices on some of the units).
allows most of the units not to meet disabled accessibility

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