A little help please: Richmond (VA) has numerous historic warehouses where the footprint of the floor plates are very large. There seems to be a Richmond, renovation vernacular, which supports designing and renovating this building type with a large percentage of apartments without windows. These units are surrounded by corridors and have legal egress. Many have skylights or light tubes to compensate for the lack of windows. These projects receive historic rehabilitation tax credits. The National Park Service, which reviews these projects, does not permit removing roof areas to create courtyards and natural light (and air) wells. I am concerned that we are developing substandard housing in my city by supporting this level of development; however, I lack any back-up regarding my opinion. I would like to disuss my concerns with our architectural community. To begin with, I have a couple of basic questions: - Do others agree with my perception that windowless, cookie cutter apartments are a form of substandard housing?
- Is it standard practice in other regions of the country, to develop multi-family (renovation) projects with windowless apartments?
Could you please reply to the questions with examples of local zoning codes that respond to the issue of windowless dwelling units. Providing information on other regions of the country, and providing professional opinions on this topic could substantiate my concerns and provide me with the necessary tools to present to our city planning commissioners and our city's planning staff.
Additionally, if this is a strong concern, and if the National Park Service is in effect promoting this type of renovation work as part of the very much, needed government rehabilitation tax credit program, then maybe the discussion should extend beyond the AIA.
Thanks for your responses.
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David Johannas AIA
Johannas Design Group
Richmond VA
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David Johannas AIA
Johannas Design Group
Richmond VA
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