@MaximeKG
In Belgium, apartment buildings also require two separate fire escapes, but one of them can be a window. Ladder access is required unless a fire truck can easily reach it. This explains why the two-stairs rule starts at 6 floors, that's simply the highest our biggest ladder trucks can reach. The fire department always checks building plans before they get planning permission and local governments will basically always follow their advice. So depending on the place, there can be stricter limits. Buildings with a higher fire risk like student dorms for example always have stricter fire regulations.
@nimeshinlosangeles
Oh man, the hotel analogy is too true! All the new luxury apartments in LA have these tiny units with windows on only one side going for $5,000/mo rent, and when you open your front door, instead of being outside, you're in a (depressingly artificially lit) hallway. Each time I left a tour of a new apartment I thought to myself "I want to live somewhere that feels like a home, not somewhere that feels like they're just packing people in like a hotel - and certainly not for $5,000/mo." Now I understand why I always had that feeling.
@GaryWinstonBrown
We need to normalize a simple lifestyle and stop normalizing debt. Huge SUVs, huge houses and private universities are simply not necessary. I live within my budget and I sleep better at night knowing that if I lose my job tomorrow, ' be fine. I didn't buy the biggest house. I bought the one I could comfortably repay
@Old.Man.Of.The.Mountain
When I lived in Boston's North End, my appt building had a deck on the roof overlooking the waterfront. This allowed tenants to socialize in the evenings without any invitation of sort. My friends could also drop by and hang out with me on the rooftop. I felt that, mentally, we were better off for it. If I had to meet friends outside somewhere else in the city, it would almost always feel like we had to spend money and transportation cost to make it happen.
@MattsMkia
Don't have a job = can't afford housing. Have a job = can't afford housing. So why have a job?
@dutchcanuck7550
I work in a building in Toronto with a scissor stair. The "long straight run" problem was solved by putting a small landing halfway down each staircase. So you only fall 7 steps max instead of bouncing down all 14. Units are positioned on either side of the stair box. Each unit has a 'front door' and a 'back door'. Each door opens into a big shared landing on each floor for the respective staircase. The front door of your unit is the door that leads to the staircase that leads down to the front door of the building. That staircase is rather nice looking. The 'back door' leads to the other landing, to the staircase that goes to the parking behind the building. It is very utilitarian concrete, like a fire stair. I think it's a reasonable compromise.
@kubarwiszowaty1006
Living in a Chicago walkup (and most buildings on my block being the same, roughly 3-4 stories) this staircase issue seems to be somewhat alleviated by having outdoor staircases attached at the back on the building. This being said, almost all Chicago blocks have alleyways in addition to the street so access is easier than other cities. Added bonus: Each unit in my building has a small outdoor space on the staircase landing where people set up small bistro sets, grills, and outdoor furniture in a mini patio setup. Not ideal, but my building was built in the 90s so compatible with the current building codes.
@findingbarry
This has been one of my favorite videos on this channel. Something of note; eliminating this rule could also help promote gentle density in areas where NIMBYs fear a big boxy, 4-story building would "ruin the character of their neighborhood". A 2-story building with one staircase could produce 10-12 units, significantly improving on housing stock while not setting off any alarms.
@tatianastarcic
To my own research In USA, individuals living in cars due to partial homelessness result from a complex interplay of factors. High housing costs relative to income, stagnant wages, and income inequality drive this issue. Job loss, weak social support, medical expenses, evictions, and lack of affordable housing also contribute, while systemic problems and inadequate policies further perpetuate the phenomenon.
@yoohocho9831
I like the material being presented in the recent episodes. Identifying regulations that unintentionally add additional costs and complexity to house construction
@moos5221
I live in Germany and while we used to build the thin apartment buildings in the past nowadays it's very uncommon and most apartment buildings look like the american counterparts, rather large blocks. The reason is, that rarely individual persons build apartment buildings anymore like it was common in the past but now it's housing companies (some large ones owned by the state/cities) that build large apartment blocks and it's simply cheaper and more efficient to build a large block instead of 20 individual units.
@Nhkg17
There was one more thing not mentioned in the video. Firefighters in Europe have cars with ladders to evacuate people. Even in smaller towns, those ladders reach about 30 metres, which is enough which is enough for 8 floors. And apartments are built so that each apartment is a separate fire compartment and the fire doesn't spread to and from the apartment.
@erynn9968
I really appreciate that your video is full of info, without stupid jokes or unreasonable hysterical screams.
@sarah-jayne9565
I've watched A LOT of apartment videos (Never Too Small, Apartment Therapy, House & Home etc.) and in a million years I never would have guessed that the apartment at 10:07 was in Seattle. My first thought would have been somewhere in Europe or Latin America. I've gotten so used to seeing a certain layout in modern buildings in North America and I didn't realise it was window/staircase related until now. This video was such a fresh take and it's so interesting to see certain cities taking a different approach. Thanks for doing what you're doing!
@ericwright8592
Wow. I've been wondering why every single apartment building going up in my city has at most 2 bedroom apartments and why they're all the size of an entire city block with a "hotel" layout. I love older style row houses, I never understood why they aren't being built anymore. As you mentioned, because it's so hard to get enough land together to bother building a modern apartment building, my city is always pushing developers to go at least 8-10 stories or more. If you're going to bother acquiring the land may as well build as much as possible because that building is going to be there for 50-100 years. I understand the logic, but I'd rather see a ton of 4 story row houses, that only require 0.05 acres of land.
@RaeRaesRaveReviews
I've lived in these single access points building in the US. (older buildings). They had a great solution to the fire safety issue... multiple fire escapes.
@JMcMillen
Years ago I saw an interesting solution to the bedroom window requirement. I used to deliver appliances and TV's and one time went to this building where the apartment units themselves were two floors, with the living, dining rooms and kitchen on the lower floor, with the bedrooms on the upper floor. That meant both the bedrooms and living room could have an entire wall of windows.
@differnet
Another simple solution is to put the hallway in one wall. I'm not sure why you didn't come up with that solution. Or if you look at many apartments in Korea, they have balconies instead of hallways. So, the windows are at the front and rear of the apartment, and they still have two stairways.
@felisd
I have lived in three-storey walls and now, in a two storey fourplex (with additional basement studio units). I like the solution they came up with for having two staircases: One in the front and one in back. No hallway connects the staircases; instead the staircases are separated and accessed through front and side/ back doors within the units. It means it is easier to have multi-br units with windows.
@dawg_gee_man